Chapter 35: The Object Desired by the Evil God

As the flames pressed closer, An Yue’er merely lifted her hand with effortless grace.

Suddenly, a palace—immense beyond measure—materialized in the sky. It began no larger than a palm, but rapidly expanded, filling the heavens. With a force that threatened to annihilate all, the palace hurtled down toward the flames.

A deafening roar shattered the air as the fiery dragon howled and lunged upward in defiance. But the palace paid it no heed, descending relentlessly. Dragon and the endless magma below were utterly devoured, swallowed into the vastness of the palace’s belly.

Peace returned, as if nothing had ever happened. An Yue’er lowered her hand, and the colossal palace shrank instantly, once more only palm-sized, settling securely in her grasp. The scorching wave that just moments before seemed to threaten all had vanished without a trace. It was as if the rivers of magma and the flames were nothing but a fevered illusion.

“What was that!” The Emperor of Anluan was dumbstruck. He had summoned the fire vein—a force that could strike fear even in immortals, the final trump card of his entire kingdom! Yet in the time it took to draw a single breath, An Yue’er had effortlessly suppressed it all. He could not comprehend what had happened, not even in death.

“Hmph, you won’t escape either!” An Yue’er regarded the scene with utter indifference. The Emperor’s shock to her seemed like nothing more than the antics of a clown—tedious and beneath notice.

With a toss, she flung something into the sky. A scroll unfurled from her hand and hovered in midair. At once, it opened wide, casting an oppressive, supernatural force down over the entire capital. The Emperor of Anluan let out a final scream and his eyes rolled back. Under such might, he could not even struggle; he was obliterated where he stood, dissipating into nothing.

The Emperor of Anluan was dead. The Kingdom of Anluan had fallen.

And so An Yue’er, the third princess of Anluan, ascended the throne as a matter of course, issuing an imperial edict to proclaim her rule to the world. Not one sect or power, great or small, failed to be astonished.

From every corner, the myriad factions of Anluan—ranging from the smallest to those wielding sun and moon-like might—hurried to the capital to pay homage to their new sovereign.

Yet what truly filled them with dread was not merely the Emperor’s fall, but the scroll that had appeared in the sky—that was surely the power of an immortal.

“We must not rebel. We must go at once to pay our respects to the new ruler.”

“With an immortal’s support, who would dare defy her?”

“The whole world is about to change!”

Amidst a storm of anxious whispers, the kingdom continued to run smoothly under An Yue’er’s rule. All those who had sworn undying loyalty to the late Emperor were executed; those who remained chose to submit, cowed by the awe-inspiring power behind her.

“Now that Anluan is in our hands, it’s time to gather the information Senior Zhu desires,” An Yue’er said gently, seated high upon the throne, her gaze falling on Yu Qiushui and the others. “But I am not well-versed in such matters. Elder Sect Master, I hope you can assist me fully.”

Yu Qiushui saluted with a smile. “Since Your Highness now holds Anluan, we should employ the kingdom’s intelligence network at once, set every informant and contact in motion—only then can we gather all that’s needed.”

An Yue’er nodded in agreement.

“Your Majesty, envoys from many sects seek audience at the gates!” reported the guards repeatedly.

An Yue’er received them all. With the change of ruler so abrupt, every faction sought to establish relations with the new regime. Days passed in a flurry of meetings before at last all were received.

“Report! Supreme Lord Hongxi of the Jixing Sanctuary and Supreme Lord Xieming of the Ziyan Sanctuary have arrived!” came a cry from outside.

The entire capital quaked. The arrival of two Supreme Lords from the grandest sanctuaries!

An Yue’er and Yu Qiushui were stunned, and hurried out to greet them, setting aside all else.

At the gates stood an elder and a Daoist side by side. The elder wore a simple gray robe, his face kind and his aura restrained. The Daoist held a horsetail whisk and his robe fluttered though there was no wind.

“The new sovereign’s bearing is truly remarkable!” praised Hongxi.

“Such grace is rare indeed!” added Xieming, the Daoist.

An Yue’er stepped forward at once. “You flatter me. Please, come inside.”

She led the two Supreme Lords into the palace.

“Your Majesty,” Xieming began, “we will not hide our purpose. We wish to meet the immortal who stands behind you. Reports have reached us that subordinates of the Evil God have already moved into the northern lands of Anluan. That is our main reason for seeking audience with your patron.”

“This is a grave crisis. Only the immortal behind you may be able to resolve it.”

Xieming’s words were earnest and sincere.

An Yue’er listened in silence. Xieming and Hongxi exchanged a glance.

“The Evil God’s appearance, I believe, is because there is something he desires within the Nanling Mountains,” Hongxi continued. “We do not know what it is, but it may well be the very cause of Supreme Lord Yili’s corruption.”

They made no attempt to conceal their intentions from An Yue’er, laying everything bare.

“We have another suspicion,” Xieming said, fixing An Yue’er with a serious gaze. “Yili’s transformation may be the least of it. If the Evil God obtains what he seeks, the entire Martial Realm could be overrun by demons once more. It would be a catastrophe beyond imagining.”

“That is why the two great sanctuaries could not sit idle and have come to seek out your immortal protector.”

“You must understand, an Evil God, combined with the power of that artifact in the Nanling Mountains, is no trivial matter.”

Every word from the two Supreme Lords was spoken from the heart.

An Yue’er and Yu Qiushui could not help but fall into deep thought.

After a long silence, Yu Qiushui spoke. “We originally believed that the Evil God’s appearance was the reason Senior Zhu arrived in this world. Yet after hearing your words, we realize we were mistaken. Senior Zhu’s realm is far beyond our comprehension.”

Just the Evil God alone was enough to give them nightmares—now there was also an artifact even the Evil God coveted…

Yu Qiushui could not see the whole picture. In truth, he never had. Senior Zhu’s plans spanned too wide for them to grasp; they could only count themselves fortunate to glimpse a corner of it.

Everyone present was lost in contemplation.