82-85

Chapter 82: Emperor, not Monarch

Monarch Mirrorevil was a loose cultivator who had appeared over a hundred thousand years ago. Contrary to his ordinary appearance and aura, he had the title of Junior Devil Immortal back in the days. The madness and terror he had wrought plagued all three continents to the point that all the orthodox and even demonic sects hunted him.

Junior Immortal was a title given to those who displayed great talent and strength whilst mortal. However, when the word Devil was added before Immortal, the whole meaning changed. It represented the fear towards the demonic cultivators. Such a cultivator would invite rejection from everyone.

Monarch Mirrorevil did not make a name for himself until the destruction of the Begonia Tower. By that time, Begonia Tower had already lost its one and only Immortal Emperor.

In the History of the Huang Realm, Emperor Begonia was no doubt the fastest Immortal Emperor to die. Back when he was an Immortal Monarch, he had reigned for over a million years. Yet, within a hundred years of becoming an Immortal Emperor, he had perished. Some said he had grown overconfident and explored a danger zone out of his abilities, but more said this was the scheme of the three hegemonic sects.

Back then, the Cultivators' Alliance was still a hegemonic power along with the Buzhou Immortal Sect and Eight Pillars Sect. In the whole history of the Huang Realm, no force had laid claim to the endless seas. But the appearance of Emperor Begonia changed all that. There was a high chance that he could develop his force into the hegemon of the endless seas. So the three hegemonic sects schemed and rid themselves of the thorn known as Emperor Begonia.

After he fell, Begonia Tower was exposed to the world, and many cultivators, including those of the orthodox sects, demonic sects, and loose cultivators came to compete for resources.

It was during that fight that Monarch Mirrorevil came to fame. He slaughtered orthodox, demonic, and loose cultivators without distinction. Rather than reaping resources as all the other cultivators came for, Monarch Mirrorevil's goal appeared to reap as many lives as possible.

During the chaotic battle, the most shocking moment came when Monarch Mirrorevil as a Nascent Soul Grandmaster, slew a Unity Realm Venerable!

It was during this shocking moment that the Immortal Artifact Soul Pagoda had been taken away by a survivor of Begonia Tower, the current Monarch Soulfish. Using an unknown method, the then still Venerable Soulfish escaped from Immortals' encirclement.

Both Monarch Mirrorevil and Monarch Soulfish had risen to fame from this one battle. Monarch Mirrorevil did so by slaying a Venerable as a Grandmaster, while Monarch Soulfish did so by escaping from Immortal Monarchs as a mere mortal.

From that point, while Monarch Soulfish seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Huang Realm until he transcended his Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation. In contrast, Monarch Mirrorevil seemed to have become possessed by Devils of yore and unleashed bloodbath upon bloodbath on all three continents. Ironically, the moment he ascended to the Immortal Realm, the previous bloody aura around him seemed to have disappeared. It wasn't until he became an Immortal Monarch that he engraved his name into the Immortals' minds once more.

It wasn't like no one tried to kill him out of a sense of justice or revenge during this time, but no one succeeded. One reason was that after he became an immortal, he no longer carried out bloodbaths, and the second reason was that he was a soul cultivator!

Once he became an Immortal Realm soul cultivator, it was already destined that no force would take him on lightly. As a loose cultivator, he had no weakness they could grab hold of.

Because of this, the infamous name of Monarch Mirrorevil eventually faded from the minds of the Huang Realm as a whole. The newer Immortals, such as Monarch Warpath, had never even heard of him. This included Xi Mengfei as well.

Monarch Mirrorevil paid no mind to Monarch Warpath as he clutched the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus close to his heart. He ignored all the Immortal Monarchs that were glaring daggers into his body, and instead, he released a pure smile that should not have appeared on a demonic cultivator such as him.

It was a smile full of bliss and hope. His eyes even became teary as he held the silvery-white lotus.

"Die!" Monarch Warpath said. He had shortened the distance until he was but a mere foot away from Monarch Mirrorevil. His body had morphed; two faces now adorned the right and left of his head, and two pairs of arms had sprouted from his shoulder.

Asura Form

All six fists rocketed towards Monarch Mirroevil. But upon the slightest contact, Monarch Mirrorevil's body turned into gliterring mist and dispersed.

Monarch Warpath scrunched his eyebrows. Illusion!

He breathed in and released his breath, and calmed down. But the red twitching muscles never relaxed as Monarch Warpath's six eyes searched the battlefield.

It wasn't just him, but all the Immortal Monarchs who remained searched Monarch Mirrorevil.

One of them, Monarch Allroot, performed several hand seals. After he finished the last one, all the lotus fragrance stilled in the air before congregating at a single point.

"He's there!"

When Monarch Allroot was young, he had a Heavenly Wood Spiritual Vein, and since then, he embarked on the Dao of Wood. As an Immortal Monarch, his attacks were average, but instead, his defense and vitality were at the peak of Immortal Monarchs. Only an Immortal Emperor would be able to easily crush his defense.

Monarch Allroot charged towards the source of the lotus fragrance, the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus in Monarch Mirrorevil's hand! He had confidence in his defenses. As long as he could snatch the lotus and the Immortal Emperors didn't take action, he would be able to flee with the lotus.

Monarch Mirrorevil no longer bothered to hide since his position had been discovered. His emotionlessly eyes looked at Monarch Allroot.

Monarch Allroot's vigilance heightened when he saw his mirror image appeared in front of Monarch Mirrorevil, facing him. Before he could take any action, Monarch Mirrorevil's hand pierced through the chest of Monarch Allroot's mirror image.

Simultaneously, Monarch Allroot's face paled dramatically. His body was physically fine, and his vitality was as robust as ever. He clutched his chest as his eyes began to dim. Before his body could even land on the ground, his soul had long perished.

The Immortal Monarchs all stopped their movements, and some even retreated. Finally, one of them recognized the ordinary-looking Immortal Monarch.

"It's Mirrorevil, the Devil Mirrorevil!"

At that Immortal Monarch's shout, many of their eyes flashed in recognition. The number of Soul Monarchs could be counted on two hands, and each one was famous for being difficult to deal with.

But one Immortal Monarch charged forward. Who else could it be but Monarch Warpath? All six of his arms were feared back in preparation to unleash his attack.

Like with Monarch Allroot, a mirror image of Monarch Warpath appeared in front of Monarch Mirrorevil. When the hand pierced Monarch Warpath's mirror image, Monarch Warpath continued his charge as if unaffected.

Monarch Mirrorevil's attack did affect Monarch Warpath. But Monarch Warpath's cultivation technique used his fleshly body to nurture his soul. As long as his fleshly body was uninjured, his body will nurture and heal his soul back to full strength no matter how damaged. As long as his soul was not extinguished in a single attack, Monarch Warpath could heal from it.

"Give it up! Soul cultivators are the ones I'm least afraid of fighting! Monarch Swordspirit. was defeated by me!" At Monarch Warpath's cry, many Immortal Monarchs were enlightened of his victory over Monarch Swordspirit.

Monarch Swordspirit was both a soul cultivator and a sword cultivator. Among the Soul Cultivators, he could be considered the one with the greatest attack power.

Monarch Mirrorevil sighed as he glanced at Monarch Warpath. His body dissolved into a thousand mirror-like shards that converted into streams of light. Those streams of light converged a fair distance away.

Monarch Warpath snorted as he charged once more. Monarch Mirrorevil's hand reached towards him, but Monarch Warpath ignored it and counterattacked. His six fists all landed on Monarch Mirrorevil's body.

In response, Monarch Mirrorevil's body turned mirror-like, and each part of his body reflected Monarch Warpath's attacks. Not just in image but in effect too as Monarch Warpath's punches were countered by an equal force each time.

At the same time, when Monarch Mirrorevil's hand reached Monarch Warpath, nausea assaulted the martial Monarch.

A chill ran up Monarch Warpath's spine as he tried to retreat. But it was as if his mind had split into two. One wanted to withdraw while the other wanted to continue to attack, causing his body to clash against itself.

In the next instant, one of Monarch Warpath's split mind vanished. No, it was extinguished.

As Monarch Warpath stared with open eyes in disbelief at Monarch Mirrorevil, his body fell to the ground.

"It's true. Your methods are almost invulnerable against Soul Monarchs. But unfortunately for you, I'm an Immortal Emperor, not Monarch."

