Volume 1, Chapter 135 – The Empress’s Test

Just as Empress Lingshuang decided to travel to the Southern Region in person!

Deep within the imperial palace of the Qingxuan Imperial Dynasty in the Eastern Region, Empress Qingxuan toyed with the Profound Heart Bracelet around her wrist, an amused smile gracing her breathtaking face.

She recalled the information Luoshui had sent back, describing the waves Gu Han had stirred up in the Southern Region.

“Yaochi Empress… Not a bad title, but…”

Empress Qingxuan chuckled to herself, a mischievous gleam flashing in her eyes.

“But when that ice-faced woman hears that title, she definitely won’t be able to sit still!”

Still, that might be for the best.

She wanted to see how Gu Han would handle it.

Though they had met only once, Gu Han had left an extraordinarily deep impression on her.

Powerful and mysterious, yet at certain moments, she displayed reactions that bordered on innocence.

Across the entire continent, the only person Empress Qingxuan had ever found mysterious was the Sovereign Longteng of the Central Province.

And now there was another…

The corners of Empress Qingxuan’s lips curved upward as an idea suddenly occurred to her.

She raised a hand, picked up the Linked Hearts Slip beside her, and infused it with a wisp of divine sense.

Yaochi Immortal Palace, main hall.

Gu Han was sitting on a cloud couch with her eyes closed, cultivating, when the jade box on the cloud table beside her suddenly trembled faintly.

Gu Han’s lashes fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes, a hint of helplessness passing through them.

The instant she opened the jade box and touched the Linked Hearts Slip with her divine sense, Empress Qingxuan’s languid, laughing voice, tinged with alluring softness, rang directly through her sea of consciousness.

“Little Sister Gu, have you been well?”

“What is it?”

Gu Han’s answer was terse, her tone flat, though a careful listener might have caught the faintest trace of resignation.

“Can’t I chat with my little sister even if I don’t need anything?”

Laughter colored Empress Qingxuan’s voice.

“I hear the Southern Region has been quite lively lately. The name of the Yaochi Empress is already resounding in every direction. Congratulations, Little Sister.”

“It’s only an empty title.”

Rеαⅾ оո ΚаtRеaⅾiոɡСafе

Gu Han’s reply was indifferent.

“But what exactly were you trying to do by sending Luoshui to deliver those bracelets?”

“Bracelets?”

Empress Qingxuan gave a soft laugh.

“Those Linked Hearts Bracelets came from the Xuanhuang Continent, and they’re rare quasi-Imperial Armaments.”

“I had to destroy an ancient sect over there to obtain those treasures.”

“Now that I’ve taken a liking to Little Sister, what’s wrong with giving you one?”

“As for what I’m trying to do…”

She paused, lowering her voice until it carried a barely perceptible, seductive undertone.

“What does Little Sister Gu think I want to do to you?”

Gu Han: “…”

She drew a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, and abruptly changed the subject.

“Is someone coming to find me?”

“Oh? Little Sister is surprisingly well informed.”

Empress Qingxuan sounded mildly surprised.

“That’s right. My guess is that the first to visit you will be that ice-faced woman in the north.”

Her voice carried a touch of schadenfreude.

“That woman is arrogant, ill-tempered, and always itching to pick a fight. She’ll definitely come looking for you.”

“But given Little Sister’s strength, I doubt you have anything to fear from her.”

Gu Han listened to her barrage of complaints in silence for a moment before suddenly asking:

“Do you have a grudge against Empress Lingshuang?”

“I wouldn’t call it a grudge. We simply can’t stand each other.”

Empress Qingxuan chuckled.

“We’ve fought for more than ten thousand years, yet neither of us has ever been able to do anything to the other. It’s terribly dull.”

“Now that Little Sister Gu has appeared, this stagnant pool has finally begun to stir.”

Rеαⅾ on KаtRеaⅾiոgСаfе

Then she changed tack.

“But don’t worry, Little Sister. If the two of you really start fighting, I will most certainly take your side.”

“After all…”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice dropped lower, carrying a note of deeper meaning.

“You’re the first person who ever dared to hit me!”

The tips of Gu Han’s ears grew warm at her words, and she immediately changed the subject again.

“You’re already at mid-stage Immortal Ascension, while Empress Lingshuang is only at early-stage Immortal Ascension. Don’t tell me… you still can’t defeat her?”

The question was blunt and even carried a trace of probing curiosity.

On the other end of the Linked Hearts Slip, Empress Qingxuan faltered slightly. She clearly had not expected Gu Han to ask such a basic question.

But during their last conversation, she had already noticed signs that Gu Han was not a native of this world, so perhaps it was only natural that she did not understand.

“Little Sister Gu truly is special.”

