Chapter 326: Chapter 147: Little Thief Enters the Palace! Empress: The Struggle between Wives has always been like this! (Happy New Year!)
East Victory State, Fuyun Mountain.
The mountain peaks soar into the clouds, steep and treacherous, the undulating mountain ranges looming faintly under the swirling mist, like a light ink painting of a landscape.
The streams between the mountains gurgle, crystal clear, with various mystical flora growing by the banks, exuding a rich Spirit Light, all rare Spirit Plants seldom seen in the outside world.
Ji Hongxiu climbs up along the winding and twisting mountain road.
From the moment she stepped into the mountain, her demeanor changed completely, the laziness and seductiveness between her brows and eyes dissipated, becoming cold and indifferent.
Her features remained unchanged, yet it seemed as if she had turned into a different person.
She looked down at the Daoist robe she wore, fresh red like blood, her dark brows slightly furrowed. With a thought, the robe suddenly turned from bright red to Moon White, making her whole appearance even more ethereal and extraordinary.
She took off the wine gourd at her waist, intending to toss it away.
The next moment, her movement paused, and an urgent voice issued from her mouth:
"Stubborn woman, don’t throw away my precious gourd!"
"..."
Ji Hongxiu hesitated for a moment but still kept the gourd.
Continuing along the mountain road, reaching halfway up the mountain, she parted the dense mist before her, and the view suddenly opened up.
Dong——
The sound of a great bell resonated.
White cranes flapped their wings on the horizon, their cries clear and resounding, fluttering streams of light occasionally streaking across the azure sky.
All around, pavilions and towers stood in an orderly fashion, eaves and cornices flying, all built of ancient blue stones, the mottled walls faintly visible with ancient seal script and Taoist maxims, filled with the traces of time.
At the mountain top stood a majestic palace, its bright columns clean and unadorned, solemn and imposing.
In the plaza before the hall, a giant statue made of blue stone stood, with wide sleeves and flowing robes, eyes half-closed, as if overlooking all things in the world.
Ji Hongxiu entered the grand hall, and an elderly woman clad in a dark robe came to greet her, bowing in salute.
"Greetings, Honored One."
"Mm."
Ji Hongxiu nodded slightly.
The old woman glanced around, not seeing the figure of Ling Ningzhi, and inquired, "Honored One, did Qingxuan not return with you?"
Ji Hongxiu shook her head, saying, "She has other matters to attend to and won’t be able to return for a while."
At this, the old woman’s eyes widened, "Honored One, your neck..."
There was a finger-length scar on the slender neck, seemingly a wound from sword Qi.
Ji Hongxiu’s fingers lightly caressed her neck, and she said indifferently, "This was inflicted by Yu Youhan; her Dao Power is in opposition to mine, and it won’t heal in the short term."
"Yu Youhan?!"
The old woman’s pupils constricted to needle points, exclaiming, "You clashed with that Demoness?!"
Ji Hongxiu nodded, saying, "We tested each other a bit; she’s become stronger than before, perhaps with half a step already over the threshold."
"..."
The old woman swallowed hard.
Many years ago, the Daoist Venerable had confronted Yu Youhan, and no one knew the outcome, but since then, the Daoist Venerable seldom descended the mountain.
At the realm of the Daoist Venerable, it’s no longer about external things, but constrained by the shackles of heaven and earth, having to endure the malice pressing from all of the heavens. Each advancement in cultivation is extremely difficult.
Yet the terrifying aspect of Yu Youhan lies in her cultivation having almost no limit!
Constantly becoming stronger!
Only upon touching the ’Source Wall’ did her rate of improvement slow.
"There’s no need to be overly concerned; I have discovered her weakness. It’s just a matter of waiting for the right moment now."
Ji Hongxiu seemed somewhat weary, waving her hand, "Alright, you may go down; I must go to the Heavenly Pond to cleanse my heart and wash my body, having picked up too much mundane dirt on this descent."
"Yes."
The elderly woman quickly retreated.
Ji Hongxiu passed through the great hall, heading toward the back mountain.
Suddenly, a lazy, magnetic voice sounded, "What do you mean ’picked up mundane dirt,’ are you complaining that I’ve dirtied the body?"
The tone immediately turned cold, "Isn’t it so?"
"Just because I touched Chen Mo’s treasure?"
"..."
"Qingxuan can touch, but I can’t?"
"You’re her master; can’t you have some decorum?"
"Hmph, now you accuse me of lacking decorum? Didn’t you cause this! Your skills aren’t up to par; you didn’t eliminate the Three Corpses cleanly, and finally had to forcibly Split Soul, leaving me with all the distracting thoughts while you relaxed..."
The lazy female voice grew more aggrieved as she spoke, while Ji Hongxiu’s expression remained cold, giving an odd sense of discord.
"Even so, you shouldn’t randomly interact with others; this body isn’t yours alone."
"Chen Mo is not just anyone; he vaguely has the appearance of a dragon ascendant, possibly a destined person... But speaking of which, if that wisp of Dragon Qi were seized by Yu Youhan, the consequences would be unthinkable!"
"Had she intended to, she would have acted long ago, not waited till now. Although I’m not clear on the relationship between the two, it’s clear Yu Youhan’s attitude toward Chen Mo is unusual..."
The cold female voice was speaking when suddenly, she raised her hands, vigorously rubbing her chest.
She furrowed her dark brows, puzzled, "What are you doing?"
The lazy female voice, somewhat curious, said, "I saw Chen Mo do this to Qingxuan, and Qingxuan seemed to enjoy it... it seems different when others rub compared to oneself?"
"..."
Ji Hongxiu’s eyelids twitched, taking back control of her body, her jade-like fingers pressing on her brow.
"Stop, I won’t randomly touch again, alright? I don’t want to go into the little black room..."
A spark of bright light flashed from her fingertips, and the voice abruptly ceased.
Ji Hongxiu’s expression regained its calm, passing through the courtyard, entering the back mountain.
Arriving at the mist-enshrouded Heavenly Pond, she slowly removed her Daoist robe, revealing a delicate, graceful form.
Smooth texture, perfectly proportioned, adding an inch would be too much, and losing an inch would be too little, akin to flawless jade, without a blemish to be found.
But on the inside of her left leg, a strange marking was imprinted, with veins of red light flowing within, strikingly eye-catching against the snowy-white skin.