Chapter 83: Emperor Soulfish?

Silence descended onto the remains of the Fleeting Mist Sect. No one expected this turn of events. Before it was numerous Immortal Monarchs surrounding a single Immortal Monarch.

Now it was an Immortal Emperor facing off against a group of Immortal Monarchs.

The fluctuations rolled off Emperor Mirrorevil like concussive waves and battered the Immortal Monarchs surrounding him. Each crash caused slight tremors against their souls and caused them to see stars in their vision.

Now that Emperor Mirrorevil no longer hid his mastery and even the aura exuded from his soul became a passive attack. But the group of Immortal Monarchs soon discovered an inconsistency.

The fallen Monarch Warpath landed with a terrific explosion, causing a crater to form. Although he had returned to a mere two-meter height, his body weighed more than the densest metal of equal volume, and as such, the impact was cataclysmic.

A fair distance away, Monarch Allroot's body had ceased breathing and lost all signs of vitality. The soul was the basis of all life; a body without the soul would soon perish. His great vitally came from the Dao that his soul operated. Without his soul, his body died despite the vitality that remained even after death.

However, Monarch Warpath's body still had a hint of breath. Although weak, it persisted. If one observed closely, they could even detect that the breath was increasing in strength!

Monarch, no Emperor Mirrorevil's soul attack did not wholly extinguish Monarch Warpath's soul. His martial body was intact, and through his unique means, began to heal his weakened soul.

Bloodsoul Rebirth

A body is created from the blueprints within the cells of the body. This was something long known to martial cultivators who explored the mysteries of their bodies and altered it. When the body was injured, as long as you had the resources and energy, a body part, whether a patch of skin or an arm or leg, could be restored with enough time and resources.

Then what if someone added the blueprint of the soul into these cells? This was something many soul and martial cultivators tried to do, but the one who came closest was no doubt Monarch Warpath. As a result, he was the Monarch least afraid against Soul Monarchs.

But even he would perish to a Soul Emperor. Had it been a true Immortal Emperor, that is.

"Strange, Monarch Warpath still remains alive while Monarch Allroot has perished!"

"Look closely, although our souls are being pressured, it isn't from the might of an Immortal Emperor!"

"You're right!"

"Mirrorevil can truly be called an Immortal Emperor, from esoteric techniques he used, he must have already reached the Immortal Emperor level in Dao alone! But his cultivation base is still at the Seamless Immortal Realm!"

"Everyone attack him, we still have a chance!"

"Fool! Have you forgotten about Monarch Allroot!? Monarch Warpath may have survived due to his unique means, but what about us?"

"That was because they all attacked one on one! If we attack all at us, the power of his soul techniques will be diluted among us!"

"Can you truly take that gamble!?"

"Think clearly for a moment. If Mirrorevil ascended to become a full Immortal Emperor in both Dao and Cultivation, then we would be jumping into a pit of death. But he still hasn't transcended the Seamless Immortal Realm. Then why did he claim to be an Immortal Monarch and unleashed his soul pressure? It is to call and bluff! We won't have another chance like this!"

"You are right! Comrades, some of you may not have remembered the atrocities Mirrorevil committed, but those of us who have lived from then, do you still remember!? The terror that he brought forth. Before we take the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, we must kill him! If that devil survives, even if we snatch the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, he will surely bring disaster. The bloodbaths he committed are the proof!"

All this happened in an instant. By using their immortal senses to communicate with the other, the speed and information conveyed were far more than what mere words could do alone. The end result was a temporary coalition whose goal was to kill Emperor Mirrorevil before he could fully ascend to become a true Immortal Emperor and then snatch the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

A few Immortal Monarchs did not join and instead retreated towards the rear. At this moment, they realized Mengfei was still in the Huang Realm but had not taken any action even with Emperor Mirrorevil's reveal.

A few who thought themselves smart immediately tried to send a message to Mengfei using their immortal sense, but once they entered a certain radius, the immortal sense disappeared. No, it dissolved and merged with heaven and earth.

The Immortal Monarchs frowned but refrained from attempting to do anything else.

Monarch Yonderheart shook his head as he watched this. If Sword Empress Xi wanted to take action, she would've done so the moment Emperor Mirrorevil uprooted the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus or when he unleashed his attack that utilized his Emperor level Dao.

At this moment, a voice sounded in his head.

"Cloud Goddess?"

Monarch Yonderheart asked. He looked up into the sky and into the Vast Void. There was no hint of any of the three Immortal Emperor ranked experts after they left the Huang Realm.

"My cloud clone is hidden by Eternal Night Emperor's Heaven Covering Night Shroud. We have yet to finish our fight. At the same time, we cannot detect anything outside."

"Then, if I may ask, how did you contact me?"

"It's not my cloud clone that is contacting you but my Aspect. My true body is still in the Cloud Goddess Cult after all, but my connection with my cloud clone is muddled."

Aspect, it was similar to an Avatar. While an Avatar was created from splitting a portion of a cultivator's soul, an Aspect was created, converting someone into your copy. Naturally, depending on the talent and cultivation of that person, the Aspect created will vary wildly. But the greatest advantage was that it did not need you to split your soul.

But this was a technique that only Divinities possessed, and only someone who was wholly devoted and faithful to the Divinity was eligible to be converted into an Aspect.

Monarch Yonderheart sighed in amazement.

"Monarch Yonderheart, I am unsure of when I will be able to leave Eternal Night Emperor's Night Shroud. But the same could be said for Empress Voidink. However, I do not know why Eternal Night Emperor hasn't mentioned the matter of Mirrorevil. Perhaps he is confident in not letting Mirrorevil leave. That is why we must seize this chance!"

"Seize the chance? Unfortunately, my battle prowess isn't as excellent as my evasion skills."

Monarch Yonderheart creased his brows. He had come hoping only to try his chances. If he died, although his sect would cause a commotion, the Buzhou Immortal Sect and the six Vassal Sect would likely ignore it. In fact, they might even celebrate his demise. As such, he placed his first priority as staying alive, and his second priority as keeping the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus from the other forces of Heaven Continent.

"You only need to use your greatest skill and snatch the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus once I create the opening."

Monarch Yonderheart still wasn't convinced.

"Cloud Goddess, I am the only expert in the Dao of Space among the Anti-Heaven Alliance. I do not think I am able to make such a decision unless there is a trump card that can make up for all that."

"My Aspect's strength is equal to that of an Immortal Monarch. However, for a short amount of time, I can unleash strength equal to an Immortal Emperor. The price would be the disintegration of this Aspect."

Monarch Yonderheart's eyes lightened up at the Cloud Goddess's words.

"Then what about Sword Empress Xi?"

"She will not easily move. Her current state of being is special right now."

"Then...how should we split the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus?"

There was only one Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. Before the plan could be carried out, how to distribute the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus was a must. The Cloud Goddess didn't even take a moment to reply.

"I will take the core, seeds, and four petals. You will be given five of the petals."

"Impossible. That is far too less. The risk I'm taking is tremendous as the greatest expert in the Dao of Space in the Anti-Heaven Alliance. I need nine petals and half the seeds!"

Like this, the two haggled over the exact distribution before they both agreed. Rather than a transaction for the whole Anti-Heaven Alliance, this was closer to a transaction between the individuals known as Cloud Goddess and Monarch Yonderheart.

The Immortal Monarchs surrounding Emperor Mirrorevil all had pale faces. Their conjectures were true. Emperor Mirrorevil wasn't capable of slaying so many Immortal Monarchs at once with his current cultivation base. But that did not make this battle any easier.

Wounds riddled Emperor Mirrorevil, but the Immortal Monarchs were not much better. Their faces were pale, and their chest tightened with each passing second.

While they prevented Emperor Mirrorevil from feeling, he had deployed a wide domain that continuously drained their souls of its strength. Now the group was attacking even more wildly and in desperation than before. Retreating and giving up might have seemed like an option, but there was more fear in the retaliation of Emperor Mirrorevil, who was once known as a Junior Devil Immortal.

At this moment, a black streak crashed into Emperor Mirrorevil's domain. The black streak was the Cloud Goddess's Aspect. The whole body was black as if formed by miasma itself, not a single part was another color.

But the greatest shock was the aura it exuded—a divine and holy aura incompatible with the black miasma. And it was an aura that surpassed the Pseudo Emperor strength that Emperor Mirrorevil had.

