Chapter 442: Chapter 268: Mu Xue’s Determination, an Identity Swap, You the Demoness, I the Talented Lady

Qi Mansion.

It was a bright and sunny day.

Golden carriages, crafted from Cyan Jade Spirit Stones, were parked in front of the residence.

A gentle woman in a high-waisted ruqun dress, her hair styled in a high bun, came out of the residence to greet them. Palace Guards were carrying numerous chests out of the mansion and loading them onto the carriages.

"Zi Yun, Hong Wan, I’m sorry to trouble you again. Moving all these things to the palace is such a massive undertaking. It’s mainly my father’s book collection—there’s just so much of it."

"It’s no trouble at all. We should be calling you Empress now. We only hope Your Majesty will look after us in the future!"

The full-chested woman in the palace dress, who had vermilion lips and almond eyes, said with a grin.

Qi Muxue let out a soft laugh. "You’re both the Holy Emperor’s personal Maids. When it comes to status, who could possibly compare to you?"

The other beautiful Maid—slender, with captivating eyes and a beauty mark like a teardrop—smiled. "Zi Yun is just teasing you, Empress."

"But speaking of which, since His Majesty ascended the throne, he rarely has time to speak with you."

Qi Muxue gently shook her head. "The Year of Longyuan has just begun, and everything is being rebuilt. I understand."

"Matters of state are heavy, and on top of that, there is the matter of the Celestial Destiny and Fortune. The Court needs to function, so he’s destined to be busy."

"If only Father were still here. Perhaps he could have shared some of the burden."

As Qi Muxue spoke, a wave of sorrow washed over her.

She glanced back at the courtyard where she had once lived, now feeling utterly alone.

Fortunately, her husband had asked her to move into the palace and formally assume her position as the Empress of Great Yan.

She hadn’t moved before because she had spent so much of her life here. It was the place where she had grown up. The bamboo forest, the waterside pavilion... her father’s shadow was everywhere.

’If Father’s spirit in the Nine Heavens is watching, he should be able to rest in peace now that the grand plan is complete and the new Emperor is on the throne.’

’Bringing the dead back to life... even an Immortal would have to pay a terrible price. But if I could cultivate until I become a Confucian Saint, maybe, just maybe, that day could come.’

Qi Muxue was suddenly overcome with emotion, her heart filled with silent sorrow.

"Let’s go, Zi Yun, Hong Wan."

She waited for a moment before speaking, but there was no response.

"Zi Yun? Hong Wan?"

Puzzled, she looked around.

She found that, at some point, her surroundings had become unnervingly quiet.

Everything around her had slowed to a crawl.

It was as if the space around them had been trapped within a massive, bowl-shaped Array, separating this piece of the world from everything else.

Zi Yun, Hong Wan, and even the Guards carrying the chests were all frozen in place, their eyes vacant.

They stood stunned, as if being manipulated by some unseen force.

Qi Muxue scanned the area and finally locked her gaze on a mysterious, cloaked woman standing at the far end of the Qi Mansion’s entrance.

’It seems she is the one behind this.’

The cloaked woman slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of strange eyes that glowed with a green light.

The moment their eyes met...

...Qi Muxue sensed that there was something deeply wrong with this person’s identity.

No one among the Three Religions had eyes like that.

They held a profound indifference, mixed with an indescribable eeriness.

Only a Fallen Demon, a Cultivator who had succumbed to demonic influence, would have such a gaze.

’This person is trouble.’

In an instant, Qi Muxue sealed off her Sea of Heart to prevent the other party from invading her Sea of Consciousness and Spiritual Space.

Just then, the cloaked woman showed a flicker of surprise. She spoke with great interest.

"In all my time here in the Central Plains World, you are the first person to react so quickly and counter my Hallucination."

"The Innate Demon Eyes... It’s you!"

"The Great Nether Empress, Witch—Palace—Language!"

Qi Muxue immediately guessed the most likely possibility and identified her opponent.

Cold sweat beaded on her pearly white forehead.

