Chapter 811: Two Emperors and Empresses

The text on the building's walls stated that the Empress Dowager had descended to the ancestral land of Guixu, but had not returned for a long time. The Celestial Emperor commanded the Left Imperial Guard to go to Guixu and escort the Empress Dowager back to the Celestial Heavens.

Some days later, the Left Imperial Guard submitted a report to the Celestial Emperor, stating that the Dragon-Lord Nation, a powerful force near Guixu, had rebelled, occupied Guixu, and trapped the Empress Dowager. They requested His Majesty to send troops to quell the rebellion.

Consequently, the Celestial Emperor ordered the Right Imperial Guard to suppress the rebellion. However, just as the Right Imperial Guard departed the Celestial Heavens, the Left Imperial Guard sent another report to the Celestial Emperor, stating that the Empress Dowager had been attacked and severely wounded.

The Celestial Emperor issued an additional decree, instructing the Right Imperial Guard to thoroughly investigate the Empress Dowager's assault.

Wei Suifeng, as the Right Commander of the Imperial Guard, led the Right Imperial Guard to Guixu. Collaborating with the Left Imperial Guard, they defeated the Dragon-Lord Nation, captured King Dragon-Lord, and secured the nation's surrender.

The Empress Dowager's injuries had also recovered significantly, and she planned to return to the Celestial Heavens once fully healed.

However, that very night, another incident occurred. The dark currents of the Great Abyss of Guixu erupted, plunging the area into complete darkness, where no stars could be seen.

Strange phenomena emerged from the Great Abyss, unsettling the divine beings and causing a night of unrest.

By dawn, when the dark currents ceased, the soldiers discovered the Empress Dowager's body on Fanghu Mountain. Inside her detached palace, all the maids were dead, and the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard was found dead outside the palace.

Wei Suifeng captured the Eight Dragon Kings of the Dragon-Lord Nation, interred the Empress Dowager in a coffin, and ordered the Eight Dragon Kings to guard her coffin. He also instructed his soldiers to investigate the events of that night and ascertain the cause of her death.

Some soldiers reported seeing two Empress Dowagers in the dark of night, while others claimed that demon gods emerged from the Great Abyss of Guixu and assassinated the Empress Dowager.

Wei Suifeng's investigation yielded no conclusive results, so he immediately placed the Empress Dowager's coffin on a ship and escorted King Dragon-Lord to the Celestial Heavens.

They traveled upstream along the Celestial River, reaching Yuandu several months later.

As the Celestial River flowed above Yuandu, a thick mist suddenly enveloped the river. An officer reported seeing a woman performing a ritual in the middle of the river.

The text on the wall ended abruptly here, leaving only a cryptic statement: "I came from Guixu, met this woman, and returned to ancient times, seeking ancient mysteries and historical enigmas. Now I meet this woman again, and I think it's time for me to extinguish the lamp and return."

"The Dragon-Lord Nation!"

Ancestral Dragon King suddenly exclaimed, "Legend has it that the Dragon-Lord Nation is home to the earliest dragon clan! It's a kingdom formed by divine dragons nurtured by heaven and earth, said to be a grand dragon nation composed of celestial dragons born from the dragon-veins of the ancient Celestial Heavens! Its dragon-people are three thousand zhang tall and possess infinite divine power. And King Dragon-Lord is the foremost divine dragon in the world. I thought it was merely a legend; I never expected the Dragon-Lord Nation to truly exist!"

A demigod beside him asked, "Was that old dragon who merged with the building just now King Dragon-Lord?"

Ancestral Dragon King paused, then shook his head. "It shouldn't be. Legend says King Dragon-Lord is one of the most powerful beings. How could he merge with this ship? It couldn't be him."

Suddenly, a young man standing not far away, hands clasped behind his back, leisurely remarked, "King Dragon-Lord was captured and suppressed on this ship, and then this ship vanished from the Celestial River. Perhaps that mad old dragon truly is King Dragon-Lord."

Ancestral Dragon King's long whiskers swayed as he unhappily asked, "May I ask who you are?"

The young man smiled faintly. "I am from the Celestial Heavens."

Ancestral Dragon King frowned and sneered, "The Celestial Heavens? There was a Celestial Heavens in the Crimson Emperor era, and two or three in the High Emperor era. Celestial Emperors have come and gone. Which Celestial Heavens are you from?"