"Cloud Goddess!"

Many people realized the identity of her Aspect. They had hundreds of questions, such as why she was here, how she came here, where were Eternal Night Emperor and Empress Voidink? But their reactions weren't slow as they all retreated from Emperor Mirrorevil's domain.

The Cloud Goddess was an Immortal Emperor level experts for a long time, nothing like Emperor Mirrorevil.

Emperor Mirrorevil, who was no longer surrounded by the Immortal Monarchs, found himself in even greater peril as he continuously unleashed soul attacks after soul attacks. But the Cloud Goddess's Aspect just ignored it and allowed it to batter her without care.

Emperor Mirrorevil frowned. Even if the Cloud Goddess had proclaimed her fame for years, his attacks should not be so meaningless against her.

The battle raged, and the Cloud Goddess hand latched onto Emperor Mirroevil's right hand. Her form began to grow blurry as black miasma clouds corroded Emperor Mirrorevil's arm.

Emperor Mirrorevil's body changed and became reflective, like mirrors. This was a martial body he cultivated, Glass Soul Body. It didn't have any outstanding defense or attacks but was a support type martial body that increased the power of his soul attack.

With a chop, Emperor Mirrorevil used his right hand to sever his left that was holding onto the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. There was no blood from the stump, and instead, an ethereal silver stream merged. His severed left arm and hand soon also shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Light brighter than the solar star erupted and assaulted the Cloud Goddess's Aspect. Even she would not be able to ignore an attack that Emperor Mirroreviled evoked from sacrificing his left arm. But she didn't care and rammed head onto the attack.

When the attack disappeared, the Cloud Goddess's Aspect's right arm and part of her torso were missing. But she didn't care as she used her remaining arm and caught the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

Just as Emperor Mirrorevil was about to charge towards the Cloud Goddess's Aspect, she threw the treasure in her hand towards the distant where no Immortals were near, stunning everyone. Even Emperor Mirrorevil was stunned.

But at this moment, a black hole in the fabric of reality appeared. From within stretched out Monarch Yonderheart's hand and caught the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

From within the hole, Monarch Yonderheart showed a pleased expression and was just about to retract his arm, but he felt his body ignore his command. Even as he panicked, the pleased smile on his face still remained as he walked out of the hole and just stood there in the air.

Mengfei's eyelids trembled before she opened her eyes, not half-lidded like before but fully open.

A ghostly figure materialized behind Monarch Yonderheart, and behind that ghostly figure, a four-story red pagoda appeared.

The figure wore red robes and half white hair with a single horn growing out from his forehead. He looked lightly at Monarch Yonderheart, but Monarch Yonderheart felt his heart chill as his thoughts began to grow dark.

Under the shocked gazes of all the Immortals present, a gigantic red dolphin with a horn atop its forehead emerged from Monarch Yonderheart. The dolphin then flew into the Soul Pagoda while Monarch Soulfish threw the soulless body inside as well.

The Immortal felt as if someone had bludgeoned their minds with a hammer. This scene played out eerily similar to a scene moments ago—the scene of Emperor Mirrorevil exterminating Monarch Allroots's soul and nearly eradicating Monarch Warpath's soul.

Don't tell them that Monarch Soulfish was also actually Emperor Soulfish!?

Chapter 84: One Person

The number of Immortal Emperors within the Huang Realm did not exceed ten. They were the pinnacle of power among the forces of the Huang Realm. Should any force or sect develop an Immortal Emperor, they would automatically become a peak first-rate power.

But since the creation of the Huang Realm over three million years ago, there was less than ten. But now, within the span of a day, two new Immortal Emperors appeared, and it was two Soul Emperors at that. The Immortal Monarchs observing this all felt speechless at this sight.

Some of them were even over a million or two millions year old yet had never crossed the final step to become an Immortal Monarch. They felt their blood run cold as they recalled how easily Emperor Soulfish dispatched Monarch Yonderheart.

All of them had witnessed how the expert in the Dao of Space had exited out of his portal with a bewildered expression. Soon after, his soul was extracted easily. Not even his body was spared.

The Cloud Goddess's Aspect was unable to do anything either. She had expended the foundation of the Aspect's lifeforce and was slowly disappearing into the world. She faded away like morning fog.

All of the Immortal Monarchs began to retreat. This was no longer a battle they could intervene in. Aside from the three who left the realm, only the incomplete Emperor Mirrorevil and Sword Empress Xi could do anything in this battle between Emperors.

Emperor Soulfish frowned. His hand reached towards one of the petals of the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

A dot of light sprang into existence atop the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. It was a caterpillar with a texture that resembled a floorboard, but its body was shiny as if it was made from crystal. Its translucent flesh revealed the innard organs that glowed with silvery-white light like the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

There were little bitemarks and even a few holes on the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus; the culprit was clear.

An invisible pressure descended onto the area and caused all the Immortal Monarchs to feel suffocated. It wasn't a physical feeling but rather one that their souls felt. If any of the True Immortals were here, they would have directly had their souls injured by the pressure alone. Nothing needed to be said for mortals.

"Spring Autumn Butterfly Larva..." The killing intent in Emperor Soulfish's voice reached the peak, and his hand continued forward to crush the insect that dared to nibble and take away the properties of the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

Under the pressure, the caterpillar seemed to wilt a bit as its body stiffened. It lost its grip and fell off the petal and started to plummet to the ground, but how could Immortal Soulfish allow the little thief to escape?

Unfortunately for him, it was at this moment that the Northern Region changed. It was still the Northern Region, yet not the Northern Region.

The Immortal Monarchs all felt the world changed, but only the surface level of change.

Emperor Soulfish felt his body become constricted as he was a mortal plunged into the abyss of the sea. Not just that, but his ability to absorb the spiritual qi of the realm and convert them into immortal qi disappear. He calmly turned to face the source of the change.

Standing in the air was Xi Mengfei. Her purple robes fluttered in the air, her long black hair danced with the wind, her very presence was like the god of the realm.

Emperor Soulfish gently moved the hand he was holding the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. But the instant he moved, a black crystalline sword appeared in Mengfei's hand and stabbed towards him.

"We can talk. I have the million-year accumulations of the Begonia Tower. If you let me leave, I can give you anything you want." He opened his mouth to speak, but he felt his body become even more constricted. "We are both Immortal Emperors here. Nothing good will come out if we try to kill each other-"

"Shut up." Mengfei only said those to words. The black sword in her hand was black to the point that it appeared as if it was a hole in reality, but at the same time, it appeared perfectly translucent. "I told you, if you appeared before me, I will kill you."

Emperor Soulfish didn't say anymore. At this juncture, saying anything would be a waste of breath. However, he couldn't understand why a person like Sword Empress Xi would be so willing to fight for a parasite.

Yes, he viewed these otherworlders as parasites. They replaced the original children born and superimposed their existence upon a world that was not theirs, stealing the parents' love.

The longer the fight went, the more Emperor Soulfish found himself weakening. As a Soul Emperor, he originally should have many esoteric means to fight Sword Empress Xi, but his soul power had difficulty leaving his body. At the same time, he was protecting the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. All this was not helped by the fact that he was a newly ascended Immortal Emperor. It was like Mengfei didn't care for the immeasurable treasure in his hand as long as she could kill him, further constraining him. He wanted to place the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus into the Begonia Pagoda and fight with his full strength, but Mengfei didn't have him much leeway. His spatial ring couldn't contain such a treasure and would actually harm it instead.

In addition, Mengfei had completely locked down and controlled the Northern Region.

There were Immortals who were able to discover some minor realms with cores; refine them and become Realm Lords. Although being a Realm Lord didn't necessarily increase their powers, but within the realm, they were like a god. It was also this unique power that allowed Realm Lords to be nearly unkillable within their realm.

Mengfei displayed her abilities and surpassed the state of Formation as the World. She had commandeered the Northern Region and temporarily placed it under her control and commanded it like a Realm Lord would.

Strange, according to the information collected, Sword Empress Xi should be more powerful than this. Although I am being suppressed by her formation, her sword arts should be more powerful than this.

As the fight went on, although Mengfei couldn't land a decisive blow on Emperor Soulfish, neither was he capable of leaving. As time dragged on, it would be more detrimental to him once the Eternal Night Emperor, Empress Voidink, and Cloud Goddess returned.

