Chapter 1828: Leaving You Nowhere to Stand!

Nine-layered Dragon Cloud Middle Domain, Emperor Canglong Palace!

In the Emperor Canglong Palace, there were many magnificent palaces, among which the place where Empress Lu Qinwan resided was called Phoenix Palace, matching her status quite well.

However, today the atmosphere within the Phoenix Palace seemed somewhat unusual. Lu Qinwan, seated on the Phoenix Chair, held a letter in her hand, her expression flickering between light and shadow, appearing somewhat conflicted.

"I never expected that in just a bit over a year, Yun Xiao would have grown to such a level!"

Holding the letter in her hand, Lu Qinwan murmured, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger, but the touch of coldness was utterly undisguised, especially when mentioning a particular name.

The letter in Lu Qinwan’s hand was sent back from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud North Domain, delivered by her treasured disciple Xue Qi. It recorded everything that happened within the Murong Tomb.

Regarding Yun Xiao’s obliteration of numerous elders from the Emperor Palace, given Lu Qinwan’s status, she naturally did not take it too seriously. However, that boy named Yun Xiao had actually managed to defeat Xue Qi, who was at the early stage of the Hua Xuan Realm.

This was a flying letter sent to the Emperor Canglong Palace by Xue Qi after escaping from the Murong Tomb, once again bringing Yun Xiao’s name into Lu Qinwan’s focus.

This unparalleled woman, already the Empress of Canglong, had never known that the boy named Yun Xiao was the reincarnation of the Long Xiao Battle God; she merely thought he was Xue Qi’s sworn brother from back then.

And back when they were at the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain on the Tenglong Continent, Lu Qinwan’s clone projection was almost scattered by Yun Xiao. From that time on, she had an impression of Yun Xiao.

But it was merely an impression back then. A Yun Xiao who was only in the Lingyun Realm, muddling along the Tenglong Continent, could not possibly attract the attention of a Supreme Saint Realm Peak expert like Lu Qinwan.

Yet just over a year later, the name Yun Xiao once again entered Lu Qinwan’s sights, and he had even defeated her treasured disciple who had broken through to the early stage of the Hua Xuan Realm.

Such cultivation talent and such ability to fight beyond his level made Lu Qinwan pay more attention to Yun Xiao, for she considered Xue Qi to be among the top tier of geniuses.

"According to the message Xiaoxue sent, it has been about ten days, right? An Sou shouldn’t disappoint us!"

This matter held only slight importance in Lu Qinwan’s heart, but she recalled something and felt at ease. That An Sou was the one she sent to protect Xue Qi.

Since Xue Qi was defeated, An Sou would definitely not allow Yun Xiao to enjoy his freedom. With his peak Hua Xuan Realm strength, he was likely unmatched within the bounds of Murong City in the Northern Domain.

An Sou was a house slave Lu Qinwan brought from the Lu Family. She was well aware that this house slave was far from comparable to the former Ma Nu, known for his cautious actions and extraordinary strength, unlikely to blunder in any way.

Click, click, click...

As Lu Qinwan waited for good news, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly approached from outside the hall, causing her to slightly frown, thinking how these servants were becoming increasingly unable to hold their composure.

"What is it?"

Seeing the one entering the hall was the steward in charge of the Spiritual Tablet Hall of Phoenix Palace, Lu Qinwan felt a trace of unease arise within her heart, so she did not scold him but instead asked in a deep voice.

It seemed Lu Qinwan recalled the situation when Ma Nu died on the Tenglong Continent, didn’t this guy bring forward the shattered soul token of Ma Nu, causing her such fury back then?

"Empress, An Sou’s soul token... is broken!"

Hearing the Empress’s tone was a bit off, the steward dared not delay, but as he spoke, his voice trembled slightly, because he knew An Sou to be this Empress’s most loyal house slave.

In the barely a hundred years since Lu Qinwan became the Empress of Canglong, she had naturally amassed many subordinates in this vast Emperor Canglong Palace, but the most capable were the few house slaves who followed her from the Lu Family.

The former Ma Nu was one, and An Sou was naturally another. Moreover, in comparison to Ma Nu, who was only in the Heavenly Rank Third Realm, the weight of An Sou was far more significant.

This loyal house slave, who reached the peak of the Hua Xuan Realm and was so competent, was something Lu Qinwan used with ease. Yet, she hadn’t expected that by merely sending him to protect Xue Qi, he would again perish outside.

Though the steward’s voice quivered, he didn’t dare to slacken. As soon as he finished speaking, he extended his right hand, revealing several black soul token fragments in his outstretched palm.

"It’s really An Sou!"

Upon seeing the "Sou" character split open, Lu Qinwan had no doubts, not to mention from this piece of the soul token, she sensed a familiar aura.

"Yun Xiao! Yun Xiao!"

