Chapter 742: Impenetrable Defense, the Ji Sovereign Collapses

"Die in armor!"

Within the vast bedchamber, the Ji Sovereign, clad in a gold-threaded sleeping robe, awoke with a start, a layer of cold sweat already having seeped out upon her fair forehead.

She abruptly scanned the surroundings of the bedchamber; it was deathly silent.

The scene of her tragic death had appeared in her dream, so real, absurdly real.

She saw a blurred figure shatter her to pieces.

In the dream, her roar and her unwillingness were so heart-wrenching.

The Ji Sovereign's expression was ugly to the extreme; even when she had seen the manner of her death during the day, she had not been overly nervous. She was the Empress of a nation, possessed of boundless majesty; how could she fear death?

But dreams cannot deceive.

That kind of pain, that kind of despair, was too real.

"The human world is about to perish; what did I, Ji Ling, do wrong?"

She gritted her teeth, no longer possessing her usual majestic spirit.

"I merely walked a path that any Ji Sovereign of any era would walk, so why would I die?"

She clenched her hands, white as jade, a cascade of black hair veiling her face, cold light flickering in her eyes.

"There are not many in this world who can kill me!"

The Ji Sovereign sat upon her bed, appearing somewhat paranoid.

She associated this with the prophecy of Chen Qi.

Chen Yan is about to slaughter hundreds of thousands of troops in Ji Province.

The Ji Sovereign's pupils constricted.

Could it be that she dies at the hands of Chen Yan?

Yet, it is not even known whether Chen Yan is alive or dead at this moment.

Moreover, according to Chen Qi's prophecy, even if Chen Yan were to annihilate hundreds of thousands of troops in Ji Province in the future, Chen Yan would only be at the Creation Realm at that time.

How could the Creation Realm kill her?

But when these two prophecies were placed together, they seemed so real, looking as if they would truly happen.

If, if Chen Yan is not dead.

If that scene in the future were to happen...

The Ji Sovereign's pupils shrank sharply:

"Then it is highly likely that I will die on the very day Chen Yan annihilates the hundreds of thousands of troops in Ji Province..."

Her face turned somewhat pale.

Chen Yan has only been on the path of the Dao for a little over two years, and he was already at the Sixth Rank when he entered the War of the Five Clans.

Even if he were to reach the Eighth Rank, it would not be far off; it would not take many years.

In other words...

She, Ji Ling, has only a few years of life left.

It could even be less than a year of life.

Ji Ling felt her back soaked through with sweat.

A junior had actually brought her such immense pressure.

"I..."

Ji Ling's voice trembled slightly:

"No matter what, I must admit, I... am afraid of death..."

She looked toward the door of the bedchamber and pursed her lips:

"Someone, bring Zhao Zhugui here!"

Before long.

Zhao Zhugui, having been woken from his sleep, walked into the Ji Sovereign's bedchamber amidst the astonished, and even indignant, gazes of the palace guards.

Those guards looked at Zhao Zhugui's back, their eyes full of envy and jealousy.

For many years, no second person had ever entered the Ji Sovereign's bedchamber; why should this inexplicable man be allowed to enter?

Zhao Zhugui saw the Ji Sovereign, whose expression was unsightly; at this moment, she was sitting on a chair carved from white jade, coldly scrutinizing Zhao Zhugui.

"You are flustered."

Zhao Zhugui spoke without hesitation.

The Ji Sovereign's expression changed instantly; she had hidden it very well, and she had not expected Zhao Zhugui to see through her current state at a glance.

Zhao Zhugui shrugged:

"I don't know why, but I seem quite capable of sensing what is in others'..."

He pondered:

"Sensing?

Or perhaps emotions; of course, it is also possible that I am just understanding."

The Ji Sovereign did not ask further, but suddenly laughed as if she had lost all her energy:

"Sit."

She pointed to the jade chair opposite her.

"Can you let me leave?"

Zhao Zhugui did not sit down, but looked at the Ji Sovereign and asked.

"No."

The Ji Sovereign shook her head slightly, and looking at Zhao Zhugui, she said:

"Who exactly are you, and what is your relationship to the Lord of Will?"

Her dejected expression lasted only for a fleeting moment, then she immediately regained her usual majesty.

"The Lord of Will..."

A look of confusion appeared in Zhao Zhugui's eyes:

"It is indeed somewhat familiar; I feel as though I have heard this name somewhere before. That's right, I heard someone mention this name earlier."

The trace of suspicion in the eyes of the Ji Sovereign gradually vanished, leaving only disappointment. She waved her hand slightly:

"You may go back."

She was clearly unwilling to chat any further.

Zhao Zhugui pursed his lips. She had summoned him in the middle of the night, said two inexplicable things, and now she was actually telling him to go back?

He prepared to leave, but suddenly spoke up:

"What must I do for you to let me leave? This is very important to me."

The Ji Sovereign's expression turned cold:

"What is it that you want? Money, women, or power? As long as you remain in Ji Province, I will give it all to you!"

"But I only wish to see this world."

Zhao Zhugui replied.