Every time the blade landed on his body, not only did his body receive an injury but his soul as well.

I've never heard of Sword Empress being able to use soul attack. Had it been anyone else, the pressure on them would be even more immense. Compared to physical injuries, soul injuries are worse by tenfold.

It was an unexpected piece of information. If word got out, then her place as the number one Immortal of the Huang Realm would be even more stable. However, Emperor Soulfish was clear that he couldn't delay his escape any longer.

Although he was an Immortal Emperor, he had just broken through not long ago.

Speaking of which, he should really thank Meng Jiang. Although she was the reason, he could not capture Tianyi, witnessing her technique that a mortal cultivator should not have possessed allowed him to gain a spark of inspiration. That spark allowed him to break through the bottleneck that had been plaguing him for years. Had he not broken through, the chances of him being able to snatch the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus decreased dramatically.

Even so, among Immortal Emperors, although he could not be called the weakest due to being a soul cultivator, he was still among the weaker ones. Against Mengfei, he had no confidence in fleeing without injury.

Sword Empress Xi's public title as the number one Immortal isn't for show. I've lived a hundred times longer, yet I've only now reached the Extremity Immortal Realm.

Emperor Mirrorevil, who had retreated from the battle between Mengfei and Emperor Soulfish, began to take action. His body began to turn into glass completely. His skin, muscle, veins, blood, organs, and bones all shone with reflected light. But before he could take action, he sensed three great presences appear above him.

Those three presences were naturally Empress Voidink, Eternal Night Emperor, and the Cloud Goddess.

The Cloud Goddess turned to look at Emperor Mirrorevil. Her eyes were emotionless, and not a hint of wrath existed in her body, but her killing intent was real. As the only Immortal Emperor level expert of the Anti-Heaven Alliance, how could she let the culprit who killed an Immortal Monarch of the alliance leave alive?

"Wait a moment Cloud Goddess." It was Eternal Night Emperor who chose to intervene at this moment.

"Eternal Night Emperor, I hope you aren't stopping me from killing Monarch Yonderheart's murderer because you admire his talent and potential." The Cloud Goddess's voice was clear and casual.

"Certainly not. I'm just informing Cloud Goddess that even if you manage to kill Emperor Mirrorevil, it would only slow him down." Eternal Night Emperor said. Both Zhang Cuiying and Cloud Goddess became confused at his words.

Eternal Night Monarch pointed at Emperor Soulfish, who was still entangled with Mengfei. "Emperor Mirrorevil doesn't exist. To be precise, it's just an alias for that guy's clone."

Eternal Night Monarch didn't bother to hide his voice, so all the Immoral Monarchs in the vicinity heard his words and became stunned. They could understand each word individually, but when pieced together, why they couldn't comprehend it?

Zhang Cuiying frowned when she heard it. "So the reason the Emperor Mirrorevil was active as a mortal and Emperor Soulfish became active when he ascended the Immortal Realm was because they were one?"

"I don't know. Usually, the aura of the soul doesn't change between the true body and the clone. But it seems that the young lad has some unique ability. Or perhaps it is a secret technique of Begonia Tower." Eternal Night Emperor said.

Zhang Cuiying looked over towards the unconcerned Cloud Goddess. The Cloud Goddess spoke. "Emperor Mirrorevil is selfish and demonic. Slaughtering countless mortals to further his path, the number of innocents who were subjected to calamity to him are innumerable. Friend from the Earth Continent and Empress Voidink, I ask you to aid me in exterminating this scourge."

"Naturally, as members of the orthodox path, preventing this Devil from causing any further damage to the world is our duty." Zhang Cuiying said.

"Although I am from the Earth Continent, matters concerning Immortal Emperors affect the whole realm. How can I shrink my duty?" Eternal Night Emperor said.

The three of them, who were said to be on opposing sides, shared a tactic smile before rushing towards Emperor Soulfish.

The Immortal Monarchs witnessed one of the rare occurrences of four Immortal Emperor level experts teaming up. All four of them were experts among the Immortal Emperor level experts, including Mengfei, the youngest of the four.

As the battle continued, Emperor Soulfish was blasted back from the combined assault. His robe was in near tatters, and his right arm was beyond mangled. In spite of all this, the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus clutched to his chest was undamaged. Even the Immortal Artifact Soul Pagoda behind him had had cracks all over it.

Beside him, his clone Mirrorevil was barely clinging onto a single breath. The clone's glass-like body had numerous fractures all over it.

"If you give up the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, you may have a chance to flee." Zhang Cuiying said. Among the four of them, she was one most worried about the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus.

"Senior Voidink, you should be very clear. As long as a soul's remnant enters the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, they will be able to reincarnate with the perfect body. You of all people should understand that this Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus is more important to me than my life!" Emperor Soulfish said, his eyes tranquil despite the unpleasant circumstance.

"You're right." Zhang Cuiying said. She pulled out a scroll longer than her arm and thicker than a tree trunk. She unfurled it, and inside there were numerous copies of a single figure. It depicted a man in shining silver armor and spear.

With a flick, the scroll unfurled until a clear line could be seen from the sky even from the ground. From the scroll, hundreds of soldiers began to pop out from it. Each of these silver soldiers had the aura of an Immortal. Finally, the ten-thousandth and last armored warrior appeared. It had a trident instead of a spear and a large red plume atop his helmet. Unlike the aura of True Immortals, the other soldiers exuded, he exuded the aura of an Immortal Monarch.

Voidink Scroll - Heavenly Immortal Soldiers

The spectating Immortal Monarchs once again found their mouths hanging open in shock.

Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine True Immortal Soldiers and one Immortal Monarch General

No, ignoring that Empress Voidink was able to summon an Immortal Monarch from her scroll, just the sheer number of True Immortals was staggering. And judging by the size of the scroll, she wouldn't happen to have even more, right?

They couldn't help but question. Ten thousand Immortals was already a staggering amount, perhaps larger than the total number of Immortals in the Huang Realm.

But Eternal Night Emperor, Cloud Goddess, Xi Mengfei, and Emperor Soulfish didn't show any surprise. To experts of their level, being surrounded by ten thousand True Immortals was nothing fatal. They may not win against the sheer numbers, but leaving alive was easy. In addition, the scroll soldiers were imitations and incapable of unleashing the power of true Immortals.

The real problem was the formation they began to set up. If combined with Xi Mengfei's dominance of the Northern Region, then the chances of Emperor Soulfish escaping would practically be zero.

The next few actions, none of the Immortal Monarchs were able to comprehend clearly. Just as it seemed that Emperor Soulfish lost his mind and started an assault with his clone, a light brighter than anything they've witnessed before blinded them.

When they regained their sight, the strange feeling disappeared. Immortal Soulfish and his clone were nowhere to be seen. Neither were the other Immortal Emperors.

Chapter 84.1: Mengfei SS, Another Life

Mengfei blinked and took in her surrounding. She was in a room she didn't recognize, not her Jade Peak Palace or her Heaven, Earth, Man Trinity Palace. In fact, it seemed closer to her place back in the Xi Dynasty when she was a mere imperial princess, still unloved by her Consort-Mother and Emperor-Father.

It was a large room, certainly at least equal to her bedroom. Silken beddings, obscuring drapes, jewelry boxes, masterfully crafted furniture, white porcelain painted blue by seasoned painters, and an assortment of snacks upon the table.

The Sword Empress circulated her qi. She could still feel her cultivation. Only it felt as if she was encased by a second skin of foreign origin.

Mengfei looked around for a few moments longer before opening the doors and walking out.

"Madame, the master is asking if you are ready to leave."

Mengfei paused. She took in the one who called out to her. It was a young servant girl of the first rank. But she could not feel any hint of qi or cultivation from her at all like she was a regular mortal. And who did she mean by madame?

"Leave? Where?" Mengfei asked.

The servant girl showed a surprised expression before schooling it at once. "Today, madame and master are going to visit the Emperor and the Noble Consort."

Mengfei furrowed her brows. "Does Emperor-Brother need something of me?"

The maid showed a panicked expression. She quickly looked around to see if anyone overheard Mengfei. "Madame, even if you are the most favored imperial princess, you cannot joke like this!"

Mengfei's confusion grew even more. She tried to recall what happened before she awoke here as the maid led her out towards the main hall.

