178: She rebelled for a man and became empress.

Chu Clan Ancestral Land, Sky Battlefield.

Above the sixteen floating arenas, divine light splattered and Laws roared.

The Prodigies who could make it this far had almost all stepped into the Heavenly God Realm; True Gods were now as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Every collision caused the Void Realm to tremble, and Dao patterns intertwined like chains on the arena, shattering and then reuniting.

High on the platform, Grand Princess Chu Yuelian sat in the main seat, dressed in purple-gold palace attire, her dignity awe-inspiring.

She stood guard here in place of Her Majesty the Empress, who had left. Her gaze calmly swept across the sixteen arenas, occasionally pausing for a moment on a stunning figure before indifferently moving on.

“Damn it... she really didn't come back!”

To the east of the spectator stands, within the Lin family's seating area, Lin Ziyao gritted her silver teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She had been staring at the high platform for a full hour.

Chu Yuehua had not returned.

Qin Wushang had not returned either.

That woman... took her man away and then vanished, as if she had never appeared.

“Girl, what's wrong?”

Beside her, Lin Nantian noticed his daughter's aura was off and couldn't help but ask.

“Nothing.”

Lin Ziyao's voice squeezed out from between her teeth.

“Just thinking about that woman, Chu Yuehua... where on earth she took Brother Wu Shang.”

“Impudent!”

Lin Nantian's expression changed drastically. He instantly set up a soundproof barrier, enveloping the father and daughter within.

He lowered his voice, the veins on his temples throbbing.

“Calling Her Majesty by her name in public, and with killing intent at that—girl... do you want to get the entire Lin family killed?”

“Pah!”

Lin Ziyao suddenly turned her head and spat, her beautiful eyes completely bloodshot.

“Dad, how about we rebel?”

“Boom!”

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Lin Nantian's mind.

He stared fixedly at his daughter, confirming that those beautiful eyes held not a hint of a joke, only a near-manic stubbornness and fury.

“You... are you crazy?”

His voice trembled, and he almost roared it out:

“Can you just say things like that?”

“Do you have any idea that based on what you just said, the Chu Clan could crush our Lin family from top to bottom, from the living to our ancestral graves, into fine powder?”

The surrounding Lin family disciples had long since turned pale.

Lin Jiuyang was the first to cover his ears, closing his eyes and shouting softly.

“I didn't hear anything! I didn't hear anything!”

The others followed suit, some even directly blocking their sense of hearing, wearing expressions of despair that said 'this has nothing to do with me'.

If not for a saint Law shrouing the Lin family's spectator seats, these words would surely have been overheard.

“Ahem... the girl is unwell today and spoke some nonsense. Everyone, please do not take it seriously.”

Lin Nantian forced himself to remain calm, instantly striking a saint Law into Lin Ziyao's body.

A Silence Curse, an Immobilization Curse, and a Heart-Calming Curse were layered on top of each other, locking her firmly in place so that she couldn't even move her eyes.

Only after doing all this did he breathe a sigh of relief, though he felt completely exhausted.

He turned to his elderly father, who had been resting with his eyes closed beside him, his voice bitter.

“Father, this girl... has her mind been bewitched by some evil technique?”

“How could she say such treasonous words today?”

Old General Lin, who had been silent, slowly opened his eyes.

This white-haired elder had once followed the Martial God into battle everywhere and was one of the living legends of the Desolate Heaven Domain.

He didn't look at Lin Nantian, but instead cast his gaze toward his restrained granddaughter, a flash of complex emotion crossing his aged eyes.

“Bewitched?”

He gave a light laugh and shook his head.

“Nantian, do you still not understand?”

“This girl hasn't been bewitched; she's truly moved her heart, and she's truly moved to anger.”

“Haven't you noticed? That boy named Qin Wushang hasn't appeared again since he left with her.”

Old General Lin paused, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.

“Our girl here has had her vinegar jar overturned. She hasn't even married the man yet, but her heart is already leaning entirely toward him.”

“For a man... heh, she even dares to think of something as treasonous as rebellion.”

With a casual wave of his hand, the restraints on Lin Ziyao instantly crumbled.

“Grandpa!”

