Volume 5, Chapter 336 – I’ll Show You What It Means to Be Heaven’s Favored Daughter

Upon hearing these words, the hesitation on Elder Zuo’s face quickly dissipated, replaced by a fearless resolve. It wasn’t that he had only just now realized the truth—rather, he had been backed into a corner by Qi Huang’s words.

Elder Zuo knew full well that if he retreated now, even if he managed to retain his position as an elder, he would never command respect again.

‘This damned brat actually dares to use me!’

At this moment, Elder Zuo finally understood what was happening. He was seething with hatred, but with so many eyes watching, he couldn’t possibly seek personal revenge. He had to prioritize the greater situation.

“Your Majesty, I have done all I can, but if the outcome remains unchanged, then it is clear that she was never meant to be yours. Heaven’s will cannot be defied, why force it?”

Elder Zuo spoke again, but his expression was far more resolute than before.

“Oh? Then tell me, how can a cultivator with a ruined Qi Sea still wield True Qi?”

Lin Tu sneered as he questioned.

“I don’t know.”

Elder Zuo shot a glance at Qi Huang, his face clouded with suspicion. This little brat was like a cockroach that refused to die. Recovering after being poisoned with Qi-Leaking Powder was one thing, but now she could still cultivate despite her Qi Sea being destroyed? That was outright absurd.

“You don’t know? Is that all the explanation you have for me? Don’t force me to expose your secrets!”

Lin Tu laughed in extreme fury.

“Let’s not mince words. Today, I must take her away. State your conditions—whatever I can do, I will spare no effort.”

Elder Zuo didn’t want to completely burn bridges, so he offered his utmost sincerity.

“Conditions? As the ruler of this nation, if I allow you to take a personally appointed Imperial Consort from the palace, where does that leave my imperial dignity? What could you possibly do to compensate for that?”

Lin Tu fired off question after question.

“What exactly do you want?”

Elder Zuo’s lips twitched slightly.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the spectacle unfold. A dignified elder of the Immortal Alliance was being talked down to by the emperor of a tiny kingdom, it was truly infuriating. She wondered what shady dealings this man had been involved in.

“If you want to take her away, then destroy your own Qi Sea. If you can still use True Qi afterward, then I’ll agree to your demand.”

Lin Tu stated his condition without hesitation.

‘This dog emperor is quite clever. Even if I’m taken away, his dignity will remain intact, though his goal is impossible to achieve. Elder Zuo is a high-ranking elder of the Immortal Alliance, a genuine Divine Ability Realm expert. There’s no way he would cripple his own cultivation.’

Qi Huang clicked her tongue in admiration.

Of course, Lin Tu knew his demand was unrealistic. He had only made it to cut off Elder Zuo’s escape route.

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“And if I refuse?”

As expected, Elder Zuo rejected the idea outright, his aura beginning to condense as he prepared to strike.

Hearing this, Chief Steward Zhong set down the registry and subtly moved closer. The hidden experts lurking in the surroundings also began to stir.

“Do you really think you can forcibly take her away? Do you believe you can escape this palace, teeming with experts?”

Lin Tu’s face was full of disdain.

“Hah! The palace may indeed be filled with experts, but alas, they are mere martial artists. Can they fly? If they can’t, what right do they have to stop me?”

Elder Zuo brimmed with confidence, his body taut like an arrow ready to be loosed.

“Pity. Once you’ve seen me, you can only grovel on the ground.”

Lin Tu spoke contemptuously before pulling out an imperial jade seal from his robes. With a light swipe of his right hand, a few drops of blood seeped into it. Suddenly, the dragon-shaped knob atop the seal came to life, opening its mouth to release a piercing dragon’s roar.

As everyone stared in confusion, a black shadow descended from the sky, crashing into the center of the courtyard with a thunderous impact. The granite ground shattered, sending debris flying in all directions.

“Ah—!”

The more timid Imperial Consorts and palace maids shrieked in terror, scrambling backward.

Qi Huang focused her gaze and saw that it was a terrifying zombie wielding a spear. Clad in rusted, dilapidated armor, its exposed skin was rotten and festered from years of decay. Yet, the golden corpse spots covering its body were strikingly vivid, so bright they were nearly blinding.

Qi Huang’s breath caught—this was unmistakably a Golden Zombie, an entity of immense power!

The moment the Golden Zombie appeared, the rusted spear in its grip began emanating waves of Killing Intent, surging outward like a tide. Though not frenzied, the pressure it exuded was immovable, unstoppable.

Where the Killing Intent spread, fear followed. Ordinary people collapsed to the ground, unable to resist. Even the imperial guards lasted only a few breaths before their weapons clattered to the floor, their legs giving way as they knelt.

Qi Huang remained composed, she could still withstand the Killing Intent’s intensity. What truly captured her attention was the spear.

‘Why does that spear look so familiar?’

She racked her brain, and after a moment, it hit her. This spear was identical to one depicted on the Registry of Slaughter.

Clearly, the weapon recorded there had been modeled after this very spear.

‘This is an actual, living weapon of mass destruction! No wonder its Killing Intent is so overwhelming!’

Qi Huang was stunned.

“Is this all the Killing Intent you’ve got? How embarrassing for you to even show it off!”

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Elder Zuo’s voice boomed with arrogance as he wrapped Qi Huang in his Divine Sense and shot into the sky.

But at that very moment, the Golden Zombie shuddered, unleashing a Killing Intent countless times more potent. It thickened until it was visible to the naked eye, spreading outward in concentric waves, flooding the imperial garden like a tsunami.