The last thing she remembered was Emperor Soulfish's clone, Mirrorevil, emitting a brilliant light that caused his glass body to erupted and engulf herself and her fellow Immortal Emperors, Zhang Cuiying, Eternal Night Emperor, and Cloud Goddess.

As the youngest Immortal Empress, Xi Mengfei was immensely talented and caused all those old monsters to sigh in admiration. She was already less than a hundred years old when she transcended mortality and ascended to the True Immortal level, known as the Pathfinding Immortal Realm.

From there, within a hundred years, she perfected and carved her own Dao and entered the Seamless Immortal Realm, becoming the youngest Immortal Monarch.

But progressing from the Seamless Immortal Realm into the Extremity Immortal Realm was not easy. It might have taken Mengfei tens of thousands of years.

Of course, such speed would still be considered heaven-defying. Other Immortal Emperors needed over a hundred thousand years.

But thanks to a tremendous stroke of luck, after participating in the Dragon Emperor clash, Mengfei broke through and became famous to the point that other realms and worlds heard of her name.

But that also came with a weakness. Among all the Immortal Emperors and even some Immortal Monarchs, her heart and mind were lacking in comparison to her battle strength. This meant that certain soul techniques were especially effective against her.

And Mengfei guessed that Emperor Soulfish used his clone as a catalyst to unleash a devastating soul technique against her and her fellow Immortal Emperors... and Cloud Goddess.

"Master." The maid bowed to the man waiting at the grand hall. Mengfei observed him.

He was almost two meters tall, with broad and dependable shoulders. He had a pleasant face with a scar on the side of his cheek and sported a small goatee. He looked about ten years Mengfei's senior based on appearance alone, but his body had not a hint of cultivation.

If you were to compare their real age, then Mengfei would be over ten times his senior.

"Dear." Mengfei flinched and stepped back when the man reached out with his hand, causing him to helplessly furrow his brows.

"After all these years, you still aren't used to my touch?"

Mengfei observed the man and found some slight similarities to her Emperor-Father, about twenty percent. Judging by his word and the maid's action, he was likely her husband by all logic.

Had she stayed in the Xi Dynasty, perhaps she would have been married and gained a Prince Consort.

"Nevermind." The man shook his head. "It's fine. Eventually, you will understand my heart. Come, let us go visit Emperor-Father and Consort-Mother."

At this time, a small blur ran into the hall and crashed into Mengfei. Mengfei looked down and felt a pair of short arms wrap around her waist.

"Mother!"

Mengfei found herself revealing a small smile when she saw who the small blur was. He had an adorable but immaculate face, but his most outstanding features were no doubt that pair of eyes that resembled hers so much.

"Yi'er."

The blur, Tianyi, smiled rather foolishly. But there was no hiding the glimmer of wisdom in those young eyes.

"Mother, hurry up. I haven't seen Emperor-Grandfather and Consort-Grandmother in such a loooong time!"

Mengfei blinked. She was not used to Tianyi acting so spoiled, and before she realized it, she was in a black sandalwood carriage pulled by three pairs of horses on her way to the Imperial Palace.

"General Han! Mingzhu Princess!"

The palace guards saluted the group of three once they passed the gates. Three sedans were pulled up for Mengfei, the man, and little Tianyi.

For them to use carried in sedans in the Imperial Palace spoke of great favor. Typically, only the highest ranked of the Emperor's women were allowed to used sedans within the Imperial Palace. For Mengfei, a wedded princess, and her husband and son to receive such treatment spoke of great favor.

In her memories, she was just an ignored and unfavored princess. She hadn't been given a title, and even if she reached of age, it was unlikely for her to receive a blessed title such as Radiant Pearl (Mingzhu) Princess.

But what shocked Mengfei the most wasn't the treatment, but what the palace called her husband.

General Han.

Back when she was trapped in the hell that was the inner palace, she had heard of the name of the great General Han, Han Fei.

He was the great War God of the Xi Dynasty. His background was that of a commoner. But through his abilities, he rose meteorically through the ranks and became the supreme commander of the Xi Dynasty Army.

The most important thing was that he was young when he attained the rank and enjoyed great trust from the Emperor. Those two factors were quite attractive to many unmarried females.

However, it was the third factor that made many heads over heels for him. Han Fei was a widower. His wife was the daughter of a low ranked official, but she tragically died while he was at war. Even so, he never remarried, citing his deep affection for his departed wife.

Thinking back, perhaps this was also the reason why the Emperor trusted Han Fei so much. With no sons or daughters and no longer marrying, Han Fei posed almost no threat to the Xi Imperial Family.

But back to the main point.

Han Fei's fame was great to the point that even she, an isolated and unloved princess, had heard of him. She had heard rumors of how much he loved his deceased wife, including the woman who married him would be the most loved woman in the dynasty.

At that time, Mengfei imagined marrying him and finally being experienced what it meant to be loved.

As a woman of the dynasty, she had also been taught the three heavens. First heaven, her father, second heaven, her husband, and the third heaven, her son. It would be her duty to serve all three faithfully.

She thought that since her first heaven did not love, why not seek it out from her second? But before any of that could happen, she was discovered by her master and taken away to embark on the path of cultivation.

Mengfei looked towards her son in this world. In contrast to the foolish expression he showed within the General Compound, Tianyi now sported a lofty and elegant bearing. Mengfei allowed herself a slight smile that she did not realized she had at how some things never change before a thought struck her.

If she was married to Han Fei in this world, then didn't that mean Tianyi's surname changed from Xi to Han?

Xi Tianyi

Han Tianyi.

Mengfei frowned at the thought. She felt an unknown and unpleasant feeling well up in her chest. Her brows still furrowed, Mengfei pushed down the unpleasant feeling.

The trio arrived at the Palace of Harmony, where the Emperor and Noble Consort waited.

"Subject greets the holy one." Han Fei kneeled and greeted the Emperor.

"Subject-grandson greets the holy one." Han Tianyi followed his father's example.

The only one who didn't kneel was Mengfei. She stood with her back straight like the lofty Sword Empress she was. There was a deep unwillingness in her heart that Mengfei herself didn't understand.

After she had been taken away, she had never returned to the Xi Dynasty until her Emperor-Father passed away, so such a situation never occurred back in the real world. Her Emperor-Father may have passed away, but her Consort-Mother still lived.

But Mengfei left before seeing her Consort-Mother. According to her Emperor-Brother, Consort-Mother lived to the age of ninety-three and was honored due to being Mengfei's mother.

The situation left Mengfei feeling confused. She remembered how her Consort-Mother would say that she couldn't live without Emperor-Father many times. Yet when Emperor-Father died, her Consort-Mother enjoyed being the most honored woman of the Xi Dynasty for decades more.

"Quick, beloved subject and filial grandson, rise." The Emperor laughed before looking at Mengfei and sighing in helplessly. "Fei'er, you're already a mother. Although we and your Consort-Mother don't mind you acting willfully in private, you must remember the rules on official occasions."

Mengfei unknowingly curled her lips.

Willful, her?

Her days back then were saturated with rules to the point that it felt like she was an emotionless doll.

But despite all this, when Mengfei looked at her imperial parents again. She felt a slight resentment and anger, but more than that, she felt peacefulness.

Mengfei knew this was all false. But that didn't mean her muted reaction to seeing her Emperor-Father and Consort-Mother didn't surprise even herself. She watched on with emotionless eyes as her Emperor-Father and Consort-Mother interacted with her current family of three. Occasionally they would ask her opinion or converse with her, only to get muted replies. But none of them minded and seemed used to it.

The Emperor kept Mengfei and the two for lunch. Rather than an Emperor and his subjects, it seemed more like a picture of a harmonious family. When they left, the Emperor bestowed many gifts for them to take home, causing those onlookers to watch in envy at how favored Han Fei and Mengfei were.

The next few days passed with relative normalcy as Mengfei got accustomed to her life in this false world. The experience resembled how she would experience countless different possible lives in her meditation.

When a Transcending Mortality Sage entered the Immortal Realm, he would be in the Pathfinding Immortal Realm. It was then that one truly began to comprehend and seek their own Dao, hence the name.

When one discovered their Dao, they would develop it until it became seamless, hence the Seamless Immortal Realm.

To reach the Immortal Emperor level, they would have to push their Dao to the extreme, hence the Extremity Immortal Realm. But for an Extremity Immortal to reach the next stage, the Origin Immortal Realm, they would need to experience different path lives.

