Chapter 737

Leaving Ninefold Divine City, along the cliff edge of Thunder Marsh, a wide plank road winds for over a thousand li, entering from a huge passageway.

At the entrance of this passageway, elite guards of the Fuxi Divine State are stationed year‑round, and the guards are all women.

Going inward along the passageway, it spirals forward, shaped like a huge snail, layer upon layer extremely deep. After advancing several hundred layers inward, the air becomes warm and moist, and a very natural delicate fragrance wafts over.

Exiting the passageway, the view opens up: this is a massive cavern stretching hundreds of li, with fertile soil and vast expanses of white plum blossoms in bloom—at a glance it resembles an endless snowy plain.

The cavern is filled with old plum trees so thick that several people can encircle them—no one knows how many years it would take to grow to such size.

At the top of the cavern there is no False Sun, only hundreds of basin‑sized azure pearls set into the dome. Their azure glow rains down, making the white plum blossoms sparkle like snow and exuding a refreshing coolness that seeps into the heart.

In the subterranean world, to have such a expanse of plum blossoms—this flower is indeed an ancient rare species—shows just how much labor and material have been poured into cultivating them.

Groups of maidens in white robes flit among the plum trees, occasionally letting out light laughter.

In their left hand they carry baskets, in their right hand small silver‑forged scissors, and they lightly pluck the snow‑white plum fruits—each the size of a child's fist—from the branches.

These plum trees are indeed a rare species: the blossoms bloom year‑round, and the fruits are abundant year‑round.

White bees the size of a thumb, buzzing 'ying ying', flit back and forth, brushing against the large plum blossoms. Pollen coats them entirely, and the air carries an enduring, extremely faint cool‑sweet fragrance.

In the heart of this wondrous, magnificent plum grove lies a small lake spanning several hundred mu; inside, silver‑white giant carp gently sway their tails as they leisurely swim about. Along the shore stand a dozen small pavilions, unlike the ancient, sturdy style of Ninefold Divine City—these pavilions are exquisitely delicate, every rail carved with countless beautiful patterns.

Xi You knelt before the door of a small building by the lake's edge, prostrating himself fully on the ground.

Not a single servant was in sight; a suffocating, terrifying pressure permeated the area—within a radius of over ten li, not even a bee could be seen flying, and even the large carp in the lake instinctively kept their distance from this small building they usually liked to gather near.

Xi You no longer knew how long he had been kneeling there; a bead of cold sweat hung on the tip of his chin, hesitating, refusing to fall for a long while.

That agonizing pressure crushed him; every pore of his body held a tiny, crystal-clear bead of sweat. The fine beads trickled slowly along the delicate lines of his skin, gradually gathering together, swelling to the size of a soybean, and then slid down sluggishly.

Pfft— the sweat bead on his chin finally fell to the ground.

Xi You still dared not move.

A beaded curtain hung over the small building's main door; thumb-sized silver pearls emitted myriad rays of light, and through the curtain a tall, slender figure could be faintly seen standing in the hall.

After a long while, after a long while, a thread of icy voice finally came from within the small building.

"Since you ran away, why have you come back?"

"Dan Nian, you two left so 'resolutely decisive,' paying no heed to the heavenly mandate upon you, no heed to the Fuxi Divine Kingdom, no heed to its people, no heed to the many important ties upon you… why, then, have you returned?"

Xi You lifted his head, then slammed his forehead heavily into the ground.

"Mother Empress, I was wrong."

The tall, graceful figure inside the small building let out an extremely cold laugh: "Wrong? Such a lightly spoken sentence… is admitting fault enough? And your younger sister?"

Xi You swallowed hard: "She's dead."

A silvery-white bolt of lightning burst from within the small building, striking Xi You heavily.

With a dull thud, Xi You's clothes exploded; the lightning turned into countless tiny blades that stabbed and slashed at him wildly, instantly covering his body with fine, deep wounds that reached the bone, and blood spurted out with a 'splash'.

"You…"

The building's beaded curtain shattered, and a woman over ten feet tall, tall and graceful, with exquisite beauty, her aura ancient and holy, exuding an inexplicable majesty, strode out.

She walked up to Xi You and kicked him over.

