"Huh?"
Ye Yun looked surprised.
The female guard, indignant, retorted, "Just because the Empress is kind-hearted, countless people use trivial matters as excuses to try and get an audience with her."
Ye Yun was speechless. So there were such foolish people in the Heavenly Domain.
As he was pondering this, Fang Zhiwei stepped forward with a smile and confidence, saying, "Don't worry, leave it to your disciple!"
Ye Yun's eyebrows twitched. He quietly watched as she walked forward and pointed at the female guard with an indignant expression, "I am the daughter of the Star-Gazing Sect Master. I have important matters to discuss with your Empress. Hurry and report this! If you dare to delay, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
Her imposing demeanor earned a silent nod of approval from Ye Yun.
But the next second, the female guard unsheathed her gleaming spear and said coldly, "The Empress has decreed that no one from the Star-Gazing Immortal Sect is to be seen. If anyone is seen, they will be dealt with!"
A murderous aura emanated from her, startling Fang Zhiwei, who immediately retreated behind Ye Yun. Clinging to his sleeve, she only dared to poke out half her head and stammered, "You, you, you… don't come any closer. I was just joking. I don't even know the Star-Gazing Sect Master."
Hearing this, the female guard snorted and sheathed her cold, glinting spear. "In any case, if there's nothing else, the two of you may leave."
She turned to depart, but Ye Yun frowned. What should he do? He couldn't just leave without even meeting the Heavenly Phoenix Empress.
Suddenly, as if recalling something, he spoke up. "Wait, I actually have another important matter for this visit."
The female guard turned back, frowning at him. "What matter?"
Ye Yun curved his lips into a smile and slowly said, "Actually, I wish to become the man of the Heavenly Phoenix Empress."
At this, both the female guard and Fang Zhiwei were stunned. Fang Zhiwei looked at him incredulously, her eyes seemingly saying, "So this is the kind of person Master is!"
The female guard, after a brief moment of shock, recovered. "So you wish to apply to be the Empress's husband?"
"That's right, precisely." Ye Yun nodded, thinking that this way, he could finally meet the Heavenly Phoenix Empress. Once he met her, he could explain everything and escape perfectly. Of course, this was merely Ye Yun's wishful thinking about what would happen next…
"Understood. Please follow me."
Seeing that she was leading him in, Ye Yun curiously asked, "By the way, do I need to register my immortal registry or undergo any certification to enter?"
The female guard glanced at him and said calmly, "We only obey the Empress's will. There is no Heavenly Dao Divine Hall here, nor those troublesome rules." It was evident that the female guard held no respect for the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall, and even harbored a deep aversion towards it.
Ye Yun nodded. "I see… Alright, let's go in."
Following that, the female guard led him and Fang Zhiwei into Mount Chaofeng. Along the way, they encountered many beautiful female cultivators. They were dressed in various styles, yet all possessed an exceptionally refined aura, each as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Ye Yun was inwardly amazed. "Could this Phoenix bloodline also influence one's looks?"
However, to Ye Yun's surprise, they were not being led to meet the Heavenly Phoenix Empress. After passing through a dreamlike sea of red maple trees, they arrived beneath a colossal red maple. Before them stood a massive stone tablet inscribed with peculiar runes.
Ye Yun couldn't help but frown. "Shouldn't applying to be the Empress's husband mean meeting the Empress?" "Why are you bringing me here now?" He noticed that as he approached, many passing female cultivators of the Heavenly Phoenix clan had gathered curiously, as if something interesting was happening. They all crowded around, staring at him, and he could faintly hear their hushed discussions.
"It hasn't been long, and another conceited fellow has arrived."
"The problem is, he's really handsome."
"That's right, that's right. If only I had Phoenix bloodline, I'd love to have little phoenixes with him."
Then, someone said with annoyance, "Forget it. So much time has passed, and not a single qualified Phoenix bloodline inheritor has appeared."
"But he's so handsome. Even if I don't have Phoenix bloodline and can't have little phoenixes with him, I'd still want to have a long night's talk…"
"Face-lover, go die…"
Their voices weren't particularly low, making Ye Yun's lips twitch. Good heavens, these women, who looked like dust-free celestial maidens, were quite ravenous in certain aspects.
At this moment, the female guard beside him began to explain, "Sir, this is the Bloodline Stone Tablet. It can measure the strength of your Phoenix bloodline." "The Empress has instructed that one must first prove they possess a certain degree of Phoenix bloodline before being brought to the Imperial Palace to meet her."
Ye Yun hadn't expected this and asked, "What level of Phoenix bloodline is required?"
Hearing this, the female guard stepped forward and gently placed her hand on the stone tablet. As she infused her profound energy into it, the tablet immediately emitted a bright glow. She turned to Ye Yun and said calmly, "The stronger the bloodline, the brighter the light. As an outsider, possessing half this intensity would be sufficient."
"That simple? No problem." Ye Yun nodded. Xin Wu had mentioned before that his Ice Phoenix bloodline would be treated favorably on Mount Chaofeng, let alone this evolved, mutated Heavenly Phoenix bloodline. It should pass this test without issue, regardless of its strength.
Not far away, a woman in green coldly snorted, "Simple? You clearly don't know. Of the tens of thousands who have tested before, not one has reached even a tenth of this level."
Ye Yun glanced at her and smiled faintly. "Then let's see…" With that, he walked up to the stone tablet and slowly placed his palm on it, a hint of curiosity in his heart. "I wonder how strong my mutated Heavenly Phoenix bloodline is…"
All the female cultivators of the Heavenly Phoenix clan turned their gazes towards him. Many of them held a strong liking for this rare handsome man, genuinely hoping he would pass the bloodline test.
Under everyone's gaze, Ye Yun activated his Profound Immortal Realm profound energy and infused it into the Bloodline Stone Tablet. His cultivation level surprised the women of the Heavenly Phoenix clan.
"Wow, so young, and already at the peak of Profound Immortal Realm?"
"He's truly remarkable. Could he be a prodigy cultivated by another major power?"
However, a woman in green dismissively remarked, "What's the point of having talent if it doesn't mean you have an excellent blood…"
Before she could finish, her expression froze. "How is this possible?!"
As Ye Yun infused his profound energy, the Bloodline Stone Tablet shook violently and then erupted with a brilliant azure light pillar that shot straight into the heavens. An ancient aura, as if from billions of years ago, suddenly descended upon this realm. Within a hundred-mile radius of Mount Chaofeng, snowflakes began to fall, as if to accentuate this extraordinary sight.
Deep within the Imperial Palace.
A peerlessly beautiful woman, clad in a golden robe and currently meditating, opened her eyes. She exuded supreme power, her fiery golden pupils seemingly able to pierce through everything, gazing in a particular direction. A slight curve formed on her lips, and every word she spoke was imbued with celestial charm.
"My husband, it seems, has arrived…"