Mengfei had already experienced multiples of such lives. Yet this one was too unique as if all her innermost desires were granted. Despite experiencing such a perfect world, she could not bring herself to truly live within it. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to shatter such a world.

For Mengfei, who had always been decisive, this was an unknown experience for her. A few months passed, and just as Mengfei was about to shatter the false world, a change occurred.

Chapter 84.2: Mengfei SS, Another Life

"Mother, am I handsome?" Han Tianyi spun around to show his attire and asked. In contrast to his usual style of dress, today, he had dressed more grandly. It was a special day after all.

Today Han Tianyi was twenty-years-old, and so he would have his capping ceremony. His clothing was embroidered with golden lotuses near the bottom, making it seem as if he was walking through a field of lotuses.

Mengfei nodded to the Tianyi of this false world.

Ten years had passed in this false world. In a blink of an eye, Tianyi had turned from a bratty ten-year-old to a bratty twenty-year-old. Not that the people of the dynasty would ever be able to see such a side to him, not even Han Fei did, only Mengfei.

Mengfei saw Tianyi's expectant eyes and helplessly opened her mouth. "Are you excited?"

"Of course!" Han Tianyi replied immediately. "I can enter the Imperial Examination. I will awe everyone once I become the Top Thesis Author."

"Don't be too confident. If you let your guard down or blindly believe yourself, you will set yourself up for failure or even worse, death." Mengfei couldn't help but warn. Although it seemed unlikely that Han Tianyi would die within the Xi Dynasty, Mengfei couldn't help but recall her real son, appearing humble yet proud to the extreme.

Han Tianyi was an exalted child with the blood of the heaven family flowing through his veins. In this world where cultivation didn't exist, the Xi Dynasty reigned as the world's greatest power.

"You're right," Han Tianyi nodded after widening his eyes in slight surprise. Be rubbed his face and continued. "Emperor-Grandfather might not give me the position of Top Thesis Author even if I am the best. He might give me the position of Flower Snatcher just based on how beautiful my face is."

Mengfei was struck speechless.

Soon the capping ceremony started with many guests, both from Noble Heritages and Officials, coming to congratulate Mengfei and Han Fei on their outstanding son.

"Princess," Mengfei turned her head to see the Jiang Duchess come forward to greet her. "Salutations on your beloved son's coming of age."

"Many thanks," Mengfei replied, her tone aloof. But the Jiang Duchess didn't mind.

She recalled that the Jiang Duchess had a rather outstanding son, according to rumors. "Is the Jiang Scion not here?"

Jiang Duchess shook her head. "Unfortunately, he is bogged down by official matters. He sends his apologies."

Mengfei nodded and was about to turn away but paused when she spotted the girl behind Jiang Duchess. "Is this your daughter?"

Jiang Duchess blinked in surprise and elation before quickly hiding it. "Indeed, your highness. Daoyi, come up and greet the princess!"

Daoyi was almost precisely the same from Mengfei's memories.

"I greet Mingzhu Princess," Daoyi said with a curtsy, her skin almost luminescent.

The Jiang Duchess felt herself well up with anxiety at the silence of Mengfei.

"Full of talent, as elegant as chrysanthemum and as beautiful as roses," Mengfei said after a long while.

Jiang Duchess stood there stunned, struck silent by the favor of Mengfei. Who in the Xi Dynasty that Mingzhu Princess was the Emperor's most favored child, even above the crown prince? She was the apple of his eye, the pearl in his palm.

Many wanted to shorten the distance and cultivated a relationship with this famous princess. But, she was said to be born upon the cold mountain tops, a magnolia carved from the ice itself. None who attempted succeeded.

Rather than cultivating a friendship, it was more likely to be struck by misfortune if one offended her.

But Mengfei did something she never did in the ten years that she had arrived. She praised someone.

And that someone was her, the Jiang Duchess's daughter.

Within a day, word had already filtered out on how Mengfei had praised Jiang Daoyi. Many people began to speculate on what Mengfei's intent was from those words alone.

Alongside, word of how good Jiang Duchess was at raising children also spread. The son was an official with limitless prospects while the daughter was compared to chrysanthemums and roses.

Even Mengfei herself was not exempt from the ripples.

"Dear, do you like that girl, Jiang Daoyi?" Han Fei asked. The years had been kind to him. Despite a decade passing, the only signs of age were his graying temples.

Mengfei blinked at the word Han Fei asked. Throughout the ten years, Mengfei had not slept in the same room as Han Fei even once. It made her wonder how Tianyi was even born sometimes. But Han Fei showed no dissatisfaction and, instead, treated her even better.

"I feel that she is good," Mengfei said after collecting her thoughts. "The Yi characters in their name are the same. They have fate." The "their" Mengfei said naturally meant Tianyi and Daoyi.

Han Fei only nodded, and Mengfei thought that was the end of it.

Life went on, and Han Tianyi attended the Imperial Examination. Although Han Tianyi carried the blood of the heaven family, he was not of the direct line, so he had to attend the Imperial Examination before becoming an official.

As Mengfei had said, Han Tianyi did not take the position of Top Thesis Author. But as Tianyi had said, he had taken the position of Flower Snatcher.

The reason given was that although Tianyi's thesis was thought-provoking and contained interesting ideas, they were largely untested and showed his inexperience.

Han Tianyi had sulked in his room for three days straight afterward.

But the greatest shock came after that.

"Marriage!?" Mengfei couldn't help but raise her voice. She had already changed her thought process after bringing Daoyi back from the Xi Dynasty ten years ago. She reflected over Tianyi's words and accepted them. To cultivators like them, time would be an abyss. Marriage and companionship were not necessarily something that they needed.

Han Fei showed a surprised expression at Mengfei's shock. "Dear, what's wrong?"

"Why did you suddenly bring out marriage? Why out of the blue?" Mengfei asked. The topic had utterly blindsided her.

"I thought this was your intent." Han Fei said.

Mengfei showed a flabbergasted expression.

Cold sweat began to pour down Han Fei's back. "I mean, you complimented Jiang Daoyi. This is the first time I ever heard you praised someone so much. So I thought that you wanted that girl as your daughter-in-law. I already sent a letter to the Jiang Duke, and they have already agreed. Today is the day we're sending betrothal gifts!"

Mengfei massaged her temples. She did not think that her words at the time would cause such a mess. It was strangely reminiscent of the time she first saw Daoyi. Only this time, it was her notice that made others take action.

By her side, seeing Mengfei's rare moment of frustration, Han Fei began to panic. "If you don't want, I can immediately cancel the betrothal!"

Mengfei sent him an annoyed look. "At this stage, you should have already exchanged the two's eight characters. Canceling at this point will only cause suffering for Daoyi. Does Tianyi know?"

Even if the Daoyi of this world was also false, she had still been Mengfei's student. Causing a black mark against her would cause Mengfei to be uneasy.

"Uhh..." Han Fei paused. "I hadn't told him yet?"

Mengfei barely resisted the urge to fling Han Fei into the sky and left to seek out Tianyi. The saddest part of all this? This was the longest conversation Mengfei and Han Fei had since she came to this world.

"Marriage?" Han Tianyi said with a befuddled look.

Mengfei nodded.

"Do... do you know the girl?" Han Tianyi asked after a moment of deliberation.

"In a way," Mengfei said. Although the Tianyi of this world didn't have his memories of the real world, he acted shockingly similar to the real Tianyi. The same should apply to the Daoyi of this world as well.

"What does mother think of her?" Han Tianyi asked.

"She is a good girl. If you marry her, you won't have any conflicts." This was Mengfei's honest opinion on the union of the two.

Tianyi nodded. "Okay, I'll marry her."

"Are you sure?" Mengfei asked. "Do you not want to choose your own wife?"

"If mother chose her, then it's fine." Han Tianyi said with a smile.

"You're not saying this because you're shy, right?" Mengfei asked suspiciously.

"Ack!"

"I know you're not good at interacting with others. But this is one of your life's biggest moments. I think you should choose for yourself." Mengfei said.

"I just said it's good!" Tianyi huffed, his face slightly flushed.

Mengfei sighed helplessly. Whenever Tianyi became embarrassed about something, he would clam up and hide it by running away or bouts of anger.

In the end, the day of the marriage soon arrived in the spring of next year. The general's manor was decorated with copious amounts of red and festive music could be heard from the outside and inside.