Her exquisitely carved dragon-and-phoenix boots stomped hard on his face, and she shouted sternly: "Dead? You dare say that? You… you… you…"

Xi You gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said in a low voice: "My younger sister is dead, but she left a child behind. She was the eldest princess of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, one of the three great divine kingdoms of the mortal realm, and that child is now, is now plotting their kingdom's restoration."

Taking a breath, Xi You gritted his teeth and said: "Not only restoration, but now in the mortal realm…"

The woman said coldly: "In the mortal world, the three kingdoms are united… the Great Jin Divine Kingdom has already been overturned by the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom; now Qingqiu is the hegemon of the three. Are you saying your restoration means overthrowing Qingqiu and taking control of the three?"

Xi You opened his eyes, astonished at the woman: "Mother Empress, your wisdom is unmatched… how do you know all this so clearly?"

The woman stared fixedly at Xi You; after a long while, after a long while, she slowly lifted her foot.

"After all, I am the Empress of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom; even the slightest stir in the mortal world cannot escape my senses. As for you, tell me everything that has happened over these years, in full detail."

Gritting her teeth, the woman fixed Xi You with a hateful gaze: "Six thousand years, six thousand years—do you know what kind of life I have lived these past six thousand years?"

Xi You slowly crawled up from the ground, took a deep breath, and swallowed several Dao Treasure Pills.

The wounds from the woman's lightning healed rapidly; Xi You lowered his voice and spoke softly: "Mother Empress… you have suffered injustice…"

The woman said slowly: "It's not much of a grievance, really—just that you two children ran off; heh, those old fogies think I failed to educate you and have pinned the charge of moral failure on me."

"Moral failure, heh, the Empress of the grand Fuxi Divine Kingdom, accused of moral failure."

The woman gritted her teeth, glared at Xi You, and from somewhere a surge of anger fired—she slapped his face with a rapid series of 'slap slap slap', over thirty blows in a row, swelling his face and making blood pour from his nose.

"Moral failure—what a terrifying crime for a woman, for the Empress of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom."

"Your father, since that day, over six thousand years has passed, and he has only seen me three times—once, twice, three times. Mother Empress remembers clearly: he spends his days doting on those fox-like beauties, while I, over six thousand years, have seen him only three times."

"This little fragrant snow sea—each blossom here is not a flower… but the accumulated loneliness of the Mother Empress's heart."

"The cold plum wine brewed from the fruit of the Yin Mystic Plum that Mother Empress makes—it is not wine at all; every drop is her blood and tears!"

"All of this is the fortunate outcome brought about by you two useless wretches."

"If you had stayed peacefully in the Ninefold Divine City, in the Fuxi Divine Kingdom back then, you would now be the undisputed choice for crown prince, the future Fuxi Divine Emperor… the Mother Empress could enjoy glory before the people and honor behind the scenes—how could she have fallen into such a state?"

Xi You widened his eyes, astonished at the woman: "Mother Empress… I have returned, I am still the unequaled choice for crown prince… in the vast Fuxi Divine Kingdom, among the royal clan, who could compare with me?"

The woman stared straight at Xi You, then gave a cold smile: "Still dreaming your beautiful dream? Besides, that child is low-key, even a bit too deep in his schemes; he never seeks fame abroad, and those old fogies keep his news locked down tight."

"There's a lad named Xi Wu Le, son of your third uncle; though he's only just been born, his talent rivals the combined gifts of you and your sibling, and is not lacking. Especially, this boy knows how to conduct himself, always presenting a proper, law-abiding demeanor…"

Speaking in anger, the woman dealt him a heavy slap that sent him crashing to the ground, unable to get up for a long while.

"Back then, I, the Mother Empress, and that child's mother were married at the same time."

"I married the Divine Emperor… while she married merely a prince."

"I gave birth to you two siblings; you inherited the blood of the ancient sages, possessing inconceivable heavenly talents and divine abilities, with limitless glorious futures. Back then I held my head high, and when I spoke to that lowly wretch, she dared not make a sound."

"But you two damned wretches, you ran away from home… do you know that back then I became utterly a laughingstock?"

"Even being a joke would be tolerable, but that lowly wretch and your third uncle had no offspring for years… who would have thought she would give birth to that monstrous Xi Wu Le?"

"Now, all those old fogies in your family favor Xi Wu Le to inherit your father's throne; countless eyes watch your father, and if he makes the slightest misstep, they will all rise up to attack him, forcing him to abdicate."

