Chapter 319: Her Majesty the Empress

The night curtain hung low, the stars were hidden, and only a crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a pale, ghastly light.

Chen Che stood amidst a desolate ruin; all around were broken walls and crumbling remains, and the wind howled as if it were a whisper from hell.

He slowly raised his head; before him was a blurry black shadow, a Heart Demon condensed from the fear and doubt deep within his heart.

Chen Che's heartbeat was as rapid as drumbeats, sweat slid down his forehead, and his palms clenched subconsciously, a long sword formed of True Qi appearing in his grasp.

The tip of the sword trembled slightly, and Chen Che saw the appearance of that black shadow.

It was not a wild beast, nor a demon, but those people—his family, his friends...

Some were already gone, some still existed; they were all smiling at Chen Che, calling his name.

Every image struck deep into the depths of his soul!

"Are you flustered? Are you afraid? Haven't you already succeeded in your revenge?"

The Heart Demon's voice echoed in his mind, like thousands of needles piercing into his marrow.

"You fought to avenge your family, you fought to protect your friends, yet those who should have died did die, and those who are alive will eventually die too!"

Chen Che took a deep breath and closed his eyes, attempting to shut those voices out.

The black shadow continued to change, gradually evolving into a human shape, and the ferocious face of Gu Yuanzong appeared before Chen Che.

"Chen Che!"

Gu Yuanzong grabbed Chen Che by the shoulder and roared sternly.

Chen Che gave a start, opened his eyes, and looked at Gu Yuanzong in terror.

"Do you think it's over just because you killed me? You are wrong. You have seen the Heavenly Book Stele, you know about the matters of the Heavenly Kingdom, so don't even think about finding release in this lifetime! They will find you, they will slaughter all your family and friends, hahahaha..."

Gu Yuanzong laughed wantonly.

Chen Che stepped back, took a few breaths, and slowly raised his head: "You are not my Heart Demon; you are an Artisan Technique left by Gu Yuanzong before his death, intended to stir up the fear in my heart."

"But you are wrong. No matter what lies ahead, I will keep moving forward. No matter who is behind you, as long as they dare to harm those around me, I will surely exterminate them all!"

"Hehehehe..."

Gu Yuanzong let out a harsh, mocking laugh, and the darkness began to churn, as if it were about to swallow everything.

Chen Che did not retreat; he raised his arm high and swung his long sword fiercely.

As Chen Che's long sword swung, a dazzling sword light tore through the darkness, like the first ray of dawn, illuminating the entire ruin.

Wherever the sword light passed, the darkness was dispelled like thin mist; Gu Yuanzong's wild laughter stopped abruptly, and his face twisted and dissipated within the sword light.

He swung his sword again, the sword light streaking across the night sky like a meteor, illuminating the entire ruin and every corner of Chen Che's inner heart.

The images of those family members and friends gradually became blurry in the sword light and finally disappeared. There was no more fear in Chen Che's heart, only determination and courage remained.

With just two strikes, the power of the Heart Demon dissipated completely; that black shadow vanished into the night sky like dust blown away by the wind.

Chen Che stood where he was, panting heavily, but a smile appeared on his face.

He slowly sheathed his long sword and looked up at the sky; that crescent moon seemed to have become brighter. The wind still howled, but now it sounded like a song of victory.

He took a step, walking toward the edge of the ruin, every step filled with strength and resolve.

When he walked out of the ruin, he was greeted by a new world, a future full of hope and possibility.

Chen Che took a deep breath, straightened his back, and strode forward; his silhouette stretched long in the moonlight, firm and fearless.

The dark night tore open a sliver of a gap, which gradually grew larger; the crescent moon had disappeared, replaced by the first ray of dawn.

Chen Che revealed a satisfied smile and opened his eyes.

"Feeling comfortable?"

A cold female voice came from right beside him, carrying a sense of resentment and annoyance.

Chen Che couldn't help but give a start, his eyes widening instantly.

"Uh... may I ask who you are?"

Chen Che squinted his eyes and, through the swirling mist, saw the appearance of Wu Qingkui.

"Call me Mistress."

Wu Qingkui said in a commanding tone.

Chen Che was stunned, quickly took in the situation around him, recalled the dream he just had, his body gave a jolt, and he called out timidly: "Mis... Mistress..."

"Smack!"

Wu Qingkui suddenly flew into a rage and slapped Chen Che across the face, instantly leaving a bright red palm print.

Chen Che felt a wave of dizziness in his head, touched his numb cheek, and looked at Wu Qingkui cautiously.

"Do you know how many times you bit me?!"

Wu Qingkui's willow-leaf eyebrows stood upright as she glared at Chen Che.

Chen Che's gaze swept over Wu Qingkui; there was a clear bite mark on her left shoulder, and a trace of blood still remained on her snow-white skin.