Fixing her gaze on the shattered soul token of An Sou, Lu Qinwan felt an extreme anger she hadn’t experienced in many years rising once more. That name almost seemed to squeeze out from between her teeth.

"Yun Xiao? Who is that?"

The steward of the Soul Token Hall, who dared not make a sound, looked blank upon hearing the name Yun Xiao; the name was utterly unfamiliar to him.

But how could someone who made the Empress grit her teeth be a nobody? Why hadn’t he heard of this person before?

How could this steward know that the Yun Xiao mentioned by the Empress was just an ant from the Upper Realm of the Tenglong Continent of the Central Three Realms, who hadn’t even broken through to the Holy Rank Third Realm?

"Didn’t Xue Qi’s message say that the kid only had cultivation at the Heavenly Realm Late Stage? How could he possibly kill An Sou?"

After all, Lu Qinwan was a super expert at the peak of the Supreme Saint Realm. After her brief lapse, her mind settled, and upon glancing at the message in her hand again, she noticed something amiss.

"Yun Xiao? Murong Tomb? Could it be that Murong Sou, the remnant of the Murong family?"

Lu Qinwan’s mind worked incredibly fast, and in almost an instant, she guessed the truth with great accuracy, for she couldn’t think of any other reason besides this.

In those days, Lu Qinwan personally annihilated the Murong family, even killing the Murong Family Patriarch with a single strike. All that was left was Murong Sou, who had been expelled from the family long ago for drinking excessively outside.

Since she wanted to deal with the Murong family, Lu Qinwan naturally researched which experts the Murong family had. Given her strength and status, she only needed to know about those reaching the Supreme Saint Realm.

Among them was undoubtedly Murong Sou. In those days, Lu Qinwan went to great lengths to find the elusive Murong Sou, but she never did, which remained a sore point for her.

"The emergence of the Murong Tomb, Murong Sou resurfacing near Murong City, it seems the Murong family is showing signs of a resurgence!"

Lu Qinwan thought a lot about this. Eventually, a sneer appeared on her face, one of disdain mixed with an unusual mockery.

"Hmph, even the then-flourishing Murong family was destroyed by me. What can these small fry do now?"

This might be Lu Qinwan’s extreme confidence. No matter how strong Murong Sou becomes or whatever valuable item he obtained from the Murong Tomb, his cultivation couldn’t surpass the former Murong Family Patriarch, could it?

Even that level of expert was wiped out by Lu Qinwan single-handedly. To her, Murong Sou’s appearance was but a minor inconvenience; should he dare appear, he’d surely be captured effortlessly.

"Issue my order: search the entire continent for a kid named Yun Xiao. There will be a great reward for whoever captures him alive!"

For some reason, Lu Qinwan found herself more intrigued with Yun Xiao than the Supreme Saint Realm expert Murong Sou. After a moment’s contemplation, she issued this command.

"Yes, Empress!"

Upon hearing this, the steward of the Soul Token Hall immediately carried out the order, secretly wondering who this Yun Xiao was to warrant such attention from the Empress.

Though there was suppressed anger in the Empress’s tone, the steward felt that anyone so important to be ordered hunted by the Empress, even if captured and killed, would still be an honor.

"Yun Xiao, I’ll ensure you have no place to stand in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud!"

Watching the steward’s retreating figure, Lu Qinwan murmured to herself, perhaps out of concern for her precious disciple or for other reasons.

"Hehe, it’s been a while since I’ve seen my Xiaowan so angry!"

Just as Lu Qinwan was feeling somewhat vexed, a familiar voice rang from the palace entrance, instantly dispelling her unpleasant mood because she knew who had arrived.

"Your Majesty!"

In Lu Qinwan’s respectful tone, a majestic figure strode in confidently—it was the true sovereign of the Emperor Canglong Palace, known as Emperor Canglong, the strongest being of Dragon Cloud.

Emperor Canglong seemed to be surrounded by an aura that naturally made others feel inferior, yet the owner of Phoenix Palace, Lu Qinwan, was an exception.

"Xiaowan, I heard you mention the name Yun Xiao just now; could it be Xiaoxue’s childhood crush?"

In front of Lu Qinwan, Emperor Canglong withheld the majesty belonging to a palace sovereign, casually inquiring as if making small talk, suggesting that he had also heard of the name.

It seemed that Lu Qinwan treated Xue Qi as her most important disciple, and even Emperor Canglong placed some emphasis on her. He knew about the time when Xue Qi descended to the Tenglong Continent and ended up in a mess.

"Indeed! This time, Xiaoxue failed again, and even An Sou mysteriously died in Murong City!"

A glint flashed in Lu Qinwan’s eyes, and upon hearing this, Emperor Canglong gently patted her shoulder. As her current husband, he knew what An Sou meant to her.