The Ji Sovereign paused; she felt as though she had punched a ball of cotton.

Why did the Hanging Heaven Mirror tell her that her only chance of survival lay with this eccentric person?

The Ji Sovereign felt like vomiting blood.

What on earth was she supposed to do?

She stared at the phoenix-carved jade platform before her, her clear, beautiful eyes cold enough to drip ice.

Her thoughts were becoming a tangled mess.

It was at this very moment.

"Well, can you let me leave?"

The ill-timed voice sounded once again.

"You!"

The Ji Sovereign looked sharply at Zhao Zhugui, a terrifying aura erupting from within her body.

Yet, Zhao Zhugui opposite her felt no fear at all, and at this moment, he continued to look directly into the Ji Sovereign's eyes.

This was unlike any other minister in the vast Ji Province.

They would only lower their heads to show respect to the Ji Sovereign; if the Ji Sovereign exuded majesty, they would kneel down immediately, and if the Ji Sovereign were angry, they would tremble with fear.

But the Zhao Zhugui before her, despite possessing a heavy treasure, did not care at all; despite being very weak, he felt no fear.

He craved freedom.

Even if he were to die, he would continue to pursue freedom in that very moment of death.

He had his own faith, and in the face of his faith, the Ji Sovereign's anger seemed like a joke.

This was a stubborn freak.

The Ji Sovereign stared at Zhao Zhugui, and at this moment, she actually felt that she was the one being rude.

The Ji Sovereign gradually reined in her aura and spoke calmly:

"How many meals have you eaten here?"

"Seven meals, and there was one more that was kicked over by a jailer," Zhao Zhugui said.

"Good!" The Ji Sovereign sneered:

"For the sake of a single meal, you were willing to die to kill that Ancient God Beast, yet you owe me the favor of seven meals."

She sneered as she looked at Zhao Zhugui, intending to use his so-called values to break him.

You like repaying favors, don't you?

Then come and assist me, help me escape the ending where I am destined to die.

Zhao Zhugui said indifferently:

"Wrong. You killed the woman who saved me, and you have restricted my freedom. I do not owe you; rather, you owe me."

The Ji Sovereign was stunned and instantly rendered speechless.

This Zhao Zhugui looked like a fool, yet his mind was as clear as a mirror.

She fell silent, hearing Zhao Zhugui's footsteps, knowing that he was about to leave the bedchamber.

"I am going to die," the Ji Sovereign said.

"That has nothing to do with me," Zhao Zhugui said. "Perhaps I should be happy, because you ordered the death of the woman who saved me."

He lifted his head, a look of relief appearing in his eyes.

The pent-up anger in his heart actually began to vanish upon hearing the news that the Ji Sovereign was going to die.

How refreshing.

If that woman knew about this, she would be happy too, right?

The Ji Sovereign's expression was icy as she looked at Zhao Zhugui in astonishment; she had been perfectly countered by him.

She was clearly beautiful enough to topple cities and states, once ranked as the number one beauty among the Five Races, with countless men admiring her but unable to attain her.

Ever since she ascended to the peak of Ji Province, she no longer held the title of the so-called number one beauty.

She was no longer a beauty; she was the Empress.

Those men who admired her could only yearn for her in vain, while fearing her majesty; when she spoke, they would never contradict her, even if she told them to go die.

The Ji Sovereign felt disdain and mockery in her heart.

She secretly mused that these men were nothing but foolish, loyal dogs.

She only wanted to focus on her career.

Facts proved that she was right.

But now, seeing another man who only wanted to focus on his career—no, who only wanted to wander the mountains and rivers—she was speechless.

All her charm, all her allure, had lost its effect.

This feeling was fucking miserable.

"But in the prophecy, only you can save me." The Sovereign of Ji stood up:

"You must save me; if you save me, I will set you free. If you do not save me, I will have you imprisoned for a lifetime."

Her pair of eyes suddenly flickered with a faint purple light, causing her entire being to be filled with allure.

This was a bewitchment technique she had learned in her youth.

She had not used it for a long time; she suppressed others with majesty and strength, not with her own allure.

Using it now actually made her feel a sense of shame.

She was actually using her own body to seduce a man; what of her majesty, what of her strength?

She was, after all, the Empress.

Shame!

But she had no other choice.

As expected.

Zhao Zhugui stopped his pace:

"Fine, I will save you."

The Sovereign of Ji's expression changed slightly:

"Then do you know how to save me?

What other methods do you have that you have yet to reveal?"

She gazed at Zhao Zhugui, and at this moment, she unconsciously revealed an expression that had only appeared in her youth.

It was the look of excitement that only appeared between life and death, when one was in despair and a teammate stepped forward.

It was the look of relief, like searching for someone a thousand times in the crowd, only to look back and find the spiritual treasure just three feet in front of oneself.

It was also the look of satisfaction, like eating a long-awaited delicacy, with the fragrance blooming on the taste buds and the mellow flavor moistening the throat.

It had been so, so long since she had felt such joy.

At this moment, in the eyes of the Sovereign of Ji, Zhao Zhugui had become incomparably handsome.

