Volume 14, Chapter 874 – So What If There Are Three Immortal Emperors

“Wait? Wait for what?”

Ni Xian asked in confusion.

“Secret!”

Qi Huang replied mysteriously.

“What exactly are you waiting for?”

Cheng Hongling’s mental voice came through, clearly impatient.

Qi Huang no longer dared to pretend. She promptly told Cheng Hongling about the plan; how Ziji Immortal Emperor was preparing to completely clear out the “trophies” on the city walls in five days. Only then did she explain the reasoning behind it:

“When the time comes, the evil spirits from all directions will definitely converge. For us, that’s good news for three reasons. First, we might be able to find clues about the remaining six heart fragments among them. Second, we might obtain more Assimilation Qi from them. And third, if these people end up captured by Ziji Immortal Emperor, I can step in as the ‘savior.’ That way, there’ll be even more evil spirits willing to make deals with your dear husband.”

“Hmm, makes sense.”

Cheng Hongling nodded in agreement, but then her tone shifted. “So? What’s that got to do with you dragging your feet getting to the east gate? Wouldn’t waiting there serve the same purpose?”

“Of course not the same. The east gate has the remains of the Two Kings and Five Queens hanging there, so it’s heavily guarded. Now look at those three dutiful daughters.”

Qi Huang gestured toward the two older and one younger ghost princesses nearby, then continued, “They haven’t seen their mother in nearly ten years. When they suddenly come face to face with those three headless corpses, do you think they’ll be able to control their emotions? If the guards pick up on anything, I’ll be forced to act early. And rather than act rashly, it’s better to slow things down. I’ll show them some images using the Shadow-Retaining Mirror so they can process it gradually. Plus, I’ll take the chance to scout out the layout of Ziji City.”

“You’re more considerate than I expected.”

Cheng Hongling sounded a little surprised.

“No choice. If we want to go further, every step has to be taken cautiously. We can’t afford to repeat Lu Yao’s mistakes.”

Qi Huang said this with heartfelt seriousness.

Qi Huang then led the group of women forward slowly. Before long, they saw soldiers of Ziji City posting public notices all over, announcing that Ziji Immortal Emperor would deal with all the “trophies” on the city walls in five days.

As soon as the news was released, it caused a huge stir. People on every street and alley were talking about it.

“Why would Ziji Immortal Emperor suddenly decide to clear away all the trophies?”

“Isn’t it obvious? There’s no room left on the walls. If he doesn’t clear it, where will he hang the next batch of evil spirits?”

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“After ten years of luring out enemies, are there even that many evil spirits left?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. This time, he plans to remove everything, even the Two Kings and Five Queens on the east gate. Their bodies contain massive amounts of Yin energy, something every evil spirit dreams of. And the Three Queens are said to have fragments of the Demon Ancestor’s heart and Assimilation Qi inside them. That makes them even more irresistible. I guarantee, the most powerful evil spirits across the Immortal Realm will show up for this.”

“Good point. But if a fight breaks out, what should we do?”

“Leave Ziji City as soon as possible! Don’t tell me you think you’ll survive a battle of that scale?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Ziji Immortal Emperor is mighty and domineering. You think taking down a few evil spirits could spill over and hurt his own people?”

Citizens gathered around the notices, each voicing their opinions. Most held unwavering faith in Ziji Immortal Emperor.

Qi Huang checked into an inn with the group and got the women settled.

Later that evening, she used the Shadow-Retaining Mirror to capture scenes from the east gate and showed them to the three ghost princesses.

“Mother… wuu wuuu!”

The three girls broke down the moment they saw their mother’s headless corpse, sobbing uncontrollably. Especially Qianqian, the youngest… nothing could calm her. The scene even drew the attention of the inn’s attendant, who suspected a case of child trafficking.

“See? I told you. If we had just rushed over there, things would’ve spiraled out of control.”

Qi Huang sighed helplessly.

Cheng Hongling had no rebuttal. Her husband—or rather, her “wife”—could act carefree at times, but when it came to serious matters, she never slacked off.

The three girls cried all night, hiding under the covers. By dawn, their emotions finally stabilized somewhat, but they were already itching to set off again, not to pay respects, but clearly to avenge.

Qi Huang refused. She ordered them to get their emotions in check before they were allowed to go anywhere.

And so, two more days passed. Qi Huang led the girls onward, stopping here and there with various excuses. During this time, she sensed two powerful presences, each cloaked with Heaven-Deceiving Water, descending upon the imperial palace of Ziji City. They were likely two visiting Immortal Emperors.

Qi Huang did not share this information with anyone, nor did she hesitate. She continued on as planned.

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Meanwhile, in the central palace of Ziji City, Ziji Immortal Emperor was receiving two visiting Immortal Emperors in his spacious study: Wanhe Immortal Emperor of the third layer of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, and Qiufa Immortal Emperor of the second.