Mengfei and Han Fei sat in the main hall waiting for Han Tianyi and his new bride. Han Tianyi had left the general's manor and went to the duke's manor to bring back Daoyi.

Mengfei felt her heart beat crazily when Han Tianyi returned with Daoyi. An unknown feeling that she could not term welled up within her chest. It was sweet but also slightly bitter.

"Kowtow to the Heaven and Earth!"

Han Tianyi, in his radiant red groom cloth and Daoyi in her brilliant red bridal dress with a red veil covering her head, faced the sky outside and kowtowed.

"Kowtow to the parents!"

Han Tianyi and Daoyi faced Mengfei and Han Fei in the master seat and kowtowed.

"Kowtow to each other!"

And at the final kowtow, Han Tianyi and Daoyi bowed to each other, symbolizing respect for the other.

The bride was sent to the wedding chamber, and the guests kept toasting Mengfei, Han Fei, and Han Tianyi in felicitations. After a certain period of time, the guest retreated, and Tianyi also walked to the wedding chambers.

Knowing it was bad but not being able to help herself, Mengfei released her immortal sense and covered the whole general's manor. She saw Tianyi and Daoyi hook their arms and down the wine in their cups. Tianyi made a face at the bitterness of the wine while Daoyi hummed and enjoyed it.

Mengfei held her hand towards her heart. There was a sense of loss, but this was only one of the many new emotions she would come to experience.

In this false world, she experienced the joy of her child becoming accomplished and regarded as a wise minister at a young age. Her Emperor-Father died and passed the throne to the crown prince, her Emperor-Brother.

At the same time her Emperor-Father died, her Consort-Mother also passed away in grief, unlike in reality. On the day of the funeral, where everyone hung white banners outside of their homes, Mengfei's heart was unnaturally calm as if rust had been scraped off a treasured sword.

It was only now, watching all this that Mengfei realized how small one mortal emperor's life was. An emperor was born holy, but he would one day ruled over millions of mortal like himself. What made him so different? Death would claim him in the end.

It was laughable.

She was an exalted Immortal Empress, yet a mortal Emperor and Consort left such deep shadows in her heart. Perhaps she was the same. She was also no different from mortals. Her emotions were dulled, but she would laugh and cry like the mortals who venerated her.

The world did not stop for the passing of a mere Emperor, no matter how white the capital became.

Her Emperor-Brother was a good Emperor just as she remembered. The only flaw was that, no matter how he tried, he could not have children. All the Imperial Physicians said nothing was wrong with his or the consorts' bodies, but he could not just sire children.

If the Emperor did not have children, then succession would become a problem that would plague the dynasty. So under pressure, the current Emperor had to look at his relatives for an heir.

And against everyone's expectation, he chose Han Tianyi. There were no words to describe the shock and chaos that came afterward. The end result was that Tianyi changed his name from Han to Xi and became the Crown Prince.

Beloved as Han Fei may be, there was no way the Xi Dynasty would allow the name to change from Xi to Han. Han Fei even absconded his position in the aftermath.

Mengfei felt strangely delighted, not because Xi Tianyi would become the next Emperor but because his name changed back to Xi.

"Ridiculous."

Mengfei had uttered those words afterward. Realistic, there was no way an Emperor would take such an action and name the son of a princess to be the next Son of Heaven. Just like everything else in this world, it seemed that reality was bending itself backward to fulfill Mengfei's hidden desires.

But Mengfei didn't hate it. It was an introspection of herself.

Soon, her grandchild was born. It was a plump little thing, even if it was false. Mengfei adored him.

As time passed, Han Fei was the first to pass away after her Emperor-Father perished. Till his dying breath, he had not slept in the same room as Mengfei.

The next to go was her Emperor-Brother, who had not sired an heir till his dying days.

Xi Tianyi took up the throne and ushered in the most prosperous era of the Xi Dynasty. He expanded the borders and almost unified the whole world under the Xi Imperial Family.

Her grandson also grew up with broad shoulders and tall stature. He didn't have the beauty that Tianyi inherited from her, but valorous features from Han Fei.

Mengfei thought he looked perfect as a male.

Time passed as everyone around her aged, Mengfei, stayed eternally youthful. No one thought it strange and accepted it like it was common sense.

Mengfei stayed till Xi Tianyi's last breath.

Tears streamed down her face. The Tianyi of this world was a fake, yet she had developed feelings for this false son. It was something she had not developed when she experienced other lives.

Xi Longyi

Xi Feiyan

Xi Qiuyue

Xi Manlong

They were all possible children that could be born to her in different lifetimes. But only Tianyi was able to make her experience the feelings of motherhood.

The world twist and shattered

"I miss you, Yi'er"

The world ended.

Chapter 85: Dearest Desires

In the Northern Region, seeing that the Immortal Emperors disappeared, the Immortal Monarchs left one after the other. One even wanted to collect Monarch Allroot's corpse but was surprised to find it gone.

"Which bastard stole it while we weren't paying attention? Damn him!"

No matter how angry he was or the others who had the same thought, they all left without the corpse.

Once they were all gone, from the ground, a figure in blue arose. It was a female cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm. She wore a pure black robe that seemed to merge with her long hair, and the most striking feature was the blue iris that replaced her right eye.

She was Hu Landie

A fair distance away, the Spring Autumn Butterfly Larva flew through the air and returned to Hu Landie and crawled into the blue iris. She revealed a satisfied smirk.

"I hadn't expected that the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus that was discovered over a hundred years later would appear this early. Last time, Sword Empress Xi never came to the Northern Regions. What changed?" Hu Landie asked before shaking her head.

"Forget it; my strength is far too weak now. Many things from before I turned back time were unknown to me. Even when I ascended to Immortality, I was hunted down because of my Spring Autumn Butterfly."

Hu Landie appeared young, but she was an old monster with over ten thousand years of memories and experience. In her first life, she had miraculously stumbled upon the tomb of an Immortal that cultivated the Spring Autumn Scripture and devised the Spring Autumn Butterfly.

Word of it leaked, and eventually, she was cornered. When that happened, she decided to gamble and refined her own heart to complete the Spring Autumn Butterfly. Through that, she was able to turn back time to before she had begun cultivating.

Using the advantage of her memories and experiences, she quickly rose through the ranks of the Silk Chrysalis Sect in order to attain a chance to enter the Ruin of the Immortal Court.

She soon left the sect afterward as there were no advantages for her. The Earth Continent would be embroiled in a war soon.

She had then entered Immortal Riverrat's tomb to complete the fragment Spring Autumn Scripture in her possession. The materials he left were useful in cultivating her Spring Autumn Butterfly Larva.

Throughout the years, she had been quietly visited the locations that contained essential resources. Eventually, she stopped by the Northern Region by the Fleeting Mist Sect in order to harvest a part of the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. She had wanted to come back when she became an Immortal to harvest the rest of the lotus, but it seemed that it was released early.

"The flap of a butterfly's wing can cause a hurricane on the other side of the realm." Hu Landie said, recalling the words describing the Spring Autumn Butterfly. She soon left. Her harvest was already considerable, especially the corpse of Monarch Allroot. She could have never imagined such a fortune, not even in her former life.

The scene was atop a mountain. Despite the mountaintop being above the clouds, the ground was still green and filled with blooming flowers. The gentle wind carried the soft clouds like a gentle river.

Zhang Cuiying recognized this scenery. It was a location that she never visited or painted since that battle over a hundred years ago.

She looked at her hands. Her hands were still the same, milky white, and delicate to the point that they seemed to have never held anything. Her sleeves were pale yellow in color, a color she had never worn since he died.

In fact, she had never worn any color other than white since he died.

Why was she here in such a dress?

No, Zhang Cuiying knew. She waited slowly as she watched the noon solar star dipped into the horizon. As dusk began, the scenery was bathed in an orange tint.

"The autumn air is clear,

The autumn moon is bright,

Leaves that have fallen gather and scatter,

Jackdaws roosts and start anew.

Yearning for each other, when shall we meet again?

It is hard to love this night"

The speaker's tone was clear as spring water, and the tone was neither hurried nor slow. It wasn't the most beautiful voice, but the gentle way it was spoken was soothing.

Zhang Cuiying looked towards the sea of clouds to see an Immortal walking towards her. He was robed in light green, and his hair was tied in a top knot. The image of a scholar came up immediately when one looked at him.