’How could she be in the Great Yan Capital City?!’

’What are her intentions?’

The Great Nether Empress’s power was known to all.

Peak of the Twelfth Realm, the pinnacle of the current age.

With the blessing of Divine Power, even those in the Upper Three Grades would not fare well against her.

Even Lu Mingyuan, who had supposedly defeated her, had told Qi Muxue afterward...

...that he hadn’t truly won. The Demoness had simply been forced to retreat in the face of the overwhelming Momentum against her. Her power was practically boundless.

"It seems you know a lot about me."

In the blink of an eye, Witch Palace Language was beside Qi Muxue, her voice laced with amusement.

"Confucian True Words, Suppress!"

Qi Muxue pointed with two fingers. Cyan Literary Qi surged around her as a stream of Vast Energy belonging to the Confucian Dao shot toward the heavens.

"Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon!"

As the Dharma Words were spoken, a furious blizzard suddenly erupted, lifting Qi Muxue into the air. The contrast with the sun shining down created a miraculous sight.

Witch Palace Language’s expression was placid, utterly unfazed.

With a wave of her hand, demonic clouds blotted out the sun. The raging blizzard dissipated into nothing but wisps of smoke.

Unwilling to give up, Qi Muxue continued to channel her Words and Laws Follow ability:

"Spring Snow!"

A Great Sun Hanging in the Sky Diagram depicting an early spring scene began to rise.

Everything within it flourished with life. Countless vines shot out from the Scroll, soaring into the sky and piercing toward Witch Palace Language with a sharp whistling sound.

Witch Palace Language stomped her slender, jade-like leg on the ground.

The bluestone tiles immediately cracked. A nameless Karmic Fire from Hell erupted, instantly incinerating the vines.

Witch Palace Language slowly shook her head, her tone laced with confusion. "You’re merely in the Eighth Realm of the Literary Palace of the Confucian Dao. So what if your Literary Palace can manifest a Dharma Aspect? Weak is weak."

"In this world, weakness is the original sin."

"Why would the Emperor of Great Yan marry a weak woman like you?"

The words struck Qi Muxue like a heavy blow, hitting the softest part of her heart. She bit her lip so hard it bled and shouted:

"The grass is withered, the hawk’s eye keen! The snow is gone, the horse’s hooves are swift!"

The cry of a hunting hawk and the neigh of a celestial steed echoed from the heavens. A cataclysmic vision, carrying with it all the city’s wind and snow, descended with crushing force.

This one attack...

...would have gravely injured, if not killed, even a Ninth Realm expert standing before her.

Unfortunately, at her current Realm, facing Witch Palace Language was still like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Qi Muxue suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her beautiful face turned ashen white, like a blank sheet of paper, and she collapsed to one knee, unable to support herself.

"Give up. Just hand over control of your body obediently. Why bother resisting?"

As powerful as an invincible deity, Witch Palace Language gradually approached her.

This drove Qi Muxue to despair.

She clenched her fists and began to chant:

"The stars follow their courses, sun and moon alternate their light, the four seasons take their turn, Yin and Yang bring great transformation, wind and rain spread far and wide..."

"All things find their harmony and are born."

"Each finds its nourishment and is made complete..."

"Their workings are unseen, but their achievements are manifest. This is what we call Divine."

"All know how they are completed, but none knows the formless source. This is what we call Celestial."

"You dare to seek death?!"

Witch Palace Language noticed Qi Muxue’s life force rapidly fading and her eyes filled with shock.

She hurriedly tried to interrupt the incantation.

Qi Muxue spat out a mouthful of blood, her gaze resolute. "Why wouldn’t I dare!"

’If this Demoness wants to use my body to bring chaos to Great Yan, then I would rather die!’

"I forbid you to die."

A cold light glinted in Witch Palace Language’s sharp, phoenix-like eyes.

However, she found she was unable to stop Qi Muxue’s act of suicide.

"What is this?"