The young man laughed heartily. "Ancestral Dragon King, your ancestor, King Dragon-Lord, styled himself 'Bo,' indicating his equality with ancient gods like Tu Bo, Heavenly Duke, and Earth Mother, and established the Dragon-Lord Nation. Yet, unexpectedly, he was still captured by the Celestial Heavens' Imperial Guard. How shameful! Why bother glorifying him?"

Ancestral Dragon King's expression darkened, and his murderous aura intensified.

The young man, however, remained unfazed. Two divine beings behind him suddenly stepped forward, guarding him from both sides.

The young man waved his hand. "A demon dragon from the lower realm, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth, is excusable. There's no need to argue with him. What interests me is that in the Empress Dowager's assault, as recorded by this Right Commander, someone saw two Empress Dowagers."

He revealed a playful smile. "But the Empress Dowager in the Celestial Heavens has always been present; there's no news of her death. What's the reason for this? Is the Empress Dowager's body in the coffin on this ship truly the Empress Dowager? Or is there another hidden truth? The Empress Dowager in the Celestial Heavens..."

The two divine beings beside him looked worried and whispered, "Your Imperial Highness, there are too many ears here. We should not discuss that person in the palace."

The young man chuckled. "The matter of the true and false Empress Dowagers is of great importance and must be investigated. It's truly strange that the Empress Dowager died here, yet there's still an Empress Dowager in the Celestial Heavens. Since the Empress Dowager's coffin is on this ship, we might as well find it and open it to see what's inside..."

He did not continue speaking, likely also concerned about loose tongues.

"The imperial family is all very corrupt," Feng Qiuyun sneered, her voice low.

The young man looked at her and leisurely said, "Earth Mother Primordial Lady's maid, Feng Qiuyun? Which one of the Earth Mother's household do you think is clean?"

Feng Qiuyun sneered but did not reply.

Crimson Emperor Divine Son smiled. "Is this Imperial Prince from the Outer Celestial Heavens? May I ask your name?"

"The Crimson Emperor Divine Son who has been hiding in the Suspended Realm, never daring to show himself?"

The young man chuckled. "I heard that the Crimson Emperor Divine Son embodies the fortune of the entire Crimson Emperor era. Since he gathers the era's fortune within himself, why is he still so mediocre and inactive now?"

The Crimson Emperor Divine Son, dressed in purple, showed no change in expression upon hearing this. He smiled faintly. "There is no 'Crimson Emperor Divine Son' in this world. I am called that merely to give my people a little hope, so they do not sink into despair and perish."

The young man showed solemn respect. "Divine Son, to tell the truth so candidly, your magnanimity and spirit are indeed great, and you are worthy of the title 'Crimson Emperor Divine Son.' I am Imperial Prince Qiuming of the Celestial Heavens. It's an honor to meet you."

Crimson Emperor Divine Son returned the greeting.

The Village Chief frowned deeply, looking at the people in the building, and felt a sense of foreboding.

There were too many powerful figures. The three of them were arguably the least significant and the weakest in terms of strength.

Everyone seemed amicable now, but when it came to actual fighting, the first to be eliminated would likely be the three of them.

"Even if the Founding Ancestor came, he probably wouldn't make much of a splash..." he secretly lamented.

Qin Mu looked at the text on the wall with great interest and chuckled, "Village Chief, there are many interesting things here."

"Hm."

The Village Chief said with a dark expression, "Don't speak. Your words easily make you a target."

Qin Mu acknowledged him, but his mind became active. He thought, "Wei Suifeng is Teacher Qiao Fu's eldest disciple, the founding patriarch of the Sacred Cult of Heaven, and also my and the Imperial Advisor's Senior Martial Brother. From the text he left behind, he went to explore Guixu, encountered Heavenly Venerate Ling, and then inexplicably returned to the ancient Dragon Han era, somehow becoming the Right Commander of the Celestial Heavens' Imperial Guard. He must know many secrets about the Empress Dowager incident, but on his way back to the Celestial Heavens, he encountered Heavenly Venerate Ling again. As for 'extinguishing the lamp and returning'..."

Qin Mu pondered, then looked at the lanterns flying nearby. He thought, "Senior Martial Brother might have traveled to the Dragon Han era during the day, and would return at night. He didn't want to go back, so he refined the sun into lanterns, hanging them around to keep himself in a perpetual state of daytime. When he met Heavenly Venerate Ling again, he felt it was time to return, so he extinguished the lamps and traveled back. Fortunately, he left then, or he wouldn't have become involved in the Imperial Guard time-travel incident."