His face was above average, but that was par for the norm for Immortals. As a general rule, Immortals were all above average in looks even if they were ordinary or ugly before they started cultivating. But his temperament caused his initial six out of ten looks to become nine out of ten.

"Daopoet..." Zhang Cuiying whispered as if in a trance. Her eyes slightly widened as if in disbelief.

"Ying'er, what's wrong?" The man, Immortal Daopoet, asked with a smile. His eyes were exceptionally gentle as he brushed the stray petals from Zhang Cuiying's hair.

"Are you worried?" Daopoet asked and then lightly laughed. "There's no need. I'm confident in my chances of breaking through into the Seamless Immortal Realm and becoming one of the Buzhou Immortal Sect's Monarch Elders. Rather than worrying about me, it would best if you thought for yourself more. You should have arrived at the Seamless Immortal Realm earlier than me, but you delayed your progress because you were worried. Ying'er, I'm no longer the hairy brat from all those years ago."

Unable to control herself, tears began to leak from Zhang Cuiying's eyes like little pearls. But she didn't close her eyes or wipe them; she kept them open as if to take in everything before her.

"Senior sister!?" Daopoet's voice slightly cracked at the unexpected sight of Zhang Cuiying crying. His calm and collected senior sister, the one who wasn't fazed fighting a Transcending Mortality Sage as a Unity Realm Venerable, the fearless senior sister that protected him from the bullying of the other disciples due to his weak self, the senior sister who would only look at him with disappointed eyes, was now crying before him!

"Did I say something wrong!?" Daopoet's scholarly air completely disappeared as he waved his hand in panic. "Senior sister, I'm sorry I won't do it again. Please just stop crying, I'll change! Umm, I won't dare to trick you anymore! Is it because I snuck a peek at you when you were bathing a year ago!? I apologize!"

Time seemed to have frozen as Zhang Cuiying's tears stopped, and her eyes widened with disbelief at Daopoet.

Daopoet, in contrast, was staring at Zhang Cuiying with his knees buckling with an expression as if expression, "Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?"

Zhang Cuiying slowly broke out of her stupor before giving Immortal Daopoet a truly stunning smile that would make the mountaintop flowers hide away in shame.

Daopoet stood there, stunned at the rarely seen smile from Zhang Cuiying. Slowly, a smile crept upon his face. Before he doubled over in pain with Zhang Cuiying's fist embedded in his stomach.

"You little pervert. I thought you changed from your old habits; it just turned out you learned how to hide them better!!!" Zhang Cuiying growled out through gritted teeth.

Daopoet protected his head with both his arms, expecting his noggin to be struck whenever he made Zhang Cuiying angry. But to his surprise, cool fingers pinched his chin and forced him to face up.

"Senior sis-ompffff!!!" Immortal Daopoet's eyes widened like saucers when he felt something hot clash against his lips. His mind stopped working when he realized that his distant senior sister was kissing him!!!

"Huwah?" Daopoet made an incomprehensible noise when the two's lips separated. A goofy grin appeared on his face as he slowly slipped out of his stupor. "Ehehe..."

Zhang Cuiying smiled helplessly. "Even if this is an illusion and a fake, you can't help but be stupid."

She shook her head in exasperation. "But in the end, a fake is still a fake no matter how I wish it isn't. Break for me!"

The world stopped, and all noise ceased. As if the color was being sucked away, the world gradually lost its color except for Zhang Cuiying. Like this, the illusionary world shattered.

When Zhang Cuiying returned to her senses, she discovered she was on a bed naked with only a blanket covering her.

"Ying'er! Let's get married!" The door to the room burst open, and an exuberant Daopoet walked in. Outside there were a lot of servants who were shocked and peaking in.

Zhang Cuiying felt her lips twitched and, through gritted teeth, said. "EM-PER-OR SOUL-FISH!!!!!"

The Cloud Goddess looked at her surrounding. She was currently kneeling at a mountaintop. But the area surrounding the mountain didn't have any land but colorless space. It was a mountain that existed only in the Vast Void.

In front of her was a man handsome and dignified. He exuded an aura that made him seem like a celestial emperor. He wore jade green dragon robes with golden five-clawed dragon and lotus embroidery. A jade coronet tied a portion of his long black hair.

She remembered this scene. The man before her was like a deity to her of the time, a mere Immortal Monarch who was unable to ascend to the Immortal Emperor level.

"Once you take this step, there will be no chance for regrets." The man said, his voice a conglomeration of numerous voices. It was like a thousand people speaking at once and in the exact same way.

She felt herself nod. "If I do not take this chance, I will regret it for the rest of my days."

The celestial emperor nodded. "Very well, although you will be the weakest of the weak, you will be a divinity."

The Cloud Goddess gained a nostalgiac look in her eyes as her body kowtowed out of her control, but she felt her body stiffened when she heard the next words.

"Even when you start your own force, remember to remain loyal. Do not think of using Monarch Yonderheart's death as a way to break free. We can make you a divinity. Naturally, we can drag you down to a mere mortal as well."

The Cloud Goddess felt cold sweat on her back. Those words back then! Did the man before her predict that she would fall to Emperor Soulfish's attack over a million years ago!?

Eternal Night Emperor was standing with his hands behind his back atop the clouds. Below him, an immortal city was bustling with life. Even the street hawkers were at least in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

There was joy, and there was sadness in his eyes.

All the city citizens wore a variety of clothing; there was not even a hint of uniformity. But more than half of the people had a badge with twelve symbols upon it.

"So that little fellow's attack is so sinister. Bringing us into an illusionary realm that creates our dearest wish based on our memories. In terms of understanding the heart, I'm afraid there is no one more proficient than he. But so what? In the end, a fake is still a fake."

Like with Zhang Cuiying, the world started to lose all color before shattering. But unlike her, another world didn't replace the illusionary world, and he was outside of Emperor Soulfish's technique.

Emperor Soulfish, naturally, had already escaped by this time. He looked around to see that the Cloud Goddess was already out to his surprise. Although she was an Immortal Emperor level expert, that was mostly due to her divine energy and not the power of her Dao. So it was a surprise that she was out before him.

But he saw that her face wasn't right and stayed silent.

It didn't take long for Zhang Cuiying to appear; her face wasn't right either. And Eternal Night Monarch carefully stayed silent around these two women.

A good man doesn't fight with women; Eternal Night Emperor stroked his beard and thought this.

Strangely, no matter how long they waited, Mengfei didn't come out. Although young, her strength should be on the higher end in the group of four.

In the end, although her Dao is strong, her heart needs more tempering. Thinking about it, it is already amazing that she is an Immortal Emperor at only a thousand years old.

"Empress Voidink, please excuse me for not being able to accompany you any longer. Emperor Soulfish has already fled with the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus. As such, I will return to the sect. I cannot hope to be away from the sect for too long. I'm sure you understand." Eternal Night Emperor said.

"I will not delay you." Zhang Cuiying agreed but added. "However, if that Devil were to reappear, can I trust you to lend aid?"

Eternal Night Emperor paused as he studied Zhang Cuiying. They originally teamed up because they wanted to prevent the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus from being stolen, but it seemed that Zhang Cuiying had a grudge against Emperor Soulfish? Was it perhaps related to his technique. Nonetheless, he didn't peer deeper into the issue. "If there is a chance, this Immortal will aid Empress Voidink."

The Cloud Goddess also left with Eternal Night Emperor gone.

With them gone, Zhang Cuiying waited for Mengfei to return. Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. Just as she was preparing to return to the sect and have some illusion specialists come, Mengfei reappeared.

Zhang Cuiying paused and observed the newly emerged Mengfei. Mengfei didn't have the indolent air to her when Zhang Cuiying first came to the Northern Region. Rather she seemed to have regressed to her previous state of emotion.

Mengfei's face was blank like before, but Zhang Cuiying felt that something had changed. Even the air around her seemed to have evolved.

"Elder Zhang, do you know what specialties the Northern Region have?"

Zhang Cuiying gave a bewildered look in response. Mengfei, seeing her confusion, elaborated.

"I should buy some souvenirs for Yi'er. Because of the appearance of the Sovereign Nine Yin Lotus, he didn't get a chance to go out much. I should buy some gifts to console him."

Zhang Cuiying had only one response to this.

"Haa?"

Just what did Mengfei experience to change her like this!?