As soon as she regained her freedom, Lin Ziyao threw herself at the Old General's knees, her eyes rimmed with red.

“Chu Yuehua took Brother Wu Shang away! They haven't come back yet! By what right?”

“Does being his Revered Master mean she can do whatever she wants? Clearly... clearly today should have been mine...”

She couldn't finish the rest of her words, only biting her lip so hard she nearly drew blood!

So close, just a little bit more!

She was so close to having him!

Old General Lin reached out, his rough palm covering his granddaughter's head, gently stroking it.

“Girl, don't worry, he's fine.”

His voice was very calm, carrying a certainty born of experiencing many vicissitudes.

“Her Majesty the Empress taking her own disciple away is nothing more than to guide his cultivation or bestow an Opportunity.”

“With the Ancient Desolate Secret Realm imminent, she values that child's safety and growth more than anyone.”

“As for you...”

The elder's gaze suddenly became sharp.

“If those remarks of yours today were to reach the ears of the Chu Clan, it would be a disaster that exterminates our clan.”

“To place the lives of the entire clan on the edge of a blade for one man... is it worth it?”

Lin Ziyao fell silent.

After a long while, she looked up, the tears in her eyes already dry, leaving only a kind of near-obsessive determination.

“Grandpa, you once taught me!”

“Lin family children would rather break than bend. If we want something, we go and fight for it, snatch it; even if we end up battered and bloodied, we must never hand it over to others.”

“Brother Wu Shang... I met him first, I moved my heart first, and with him, I have the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker.”

“By what right does Chu Yuehua intervene? Just because she is the Empress? Just because she is his Revered Master?”

She stood up and looked toward the empty Empress's throne high on the platform, speaking each word deliberately.

“If she truly wants to snatch him... then I will fight her to the end.”

“You!”

Lin Nantian was about to flare up again, but he was stopped by the Old General raising a hand.

“Forget it.”

Old General Lin sighed deeply.

“In the arrogance of youth, who hasn't had an obsession.”

“Only, girl, you must remember that some fights can be fought, while some are the path to death.”

“Before you possess sufficient power, retract your fangs and hide your sharp claws.”

He gave his granddaughter a deep look.

“You've already grasped seventy or eighty percent of the Lin family's Legacy Cultivation Technique, haven't you? In that case, go find the final thirty percent Opportunity within the Ancient Desolate Secret Realm.”

“If you can cultivate the technique to Perfection and take that step... at that time, whatever you want to fight for, Grandpa won't stop you.”

Lin Ziyao's body jolted.

She looked at her grandfather and saw in those aged eyes a kind of tacit permission, even a hint of encouragement.

“Dad! How can you indulge her!”

“Shut up.”

Old General Lin coldly interrupted his son.

“Do you think Chu Yuehua personally left the scene today just because she thought she was going to catch a demon?”

“She was likely catching your precious daughter!”

Lin Nantian was stunned.

“That Double-Pupiled One... hides a great secret.”

“Chu Yuehua being so urgent, even not hesitating to suddenly leave in front of everyone's eyes, can only mean one thing!”

The Old General looked toward the horizon, his gaze distant.

“That boy is perhaps far more important than we imagined.”

“Important enough that... even this Empress, who has suppressed the Desolate Heaven Domain for a thousand years, had to lower her status and go fight for him personally.”

Lin Ziyao's fingers slowly clenched... Taihuang Heaven, Weiyang Palace.

This was one of the most majestic palaces in the Five Domains and Two Heavens, floating atop a sea of clouds, forged entirely from Black Divine Gold, its eaves pointing to the sky like swords, permeated with an Imperial Might that suppressed the heavens.

Deep within the palace, the Imperial Study.

The desk was carved from a single piece of Star Tear Divine Jade, with a miniature galaxy sealed inside; as the starlight flowed, it illuminated the figure behind the desk.

She wore a dragon robe of gold and black.

That dragon robe was not the loose-fitting garment worn by ordinary monarchs, but was tailored to fit her closely, perfectly outlining the breathtaking curves of her figure.

Her shoulders were like carved slopes, her waist like a bundle of silk, while the peaks of her chest rose high, stretching the dragon robe to an astonishing degree. As they rose and fell slightly with her breathing, even the light in the study flickered accordingly.