Zhao Zhugui shrugged: "I don't know."

The faint look of joy on the Sovereign of Ji's face gradually vanished, and everything froze.

She saw that her allure had no effect on Zhao Zhugui at all; the reason the other party answered was simply because he wanted to leave.

Even under her doubled physical seduction, what Zhao Zhugui cared about was still wandering the world.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence is the Royal Court of Ji Province tonight.

The Sovereign of Ji was about to vomit blood.

…………

The night sea was boundless.

The Sovereign of Chen walked through the air, his eyes scanning the four directions of heaven and earth, only to see that in the midst of his rapid travel, the high-hanging silver moon rapidly faded, and the morning light approaching from the horizon began to bloom.

"You must be being paranoid."

He spoke, and a phantom of a communication array disk manifested beside his ear, from which the Sovereign of Ji's low voice came:

"The Hanging Heaven Mirror has seen it; I am destined to die in the future."

"But no time has been set. Once the matter of the Ancient God Forbidden Land is over, I will return," the Sovereign of Chen said.

"What if I say that this moment is the time I am most likely to die?" The Sovereign of Ji's voice grew colder and colder:

"If you all return, who can kill me?

It is nothing more than the fact that during this period when you have all gone to the Ancient God Forbidden Land, a power vacuum has appeared within the Five Clans."

The Sovereign of Chen was silent for a long time.

"You can hide."

A cold laugh from the Sovereign of Ji came from the communication array disk.

"What are you laughing at?" The Sovereign of Chen frowned.

"I laugh because, as the Empress of Ji Province, how could I have the qualification to hide myself?

Chen Cheng, or should I say... Chen Yuan, if I die, you will regret it!"

The Sovereign of Ji hung up the communication.

Above the clouds, the Sovereign of Chen stood for a long time, his eyes becoming complex:

"If you die, why would I regret it? I would only be happy that the Five Clans are more united."

He paused for a moment.

The Sovereign of Ji's communication made him think of many things.

It made him increasingly believe that the possibility of Chen Yan not being dead, and the Dream-Eating Tapir being dead, was extremely high.

If this were the case, the possibility of Lu Xunyang being alive was also extremely high.

Had Lu Xunyang reached the Ninth Rank?

If he were to reach the Ninth Rank, he would certainly be ejected from the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods.

In the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods, the Ninth Rank cannot enter.

This is a matter that only a few people know.

Because, there are not many Ninth Ranks in this world either.

Matters have become increasingly chaotic.

The complexion of Lord Chen turned ugly.

After a long while, his expression returned to calmness once more.

If Chen Yan and Lu Xunyang were not dead, he might have guessed what would happen.

He, Chen Cheng, is no fool.

Even if Chen He were out on an inspection tour, he should have reported back to him by now after such a long time.

Yet there was nothing at all.

Chen Yan.

The center of everything remains Chen Yan.

"But he is of my Chen clan bloodline; as long as he is of my Chen clan bloodline for one day, there will always be a handle on him in my hands."

He murmured aloud, as this involved his greatest secret and means.

If matters had not reached an irreversible point, he would not use it.

His eyes erupted with cold light; playing against Chen Yan, he stood in an invincible position.

"I, Chen Yuan, rose in my lifetime from the fallen Chen Prefecture, have been betrayed by others, framed by others, and have also repeatedly reached desperate straits, not knowing where the path of survival lay.

The world hates me, envies me, loathes me, fears me.

Yet my heart is not for myself, but for the human race!"

He murmured aloud:

"I do not need others to understand me.

If I fail, I shall be an indelible name upon the pillar of shame; if I succeed, I can extend the life of the human race for ten thousand years!"

He spoke in a low voice, his tone becoming increasingly icy.

Compared to the Ancient Gods' suppression and devouring of the human race for countless years, what did those few evil deeds of his amount to?

The world is not black and white, but an endless expanse of gray.

A person who insists on pursuing absolute purity is foolish.

This is something many people know.

Yet there are always some idiots who, in their self-righteousness, loathe, reject, and disdain it.

Lu Xunyang is one, and Chen Yan is another.

That day, he had earnestly tried to persuade Chen Yan; he had longed for Chen Yan to understand him at that time.

He also thought highly of this young man, yet the other party, like the rest, did not understand him.

Chen Yuan was disappointed to the extreme, yet also appreciative.

Disappointed by the other party's ignorance and arrogance.

And appreciative that the other party, like him, was someone willing to sacrifice everything for their own faith.

The two are not contradictory.

Chen Yuan remained silent, looking toward a distant direction.

"Xia Hanzhou..."

Xia Hanzhou had also come, hiding in a place not far from Chen Yuan.

The so-called Director of the Directorate of Celestials leading a million-strong army to respectfully welcome Lu Xunyang out of seclusion was merely a facade.

With such a massive event, how could Xia Hanzhou not come?

And it was at this very moment.

Boundless morning light suddenly filled the firmament, a vast curtain of light threatening to suppress even the morning glow radiating from the sea level.