This Empress

"Thyself to service..." Elder Xia repeated, somehow, he did remember this principle.

But, Qiaolian did not want to dwell on their conversation. She released a deep sigh and casually waved her hand, "Elder, it's in the past now. There is no more Zhou Clan in this world. T-This Hex Mile of Tears... I think I can manage to conceal my inner force for a day and explore the Open Sea. But, if you open a dimensional space to their territory, how can I return to this region after?"

"Lady Zhou... D-Don't be offended but, Huan Xue had mentioned to me about your elixir field. You have lost it? Even if your inner force is formidable, you may not be able to rely on your inner core for long. If some accidents happen..." Elder Xia purposely trailed his words and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"Master Huan mentioned my elixir field? I--- Qiaolian is lucky that Master Huan picked me as his cultivation partner. Naturally, I will do everything I can to help him. I won't let Master Huan down. Just tell me how to return to this region, Elder. I have a way to conceal my inner force and maintain my breathing underwater."

Elder Xia cast a concerned look on Qiaolian and slightly chuckled, "Lady Zhou is really worthy of her fame. Even if I can't sense your elixir field, I know there is something profound within you. Since you are confident to visit the open sea... Then, I will give you this vine. I've infused a dimensional method inside here... and it will directly tear up the space in Huan Xue's Ningjing Mansion. If you are in danger, just burn this vine to activate it."

"Oh... This is convenient... Infusing dimensional method... Elder Xia is also worthy of his name," Qiaolian replied and accepted the vine. When the vine touched her palm, she was startled by its extreme coldness. "Thank you, Elder."

"Ahh... just a trick not worthy of mentioning. Hehe, Lady Zhou, when do you plan to enter the Open Sea? Do you need to prepare?"

"Ahh... Maybe my appearance? Ohh... no need, I'll use Illusion," Qiaolian spoke, and in just a blink of an eye her entire ordinary garments shrunk to fit every curve of her body, revealing a very extremely attractive figure. Under the light of the moon, she was beyond stunning. A peerless beauty!

Elder Xia subconsciously shifted his line of vision in the sky, counting the stars in his mind. He was too stunned by the illusion. Why is he affected by her technique? Only Qiaolian could possibly answer his confusion. But he does not dare ask such a question.

"S-Shall I open the underwater dimension, Lady Zhou?" Elder Xia asked and closed his eyes again.

"Yes."

Elder Xia paused channeling his inner force on the crimson vines. He raised his hands above his head and a dark green slowly cracked in the air. The crack gradually opened until it formed the size of a door.

"Please be careful, Lady Zhou," Elder Xia mumbled. Qiaolian simply gave him a nod before her figure entered the crack.

The opening of this dimension did not last for a minute. After a while, it automatically closed. Elder Xia put his hand down and returned his attention to the crimson vines.

On the other side, Qiaolian had arrived on a rather desolate seafloor. Nothing could be seen in the entire place other than the wide deep blue color of the entire place.

"Did Elder Xia make a mistake? Why is this place so empty? Where are the sea monsters and their harem king?" she muttered and started walking below. Her figure appeared blurry and there was a faint black aura around her body to conceal her inner force.

"This place does not look like an empire at all. Is this really the territory of the Open Sea?" Qiaolian started to complain but maintained a steady pace of walking around the place.

Unbeknownst to her, there was actually a tiny bubble that had been following her feet. If seen closer, this tiny bubble actually looked like an eye of a fish.

When minutes passed and turned into half an hour, Qiaolian's patience seemed to have reached its end. "If they are purposely hiding, then, there is really no way for me to see them. Hehe... These sea monsters are indeed good at the melody of manipulation. Very good!"

Only after a certain amount of time did Qiaolian realize that there were bubble sounds that constantly followed her ears. And the sound was completely harmonious that she now reflected it as a tune. There was a technique of resonance around her!

'I should have known this! How can I forget that these beings were good at manipulation!' Qiaolian thought and abruptly stopped walking. The entire desolate space was but an illusion!

"Since you managed to trick me this long... I will take a guess. Are you the Empress of the Open Sea?" Qiaolian asked calmly. But, nothing responded. "Heh! Could it be that you are an impostor of me?"

Out of a sudden, the subtle sound of bubbles slowly became very rapid until a peal of soft laughter could be heard around the deep blue surroundings. Instead of sounding seductive, this laughter brought an eerie vibe.

"Ha-ha-haha... impostor? Ha-ha-haha..."

Qiaolian listened for a few seconds and clenched her palm tightly. Out of a sudden, a small curl formed on her lips. Then, she laughed...

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

This time, her laughter completely resonated with the entire sea too. The water quickly shifted and the current swirled around. Qiaolian continued to laugh, louder and louder...

But, it was not just a simple wild laugh. She was removing the tunes that she had heard in her mind by using her own laughter.

Not long after, the deep blue, desolate space, slowly revealed a wide city of grand infrastructure.

"Ohhhh? This uninvited guest is proficient in using Tune of Chaos!" a female voice stated.

But, Qiaolian could not see anyone around her. She lowered her gaze and realized that there was a strange bubble floating just next to her right ankle.

"The open sea has a lot of methods indeed. What a pity... your techniques are only copied from my ability. Hehe," Qiaolian chuckled and scoped the bubble. She examined the side and stared at it for a while. "You can see me... Yet, you won't pay respect to this empress? How insolent!"