The hem of the robe was embroidered with nine five-clawed golden dragons in gold thread, their eyes adorned with Red Sun Divine Crystals; as the light shifted, it looked as if fires that could burn the heavens were blazing.

At this moment, she was looking down at a Jade Slip in her hand.

The candlelight illuminated her profile!

It was a face that could not be described in words.

If Chu Yuehua's beauty was like a night-blooming cereus under the moon—cold, aloof, and stunning, yet fleeting.

Then her beauty was like the scorching sun—domineering and fierce, stinging the eyes with just a single glance.

Her skin was like the finest mutton-fat white jade, yet it held three parts more warmth than jade.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains painted in dark green, slanting toward her temples, their tips naturally carrying a hint of sharpness.

The bridge of her nose was high, and her lips were a vivid, primary red, appearing crimson even without makeup. The corners of her mouth were naturally slightly upturned in a faint smile, yet it caused one's heart to palpitate for no reason.

Most breathtaking of all were those eyes.

Phoenix eyes, with pupils that were actually pure gold, like molten gold, with ancient runes branded deep within.

When her gaze shifted, it was as if the stars of the heavens were being born and dying within them, and as if ten thousand Laws were submitting inside.

This was the Lord of Taihuang Heaven!

“Clack.”

The Jade Slip was casually tossed onto the desk, making a light sound.

The woman kneeling below trembled violently, her head buried even lower, almost touching the cold floor.

“So!”

The Empress spoke, her voice not loud.

“The great dao suppression of the Desolate Heaven Domain still cannot be broken?”

“Ma- Majesty, please appease your anger!”

The woman's voice trembled.

“Although the Desolate Heaven Domain has declined, the great dao suppression left by that person still remains.”

“Those are Dao traces left by an existence who stepped onto the immortal path. With our cultivation, forcibly entering will only trigger the backlash of the Dao traces, resulting in total annihilation of body and soul...”

“Useless.”

The Empress softly spat out those two words.

There was no anger, no reprimand, just a calm statement of fact.

But the woman felt as if she had been struck by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained the floor tiles in front of her red.

She didn't dare to wipe it, only kowtowing even more loudly.

“Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! Al- although we cannot enter, according to our investigations... the Qin Clan seems to possess some kind of secret method that can briefly open a passage without triggering the Dao traces...”

“The Qin Clan?”

The Empress's eyes flickered slightly.

“Yes! The Qin Clan from the Desolate Heaven Domain; they should still be hiding some forbidden means.”

“I have already sent people to make contact in secret, but the Qin Clan is extremely wary, and progress is slow...”

“One year.”

The Empress interrupted her and slowly stood up.

With her movement, the curves beneath her dragon robe flowed breathtakingly, the fullness of her chest almost threatening to burst the lapel.

She walked to the window and looked out at the boundless sea of clouds, the stars of the heavens reflected in her golden pupils.

“This Empress will only wait one year.”

“Within one year, the great dao suppression of the Desolate Heaven Domain must be broken. This Empress wants to... descend personally.”

She paused and then added another sentence.

“Accelerate the process of the Ancient Desolate Secret Realm trial. On the day the Secret Realm opens, this Empress wants to step inside at the first Opportunity.”

“Yes! Yes! I will certainly do my utmost!”

The woman felt as if she had been granted a great amnesty, kowtowing three more times before scrambling out of the Imperial Study.

The door closed.

The Empress stood alone by the window.

After a long while, she suddenly gave a light laugh.

That laugh was completely different from her previous coldness, carrying a kind of indescribable, complex emotion.

There was anticipation, nostalgia, and even a hint of tenderness that was almost impossible to detect.

She raised her hand, her fingertip gently stroking her own lip.

“Wu Shang, oh Wu Shang...”

A low murmur echoed in the empty study.

“Wanting to see you ahead of time is truly not easy.”

“But it doesn't matter. In this life...”

“This Empress will surely suppress Chu Yuehua and the others and become your only Empress-Consort!”

The corners of her mouth curled up; that smile was breathtakingly beautiful, yet also dangerously suffocating.