Chen Che didn't dare to speak; he wasn't a fool, so he naturally knew what had happened.

Even now, the two of them were still soaking in a wooden tub, and the other person was his own Mistress—how could he dare to speak?

However, he still couldn't help but steal a glance at this "Mistress" before him, and he was even more shocked that his Mistress was actually the number one person in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Wu Qingkui glared at Chen Che for a while, let out a breath, and leaned back against the wooden tub to rest. As her chest rose and fell with each breath, the water surface ebbed and flowed along with it; one could imagine how unexpected the scale beneath the water was.

Seeing Wu Qingkui close her eyes, Chen Che felt at a loss and could only wait quietly.

Placing his fingers on his pulse under the water, Chen Che was suddenly startled, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"No need to be surprised, your cultivation is indeed gone."

Wu Qingkui didn't open her eyes as she spoke.

Chen Che didn't ask why; he furrowed his brows and lowered his head in thought.

"The Great Red Sun Poison has been completely eliminated; you will never have to endure the pain it brought you again."

"However, you were injured too severely to circulate your True Qi to adjust yourself, so the price is that your Martial Dao Cultivation is completely ruined. If you still want to be a Martial Artist, then start over from the beginning."

Speaking up to this point, Wu Qingkui opened her eyes and stared at Chen Che, attempting to discern grief or other emotions on Chen Che's face.

However, Chen Che only frowned slightly at the very beginning, and after that, he did not have any excessive emotions; it appeared he had accepted reality quite calmly.

"What? Not sad?"

Wu Qingkui could not help but ask.

"Things have reached this point, so being sad is useless," Chen Che said dismissively. "Besides, it's just Martial Dao Cultivation; at worst, I'll just practice it again."

"Your mindset is quite good. This arrogant and conceited tone is just like your master's." Wu Qingkui leaned back against the barrel wall again and closed her eyes.

Chen Che silently sized up Wu Qingkui and tentatively spoke: "Master's wife..."

"Call me Sovereign, or Queen!"

Wu Qingkui corrected him.

"Uh..."

Chen Che pondered which of these two titles was easier to say, "Your Majesty the Empress."

Wu Qingkui squinted at Chen Che, a flash of ambiguous brilliance appearing in her naturally charming eyes.

Chen Che gulped, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and silently covered his face.

"If you have anything you want to ask, just ask."

Wu Qingkui withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes once more.

With the crisis resolved, Chen Che let out a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Master... Your Majesty the Empress, you watched the video I had someone send to Beijing, right? I want to know more information about the Martial Arts Alliance."

"Gu Yuanzong has already been killed by you, and you have no Martial Dao Cultivation now, so is there still a need to investigate?"

"When I was in Jinling, I heard Second Senior Sister say that Gu Yuanzong had connections with families in Beijing, and my own background is involved in this as well."

"To be honest, I originally thought Gu Yuanzong was the last person on my path of revenge, but now it seems that is not the case. And besides revenge, there is one other thing I am very interested in."

Hearing this, Wu Qingkui opened her eyes and looked at Chen Che: "Are you trying to talk about the Stone Stele and Mural discovered underground at the Gu Family?"

"You know what that thing is, right?" Chen Che asked with an expectant look.

Wu Qingkui countered: "Didn't your master tell you?"

"My master?"

"You have the Token of the Taiyi Sect, yet you don't know about the Heavenly Book?"

Chen Che's eyes lit up, and he finally remembered that token he had forgotten: "Are you saying that the Taiyi Sect founded by my master knows about the Heavenly Book?"

"Your master's abilities were comprehended from the Heavenly Book, though it is a pity he has not yet attained the realm recorded within it."

Wu Qingkui said: "I am not clear on how your master obtained the Heavenly Book, but the things recorded on the Stone Stele you saw are incomplete."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. If you want me to explain it to you, I cannot, because I don't understand it either. Regarding the secrets of the Heavenly Book and this world, you will know the specifics once you go to the Taiyi Sect."

Wu Qingkui said.

"Then where is this Taiyi Sect?"

"At the border between the East Continent and the West Continent, in Ansili. As for exactly where, I do not know."

Chen Che nodded and continued to ask: "Then what about my background? Am I a person from the Chen Family of Beijing?"

Wu Qingkui looked at Chen Che and said: "To be precise, you are an orphan of the Chen Family."

Chen Che trembled slightly, looking at Wu Qingkui with a longing expression.

Wu Qingkui sighed and said: "I didn't intend to hide it from you, it's just that this matter is a long story."

"There were four great families in Beijing before: the Li, Chen, Han, and Zhou. Among them, the Li Family was the leader, and they were even the masters of the Great Xia Kingdom..."