Chapter 896

Looking at the beauty before her, who looked extremely similar to herself, she found it all the more absurd.

So the Great Tang's empress of this world actually had such a grown-up, such an obedient daughter?

But why did she insist on abandoning her foundation, even casting aside her family, and going to the Nine Provinces?

"You may be excused from the formalities."

Wu Zetian couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it and spoke directly to the Princess of Taiping.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After completing her salutation, the Princess of Taiping still did not dare to raise her head, and said with a lowered chin,

"Acting under Your Majesty's command, we surrounded and annihilated the Momen Tianxie Dao. The matter is now accomplished, and I have come specifically to report and surrender the imperial decree.

The tally includes the slaying of the Evil Emperor Du Ao and his six disciples, as well as the capture alive of his youngest disciple, Long Ying."

The Momen Tianxie Dao?

The Evil Emperor?

Wu Zetian, hearing these titles, couldn't help but be startled once again.

In the Nine Provinces World, there were also the Momenliang Sect and the Six Dao.

Among them, the origin of the Momen, the Heavenly Demon Cang Ju, as well as the first-generation Evil Emperor Xie Tiao, had even joined the ranks of my Great Tang.

How could it be that this world also had a Momen?

And this Empress Your Majesty had actually sent people to surround and annihilate the Momen?

Finding it strange in her heart, Wu Zetian yet did not dare say more, and could only say vaguely,

"Very well! As for your merit, I shall later have the relevant officials discuss and bestow rewards.

As for that Long Ying, for now, entertain him well!"

This Long Ying was not someone Wu Zetian herself had ordered captured, and on top of that, Wu Zhao had tricked her into coming here, so she held a grudge.

Therefore, instead of making things difficult for Long Ying, she borrowed the empress's authority and had people entertain him well.

The Princess of Taiping was startled upon hearing this, and nearly raised her head to look.

Fortunately, she caught herself in time and did not raise her head, merely looking at her own toes. After a moment of hesitation, she said,

"Your Majesty, although this Long Ying does carry the item Your Majesty desires,

he is, after all, a commoner from the marketplace, and has no filter on his mouth.

I feel we should not treat him so well…"

"Oh?"

Wu Zetian truly did not know what it was on Long Ying that Wu Zhao wanted.

But she certainly did not want an innocent person to be detained.

What's more, she herself, in a certain sense, had also been tricked by Wu Zhao into coming here.

She immediately said,

"Enough. My mind is made up. Withdraw!"

"Yes!"

The Princess of Taiping had no choice but to bow and withdraw.

The one who entered next was a Eunuch who was round as a ball.

The moment he came in, he waved his hand.

The palace maids and Eunuchs attending Wu Zetian immediately withdrew from this sleeping palace.

After not a single person remained, this fat Eunuch only then performed a salutation and said,

"Greetings to Your Majesty. Long Ying does indeed carry the Demon Seed."

"Oh, good!"

Wu Zetian was noncommittal—what Demon Seed or not, in her eyes, what did it matter?

"Huh?"

The fat Eunuch was taken aback, and couldn't help but raise his head to look at Wu Zetian.

He didn't know until he looked, and the moment he did, he got a fright.

He had served Wu Zhao for over thirty years, and came from the same sect as Wu Zhao.

It could be said that no one in the entire Great Tang palace was more familiar with Wu Zhao than he was.

The empress before him, although she looked almost exactly like Wu Zhao,

even her expression and bearing were not far off,

yet the fat Eunuch could recognize at a glance that the person before him was not Wu Zhao!

Having recognized that the person before him was not Wu Zhao,

the fat Eunuch's mind was greatly shaken, and he nearly asked outright.

But he had long been in the inner palace, and was best at keeping things hidden in his heart.

Knowing that the empress before him was not Wu Zhao, after his surprise he simply returned to his original demeanor.

"This Long Ying is indeed Du Ao's final disciple. The Dao Heart Demon Seed Art should logically be on him."

"Good!"

Wu Zetian couldn't help but laugh derisively.

So all this huge fuss was just for some Dao Heart Demon Seed Art?

If it had been in the past, Wu Zetian might have also felt it was worth it.

But after the Heavenly Dao Golden List appeared in the Nine Provinces, with all manner of immortal-grade arts, even divine-grade arts, emerging one after another,

this Dao Heart Demon Seed Art, which carried such a great name within the Momen, was actually something Wu Zetian couldn't be bothered with in the slightest.

After all, the Heavenly Dao Golden List had once granted a scroll titled the Devil Heart Seed Dao Art, which could merge with the Dao Heart Seed Devil Art.

But both scrolls had been taken by Lord Chuan Ying of the Qinglong Society.

"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I humbly take my leave."

Having realized the Empress was not Wu Zhao, and seeing that this Empress asked no further questions, the Fat Eunuch lost interest and prepared to depart.

Wu Zetian was happy to let him go and nodded in approval.

After the Fat Eunuch withdrew, the next to enter was a man with a pointed nose and monkey-like face.

This man behaved vastly differently from Princess Taiping and the Fat Eunuch.

Upon entering, he immediately prostrated himself fully, kowtowing and chanting, "Your Majesty!"

When Wu Zetian learned he was Lai Junchen, she pinched her nose and ordered him to rise.

But Lai Junchen dared not lift his head, and continued speaking on his own,

"Your Majesty, forgive me. I employed every form of torture, yet that young man Long Ying endured them all."

It turned out that, for the sake of the Dao Heart Seed Devil Art, these people had already tortured the man named Long Ying.

Wu Zetian could not help but sigh inwardly, feeling they were both fallen souls in the same world, and said,

"From today on, no more torture."

"As Your Majesty commands."

Lai Junchen was taken aback, thinking the Empress blamed him for failing in his duty, and quickly added,

"Yet I did not gain nothing—I at least learned his weakness."

"Oh? What weakness? Tell me."

Wu Zetian, now intrigued, could not help but ask.

"Your Majesty! Though Long Ying is made of iron, impervious to persuasion or force,

I know he is lustful."

Lai Junchen kept his head bowed, yet his voice carried a hint of pride.

"Oh? Then send him several palace maidens, and satisfy him well."

As Empress, Wu Zetian had indeed done such things before—gifting palace maidens to others.

Besides, this Tang Dynasty of this world was not her own Tang Dynasty.

Though Long Ying's torture had nothing to do with her, and he was neither kin nor acquaintance, he was still a victim of the previous Empress's sins.

Thus Wu Zetian deliberately did the opposite: she sent him palace maidens, as compensation for Long Ying.

"Ah? Your Majesty is wise."