"What kind of place is Guixu?"

He suddenly remembered that among the geographical maps given to him by the Founding Patriarch, there was one depicting a deep abyss in the ocean!

Could that map be of Guixu?

"Cult Master Qin," Crimson Emperor Divine Son greeted Qin Mu with a smile.

Qin Mu returned the greeting, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Crimson Emperor Divine Son, you were quite quick to flee when danger struck on the deck earlier."

Crimson Emperor Divine Son chuckled. "I have always known Cult Master's capabilities, so I didn't offer help. Cult Master once caused such a ruckus in the Suspended Realm that you nearly dismantled it. How could you be stumped by such a minor danger now?"

Qin Mu's face lit up. "Divine Son certainly knows how to talk."

"High Emperor Qin's Hegemon Body."

Luo Wushuang's voice came: "Long time no see."

Qin Mu looked in the direction of the voice and chuckled, "Godly Blade Luo, you ran faster than anyone just now, not even bothering to seek revenge from me. I was hoping you'd come and rescue me, but I didn't expect you'd only care about your own life."

Luo Wushuang smiled faintly. "Qin Hegemon Body from the High Emperor era, I wonder if your sword is still as sharp as it once was."

Qin Mu laughed heartily. "My swordsmanship is even better now, unmatched in the world. Zhe Huali, tell your master how my swordsmanship is."

The Village Chief coughed.

Qin Mu pretended not to hear.

The Village Chief snorted coldly, thinking, "I haven't disciplined him these past few years; this kid has become increasingly arrogant, now claiming to be the best swordsman. He used to humbly admit to being second."

Zhe Huali said in a deep voice, "Master Luo, Qin Mu's swordsmanship is unparalleled and not inferior to mine."

Imperial Prince Qiuming looked at Qin Mu and curiously asked, "You are the Hegemon Body who resurrected Heavenly Yin Empress? I've heard of you too. This time, I was commanded to descend to the lower realm, and one of my missions is to eliminate you, along with Jiang Baigui and Emperor Yanfeng. Bringing the heads of you three back to the Celestial Heavens will mark my great success."

Qin Mu said solemnly, "Next year, I will make a grave for His Imperial Highness."

Imperial Prince Qiuming chuckled. "The Celestial Heavens doesn't really care about Yankang. Yankang is too weak to be taken seriously by the Celestial Heavens. What truly matters are the remnants of the Founding Emperor, the High Emperor, the Crimson Emperor, and the pseudo-dynasty of Dragon Han. That's why, to deal with Yankang, they only sent me. Cult Master Qin is an interesting person; I like interesting people. I've been inquiring about you for a long time and greatly admire your intelligence and wit."

Qin Mu laughed heartily and said to the Village Chief, "Village Chief, this Imperial Prince is not incompetent."

The Village Chief's expression was grim. "Don't speak. If you say anything more, we'll be the first ones to be eliminated!"

"Ancestral Dragon King, the Empress Dowager's coffin has been found!" a demigod rushed over and whispered.

Ancestral Dragon King's eyes lit up, and he immediately led the other demigods away in haste.

Imperial Prince Qiuming, Crimson Emperor Divine Son, and others hurriedly followed, and Feng Qiuyun also came forward, carrying an imperial coffin on her back.

The Village Chief immediately said, "Let's leave this ship and not get involved in this matter!"

Qin Mu was about to speak when the Village Chief already took his hand and led him out of the building. Dragon Herder Lord followed them outside. The three looked out from the ship, only to see that the multi-decked vessel was completely enveloped in black mist, obscuring the outside world.

The Village Chief said in a deep voice, "Take out your jade pendant, break through the black mist, and let's leave!"

Qin Mu took out his military token. Suddenly, the bird-headed, human-bodied miniature figure in the lantern said, "You can't leave. Once you're on this ship, you can't leave. No one can get out. Even if you jump off the ship, you'll find yourself back on it."

The Village Chief frowned, took off his clothes, and tossed them out with a flick of his wrist.

His clothes vanished into the black mist.

Immediately after, the Village Chief saw himself wearing another set of clothes—the very same one he had just thrown out.

The Village Chief exhaled a weary breath. "Let's go. We'll go see that Empress Dowager."