Chapter 880 Madly Training the Empress

Xu Xiongda and Gongyang Yunlan’s duel did not have to be delayed for days; it was scheduled for the very next morning. The location of the decisive battle was set ten miles outside the Imperial City. Naturally, the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s Flying Celestial Ship and its accompanying Cultivators would also have to retreat ten miles back.

This battlefield seemed fair on the surface, but the Dubhe Divine Domain clearly held a significant advantage. The Imperial City was the Divine Domain’s headquarters, after all. Setting aside the fact that a Divine Object like the Heaven-Flipping Seal was housed within it, there was no telling what other trump cards they might be hiding.

However, Xu Xiongda cared nothing for these disadvantages; he simply wanted to take down Gongyang Yunlan as quickly as possible. According to him, once he captured her—provided she was spicy enough—he might just have his way with her right on the spot.

Saying such things was akin to popping the champagne early, completely disregarding the Heaven-Flipping Seal’s Divine Skill, Time Reversal.

Seeing Xu Xiongda underestimate the enemy to such an extent, Zou Feng felt it was highly inappropriate but couldn’t say much. After all, if even the Supreme Elder couldn’t talk sense into Xu Xiongda, why should he ask for a snub?

Meanwhile, in the Divine Domain Imperial City, the great hall retained its chilling, solemn aura. However, compared to the previous court session, the number of officials and Royal Family members present had dwindled by half. This made the entire hall feel much emptier, exuding an almost desolate atmosphere.

There was no helping it. When the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect invaded, Gongyang Yunlan had firmly advocated for fighting back, having fully prepared a strategy to strike at the enemy’s leaders first. Yet, the enemy’s speed in capturing territories far exceeded the Royal Family’s estimates. In just a matter of days, numerous experts had fallen, and the invading forces had pushed right to the doorstep of the Imperial City. Caught off guard, Gongyang Yunlan’s carefully laid plans were entirely ruined.

Left with no other choice, she abandoned her schemes and hastily issued a challenge to Xu Xiongda. With the Heaven-Flipping Seal in her possession, she reasoned there was absolutely no way she could lose twice in a row.

The Heaven-Flipping Seal’s Divine Skills went far beyond a simple Time Reversal. After Time Reversal was activated, everyone’s memories of what had just transpired would vanish entirely. However, those under the seal’s protection would retain their memories. Because her memories would not be erased, Gongyang Yunlan felt confident that victory was guaranteed.

The advantage was simply too massive. She would remember the details of their previous clash and know all of Xu Xiongda’s tricks, whereas Xu Xiongda wouldn’t remember using any of his Divine Skills—everything would be reset to zero for him. With such an edge, how could she possibly lose?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Old Thief Xu has indeed accepted the challenge!" A heavily armored military officer personally delivered the news into the hall.

Hearing this, Gongyang Yunlan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She had been afraid that Xu Xiongda would refuse. Fortunately, the man was just as arrogant as the rumors claimed, never turning down a challenge even when it was completely unnecessary for him to accept.

"Excellent. Tomorrow, I will claim Xu Xiongda’s wretched head to pay tribute to the Right Minister and the other fallen soldiers!" As she spoke, Gongyang Yunlan glanced at the spot where the Right Minister usually stood.

The space was completely empty. The Right Minister, who had originally opposed the battle and advocated for a retreat, inevitably ended up fighting to the bitter end on the front lines once the war began. Unfortunately, his Luck was terrible, and he ran straight into Xu Xiongda’s unit. No one had clearly seen the exact details of their clash; by the time the Right Minister reappeared before everyone, his body had been blasted in half.

His upper half still bore his dying expression—surprisingly, a look filled with deep regret for failing to entertain Xu Xiongda enough. Conversely, when Xu Xiongda reappeared, his face was full of disdain; he clearly hadn’t enjoyed himself either.

Although Gongyang Yunlan had harbored many grievances toward the Right Minister, his actual death left her feeling unsettled. If he were still alive right now, he would undoubtedly be nagging her endlessly about her decision to duel Xu Xiongda.

Retracting her gaze, Gongyang Yunlan looked around the hall. Many familiar faces were now missing. A moment later, she reined in her melancholy emotions and waved her hand to dismiss the court. She needed to make her final preparations for tomorrow’s battle. As long as she killed Xu Xiongda, the remaining members of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect in the Dubhe Divine Domain would no longer pose a threat.

Pondering all these matters, Gongyang Yunlan was just about to walk down the steps when she inexplicably stumbled. With her Cultivation, such a clumsy misstep should absolutely never have happened, even if she was momentarily distracted.

"Your Majesty?!"

The Wuxiang Emperor was not present, so the first person to rush to her side was the Left Minister, Gongyang Tianrou. Originally an outsider to the clan, Gongyang Tianrou possessed exceptional Talent and had achieved illustrious military merits, which earned her the bestowed surname of Gongyang and the position of the Divine Domain’s Left Minister.

In terms of appearance alone, Gongyang Tianrou looked even younger than Gongyang Yunlan. With a round face and large eyes, she wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but she was extremely cute. If Zou Feng were to see her, he would likely slap an "adorkable" label on her.

"I’m fine!

"Just the thought of claiming Old Thief Xu’s head makes me uncontrollably excited..."

Gongyang Yunlan steadied herself, quickly shaking off the faint, ominous premonition rising in her heart, and gave what she believed to be the most reasonable excuse.

Meanwhile, Zou Feng—the very culprit who had nearly caused Gongyang Yunlan to faceplant in the Jinluan Hall—was naturally engaged in "diligent" Cultivation. Even though Gongyang Yunlan hadn’t directed any murderous intent at him specifically and therefore hadn’t automatically appeared on his list, Zou Feng had gone ahead and written her name onto it himself. However, while she was on the list, figuring out exactly how to discipline Gongyang Yunlan remained a major dilemma.