The amusement remained in her voice, but it was now tempered by a measure of seriousness.

“When those at the Immortal Ascension realm truly fight without holding back, the deciding factor is rarely whose cultivation is higher.”

“First, it depends on one’s mastery of the Great Dao laws and the depth of one’s comprehension.”

“Though I am one minor realm above her, her accomplishments in the Great Dao of Ice are already close to the pinnacle.”

“When she mobilizes the laws of ice within this world, her efficiency and power may not be inferior to mine when I mobilize other laws.”

“Second, it depends on the legacy of one’s cultivation technique and the depth of one’s divine abilities.”

“At our level, every cultivation technique we practice is a closely guarded secret, each with its own profundities.”

“Neither her cultivation technique nor mine is superior to the other. It comes down to who can wield theirs more skillfully and counter the other more effectively.”

“Third, and equally crucial, are artifacts.”

Empress Qingxuan drew out the words slightly, a faint note of emotion slipping into her voice.

“A powerful artifact is enough to turn the tide of battle.”

“That woman possesses a Flowing Frost Sword, a heaven-rank supreme-grade divine weapon perfectly suited to her cultivation technique. Its power is unfathomable.”

“As for me…”

Rеаd on КatRеаdiոɡСαfе

She gave a soft laugh, her tone candid.

“In the past, I truly did not possess an offensive treasure that suited me perfectly and could fully unleash my strength.”

“Whenever I fought her, I was always at a slight disadvantage in terms of artifacts. So despite my higher realm, I could never establish an overwhelming advantage. Our battles usually ended in draws.”

Gu Han listened quietly, feeling secretly relieved.

At the same time, she finally understood why the System had shielded her from other people’s perception back then.

So that was the reason.

At the time, she had possessed cultivation but no cultivation technique and no artifacts.

If she had acted too ostentatiously back then, these Immortal Ascension experts would probably have beaten her like a dog long ago.

“However…”

Empress Qingxuan changed tack once more, that languid amusement returning to her voice.

“Things are different now.”

“Because…”

Empress Qingxuan lowered her voice as though sharing a secret meant for the two of them alone.

“I also brought back an artifact from the Xuanhuang Continent that is no weaker than a quasi-immortal artifact.”

“So if I fight that ice-faced woman again, your big sister’s chances of winning will be much greater.”

Gu Han was slightly taken aback. She had not expected Empress Qingxuan to dare reveal even such a secret to her.

Just how much did she trust her?

Was she not afraid Gu Han might covet her artifact?

Or was she testing her?

Whatever the case, Gu Han did not care.

After all, she possessed two genuine quasi-immortal artifacts. She had no reason whatsoever to covet Empress Qingxuan’s artifact.

“That has nothing to do with me.”

Gu Han gave a stiff reply, trying to shut down the subject.

“If there’s nothing else, I need to cultivate.”

On the other end of the Linked Hearts Slip, countless thoughts raced through Empress Qingxuan’s mind. Through the bracelet, she could clearly sense that Gu Han’s heartbeat remained perfectly steady.

Rеad οn КαtReαⅾiոgСаfе

Given who she was, she instantly understood everything.

According to the information Luoshui had sent back, that mysterious bell was probably no weaker than the artifact in her possession, and might even be stronger!

Otherwise, Gu Han could never have remained so calm!

“Why the hurry?”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice came through once more.

“Little Sister still hasn’t told me what you plan to do if Lingshuang truly comes knocking. Will you fight, or…?”

“If she comes with courtesy, I will naturally treat her with courtesy.”

Gu Han’s voice regained its cool composure, carrying an unquestionable calm.

“If she seeks a battle, then we shall fight!”

Her words were spoken evenly, yet they carried an awe-inspiring force of their own.

Empress Qingxuan fell silent for a moment. Then an even more delighted laugh came through.

“Good. Now that’s the Gu Han I know.”

Her voice softened, losing some of its teasing and gaining a touch of sincerity.

“Don’t worry, Little Sister. If she truly causes trouble, I won’t stand by and do nothing. After all…”

She lowered her voice again, infusing it with an intimacy and possessiveness only the two of them could understand.

“You’re the one I have my eye on.”

With those words, the connection through the Linked Hearts Slip quietly ended.

Gu Han sat on the cloud couch, holding the faintly warm jade slip, and did not move for a long while.

Empress Qingxuan’s final words, and the way she had said them…

Gu Han shook her head, returned the Linked Hearts Slip to the jade box, and lowered her gaze to the Profound Heart Bracelet around her left wrist.

The bracelet was smooth and warm, pale azure light flowing across its surface.

Empress Lingshuang… was coming?

There was no trace of fear in Gu Han’s eyes, only calm.

If anyone truly thought she was easy to bully, they were welcome to come and try.