If Xi Wu Le actually became a God Emperor, that lowly wretch would have no idea how pleased she'd be!

The woman, furious and flustered, kicked Xi Yao in the belly again; Xi Yao curled up like a shrimp, his face twitching incessantly.

"I, Wu Chan, cannot allow Wu Ming Xiu to be so pleased and arrogant…" the woman gritted her teeth, glaring at Xi Yao: "Come in, speak properly—first tell me about your two nieces, then tell me what you really intend by coming back this time."

Xi Yao staggered to his feet, took a deep breath, a flash of cold light passing through his eyes, and swayed as he followed Wu Chan into the small building, attending to her as she sat down in a wide chair, then he stood respectfully before her.

"Tell me, what's the situation with your sister's two children?"

Wu Chan's tone was icy cold.

Regarding Xi Yao's death, she showed none of the grief and longing a mother ought to… perhaps it was because Xi Yao and Xi Yao's running away from home dealt her too heavy a blow?

Or perhaps she is just naturally cold-hearted by nature?

Or perhaps, after being trapped in the Little Fragrant Snow Sea for over six thousand years, her heart has become utterly twisted?

In any case, she showed no special feeling over Xi Yao's death, merely earnestly inquiring one by one about Bai He and Zhu Ji's birth details, about the resources they now control, and about Xi Yao's various schemes concerning them, and so on.

She spent over two hours earnestly questioning these matters, then Wu Chan produced from somewhere a jade ring shaped like a human body with a snake tail, holding it in her hand and rubbing it attentively.

A divine light that made one's heart cold flickered in her eyes; Wu Chan pondered for a full moment before slowly saying, "Have you told anyone else about this?"

Xi Yao shuddered at the terrifying divine light in Wu Chan's eyes, fell silent for a while, then whispered, "The Four Ferocious Families."

"Just them?" Wu Chan smiled faintly: "That's fine; the Four Ferocious Families within the Fuxi Divine Kingdom have only learned their ancestors' brutality, but they are still far from the true ruthlessness and cunning of the Heavenly Four Ferocious."

She shook her head and said in a yin‑soft voice: "They're just a bunch of cannon‑fodder good for being cut down… excellent. You chose them—you can tell you still have a bit of sense… you didn't tell your father emperor, did you?"

Xi Yao stared blankly, then said softly: "When I came back, the first person I saw, besides Xi Bu Bai, was you."

Wu Chan stared for a moment, then slapped Xi Yao so hard he flew out of the small building; before he even landed, she shouted harshly: "Get back in here and speak… Xi Bu Bai? That old immortal, why did you provoke him? You, you, you—you're simply… making me furious!"

She stood up, grabbed the bracelet and spun rapidly twice in the small building, then shouted sternly: "Where is Xi Bu Bai now? What did you do to him? Hmm, get back in here and explain carefully, or else watch your hide!"

Xi Yao fell hard to the ground, then scrambled and crawled into the small building, kneeling before Wu Chan.

"I haven't harmed Xi Bu Bai; I merely… subdued him and seized many of the Black Hall's secret documents… I originally intended to borrow the Black Hall's power to help Bai He and Zhu Ji restore their country… but I never expected to uncover an even more astonishing secret."

After a short while, Wu Chan stared at Xi Yao in astonishment.

"Now that you control the surface world, the Martial King who once ruled all the lands and subjects of the Great Martial God Kingdom—his true name is Wu Tie—is he a descendant of the Wu Clan?"

"The Wu Clan… gives one a headache… but his mother is of the Wu Clan?"

Wu Chan lifted her head, smiling confidently: "As for that Wu Valley, I've heard the mother empress speak of it—within my Wu Clan it's merely an insignificant little branch… behind the scenes I come from the main line of the Wu Clan; they must obey the mother empress, me."

"Hehe, Martial King Wu Tie, Black Hall Xi Bu Bai, and the Wu Clan, the Wu Clan…"

"With these forces combined, what do we need your father emperor, that bastard, for? Let's just handle things ourselves."

Wu Chan laughed triumphantly, then kicked Xi Yao in the shoulder.

"Cut the nonsense, lead the way—mother empress will personally go to Wu Valley and have a serious talk with the Martial King's maternal clan."