Elder Zuo staggered as if struck by lightning, his figure swaying before plummeting back to the ground.

Qi Huang trembled, an uncontrollable fear spreading from the depths of her heart. She nearly lost her footing.

‘H-How is this possible?!’

Her ability to think rationally vanished instantly. Her Divine Sense could no longer condense, she couldn’t even contact her main body now.

“Serves you right. What are you going to do now?”

Even Yaoyao, who had been watching the show, couldn’t help but mock her.

“What’s there to fear? I still have you, don’t I?”

Qi Huang suppressed her terror as she replied.

“Don’t get your hopes up. Even though I’m a Nine Nether Demon Cat, I’m not immune to Killing Intent.”

Yaoyao made it clear.

“Fine. As long as you can block Divine Sense detection, we can still sneak out later even if we can’t leave openly today.”

Qi Huang forced herself to remain calm, though her mind was already in disarray under the Killing Intent’s influence.

Elder Zuo wasn’t faring much better. Despite being a genuine Divine Realm expert, even his legs shook like those of an old man suffering from joint pain under such terrifying Killing Intent.

“Elder Zuo, since you can’t even stand steadily now, do you plan to crawl out of the palace?”

Lin Tu’s mocking voice rang out.

“How is this possible? What is the origin of this zombie? Why does it possess such monstrous Killing Intent? And why does it obey your commands?”

Elder Zuo’s voice trembled as he spoke.

“Don’t fret, Elder Zuo. I’ll enlighten you.”

Lin Tu smirked before leisurely explaining:

“Everyone knows that the Western Radiance Dynasty has produced many illustrious generals throughout history. Among them, the founding Grand General, Tang Xiao, stands above all. Not only was he peerlessly strong, but his military strategies were godlike. Millions of soldiers from the Great Qi Kingdom fell by his hand, earning him the moniker ‘The Butcher’ in later generations. And the revered figure before you, who has rendered you unable to stand, is none other than Grand General Tang Xiao himself.”

“W-What?! This is Tang Xiao?!”

Elder Zuo was first shocked, then furious:

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“You have some nerve! As a ruler, not only do you fail to eradicate evil spirits and bring peace to the world, but you also secretly raise zombies?!”

“What’s the point of your hysterics? I am not a cultivator, since when does the Immortal Alliance have jurisdiction over me?”

Lin Tu was unperturbed, then issued a stern threat:

“I’ll count to three. Either scram, or die. Choose.”

“Elder Zuo, don’t back down now! It’s just a zombie, go kill it!”

Qi Huang sensed something amiss and quickly egged him on.

“No need to count! She’s yours.”

Without hesitation, Elder Zuo strode briskly toward the exit.

“Get back here! Is this how you uphold your reputation as an elder?!”

Qi Huang shouted anxiously.

But Elder Zuo ignored her, swiftly vanishing from sight. He wasn’t a fool, staying alive took precedence over maintaining his elder status.

‘Forget it. Better to rely on myself than others!’

Qi Huang sighed in resignation.

“Hmph. At least you have some self-awareness.”

Lin Tu sneered before finally dismissing the terrifying zombie. The crowd collectively exhaled in relief, helping each other up—though some were so thoroughly terrified they remained collapsed on the ground, paralyzed with fear.

“You continue to surprise me. To remain standing under such overwhelming Killing Intent is no small feat.”

Lin Tu studied Qi Huang with astonishment.

“I may be weak in cultivation, but my courage more than makes up for it.”

Qi Huang forced a thin smile.

“Good! I like fearless women like you. Now, will you obediently take the test?”

Lin Tu’s face revealed a trace of admiration.

“After all this, is there still a need for testing?”

Qi Huang took a deep breath, her tone laced with sarcasm.

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“I’ve said it before, even as a personally appointed Imperial Consort, you cannot disregard the rules.”

Lin Tu’s gaze sharpened once more.

Empress Zheng, having regained her composure, hesitated before rising to her feet and jeering:

“Your Majesty, her repeated refusal to take the test suggests she has something to hide. Could it be that the rumors of her perfect scores are false?”

“Indeed. Perhaps she has some grave hidden flaw? Afraid of being exposed?”

Consort Hui chimed in.

“If she doesn’t even dare to test, then it seems Cheng Hongling’s reputation is unearned!”

Consort Li also joined in the verbal assault.

Hearing this, Lin Tu frowned slightly. Though he was growing increasingly fond of this Imperial Consort, if she had some serious defect, he couldn’t blindly accept her into the harem.

‘Oh-ho! You dare say my main body’s reputation is unearned?!’

Qi Huang couldn’t help but laugh. She had avoided testing simply to avoid drawing too much attention. But if they insisted on seeing, she didn’t mind giving them a spectacle they’d never forget.

“Fine. Let’s test. Today, I’ll show you what it means to be Heaven’s Favored Daughter!”

With that, Qi Huang snatched the Phoenix Selection Token from Chief Steward Zhong’s hands.

The surrounding crowd forgot their fear, craning their necks to watch.

As time passed, scores began appearing on the token one after another.

“Beauty: 10

Figure: 10

Body Scent: 10

…”

Having anticipated this, Qi Huang didn’t even wait for all the scores to display before tossing the token back to Chief Steward Zhong impatiently.

“Read it out! Loudly, make sure everyone hears!”

Chief Steward Zhong took the token, his expression shifting from shock to utter disbelief. Finally, he asked:

“Are you certain you want me to do this?”