Witch Palace Language looked to the sky and saw that, amidst the clouds, the spectral image of a Saint holding Confucian Books had appeared.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Qi Muxue’s mouth. Even someone as virtuous as her could not hide the triumph in her voice. "This is the Scattering Dao Curse of the Confucian Dao. It takes heaven and earth as its witness and the sun and moon as its oath. Even you, as powerful as a Saint, what can you possibly do?"

Hearing this, Witch Palace Language was overcome with furious indignation.

This Qi Muxue was trying to scatter her own Dao and dissolve her existence. Her Flesh Body would vanish from the world. She was clearly doing this just to spite her.

She would rather die than be controlled and have her memories read.

She had never encountered such a resolute woman.

Qi Muxue smiled faintly. "How could I allow a Demoness like you to destroy this beautiful empire, built with so much effort?"

Witch Palace Language narrowed her eyes and snorted. "Fine. In that case, allow this ’Demoness’ to teach you a thing or two about the ways of the world."

Witch Palace Language sat down cross-legged. A Black Turtle Shell materialized, and the black patterns on her neck and arms began to glow, shining like dark stars.

"Celestial Demon visualization, the Great Dao as my scripture, my heart like that of a Divine Being..."

As the ritual proceeded, rings of black light appeared on the ground, one after another, covered in tadpole-like inscriptions that looked strange and sinister.

Qi Muxue watched her bizarre actions with extreme vigilance.

Unfortunately, the ritual to scatter her Dao could not be stopped.

She was powerless to interrupt her opponent.

But gradually, she noticed enormous black clouds gathering in the sky.

The incorporeal vision of the Saint was actually being corroded by the Thunder within the black clouds!

"How is that possible?!"

Qi Muxue’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was the first time she had ever seen the Scattering Dao Curse be stopped.

The commotion grew louder and louder.

BANG!

The pocket dimension created in this area had been discovered by the Cultivators outside. The dull sound of an Array being shattered came from beyond the barrier.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering grew louder. The Grand Array broke, and the Qi Mansion was finally exposed to the light of day again.

"Stay back! It’s dangerous!"

"It’s the Demoness from the Demon Country!"

But Qi Muxue sent a telepathic message, warning everyone to retreat.

Witch Palace Language was far too powerful. Only the Imperial Experts from the Inner Court and the top Tributors of the Dao Alliance were qualified to face her.

WHOOSH—!

A blinding black light shot into the sky and swept out in all directions, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

When the black light faded...

...everyone steadied themselves. From within the crowd, Zhao Xuanwu was the first to strike, followed closely by Fairy Ci Hang and the others.

As far as the eye could see, they were all at the Twelfth Realm.

"Look! The Empress is over there!"

"Protect the Empress!"

"Slay the Demoness!"

As Qi Muxue opened her eyes, she instinctively cried out, "Be careful!"

But she quickly realized something was wrong.

In the reflection from a puddle left by yesterday’s heavy rain...

...she saw that her attire had completely changed. She was now wrapped in a wide black robe, and her face, framed by a hood, was as beautiful and cold as an iceberg.

’Who is this?’

"What is that Demoness saying? Did she say ’be careful’?"

"Such audacity! Attack together! Kill this beast!"

"She dared to trespass in Great Yan! We’ll make her pay!"

Hearing the murderous shouts around her, she finally understood the gravity of the situation.

"I am..."

Qi Muxue hurriedly tried to speak, but found herself facing a barrage of Divine Techniques from seven or eight Twelfth Realm masters.

All she could do was dodge in a panic.

Meanwhile...

...at the entrance to the Qi Mansion, a stunningly beautiful woman in a high-waisted ruqun dress and a high bun, her expression utterly cold and indifferent, was having a thick cloak draped over her by attendants as she was escorted away.

She gave a cold order to the Cultivators before her: "You must capture that Demoness. Beware of her beguiling words. No matter what she says, do not be deceived. Her Demon Eyes can bewitch the heart. Do not believe a single word she says."

"Yes, Empress!"

...