“My apologies, friends. For the sake of secrecy, I can only host you in this small place. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Ziji Immortal Emperor raised his wine cup in apology.

“You’re being too modest. This study is grander than the main hall of my Immortal Palace. How could it possibly be considered small?”

Wanhe Immortal Emperor, dressed in a pale golden robe, lifted his cup with a smile. He had white hair and beard, his face deeply wrinkled, and exuded a kindly aura.

“Brother Wanhe is absolutely right. When I walked in, I didn’t even know where to step. I felt downright inferior.”

Qiufa Immortal Emperor, wearing a white robe, added with a chuckle. He appeared to be in his fifties, tall and lean, with sword-like eyebrows and eyes that seemed calm but hid a sharp killing intent.

“Enough teasing. Let’s get to the main topic.”

Ziji Immortal Emperor waved his hand and continued with a serious tone, “You’re certain no one followed you here?”

“Of course. We told no one before departing, and we doused ourselves in Heaven-Deceiving Water. No one could possibly track us.”

Qiufa Immortal Emperor confirmed.

“Good. The reason I invited you two is the same as I explained through the Universal Communication Tube. I’ve announced that in five days, I’ll be removing all the trophies from the city walls. Some of them contain fragments of the Demon Ancestor’s heart and Assimilation Qi. This will lure every powerful evil spirit from across the Immortal Realm. It’s the perfect chance to wipe them all out.”

Ziji Immortal Emperor’s eyes gleamed with intensity.

“Ziji, you are truly wise and mighty. At this rate, we’ll wipe out the evil spirits well ahead of the deadline those Celestials gave us.”

Wanhe Immortal Emperor didn’t hold back his praise.

“Ziji, if there’s anything you need from us, just say the word. I won’t let a single evil spirit leave this city alive.”

Qiufa Immortal Emperor’s murderous intent flared openly.

“When the time comes, just crush them on sight. With the three of us Immortal Emperors here, why bother with elaborate tactics? Hahaha…”

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Ziji Immortal Emperor raised his cup and laughed arrogantly.

On the evening of the fourth day, Qi Huang and the girls finally arrived at an inn near the east gate.

“Tomorrow morning, Ziji Immortal Emperor will begin dealing with the ghost clan corpses on the walls. When that happens, top experts from both the Immortal and Demonic factions will definitely swarm the area. We need to stay out of it and observe. Only when they’ve fought each other to exhaustion will we make our move. So when you see your mothers, do not let your emotions get the better of you. Understood?”

Qi Huang gave the ghost princesses another firm reminder.

“We understand.”

The three girls nodded instinctively. After four days, they had more or less calmed down.

“Fairy Chen, the three of us have already discussed it. If you can’t save our mothers, don’t force yourself. We only want to see them one last time.”

Ni Xian suddenly spoke with solemn resolve.

“Yes. You’ve already done more than enough for us. We’re not the kind to push our luck.”

Tao Chun added.

“Big sister, Mother is already gone. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you too.”

Qianqian clutched Qi Huang’s hand tightly, clearly worried.

Qi Huang smiled warmly. “So you all insisted on coming along because you didn’t believe I could save your mothers, huh?”

The three girls remained silent, clearly embarrassed at being exposed.

“It’s not that we don’t believe you, more like we didn’t want to believe. Fairy Chen, to be honest, our only goal has always been to see our mothers one last time. That’s why we insisted on coming. If this were about saving them, what use would we be?”

Tao Chun confessed frankly.

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“Yes. Our mothers mean a lot to us, but they’re already gone. We can’t drag you down too.”

Ni Xian added.

“Yeah… To Qianqian, big sister is just as important as Mother.”

Qianqian nodded her little head quickly.

Qi Huang felt a warmth in her heart. She sighed softly and said, “In that case, I’ll be honest with you too. Last night and the night before, two powerful auras entered Ziji City. They were both masked by Heaven-Deceiving Water. They’re likely two Immortal Emperors summoned by Ziji Immortal Emperor.”

“What?”

The three girls’ expressions changed drastically.

“You’re serious? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Even Cheng Hongling was startled.

“No need to. They’re just two early-stage Heavenly Immortal Realm Immortal Emperors. Without local Imperial Weapons, they’re no threat to me.”

Qi Huang explained, she simply didn’t want her wife worrying.

Cheng Hongling bit her lip but said nothing. She understood her partner. Qi Huang never fought a battle she wasn’t sure she could win.

“Fairy Chen, let’s just give up. That’s three Immortal Emperors!”

Ni Xian was on the verge of tears.

“Seeing our mothers is already more than enough. We can’t risk your life.”

Tao Chun pleaded anxiously.

“Hmph. So what if there are three Immortal Emperors? You think they can threaten me? I gave you my word, and I will keep it.”

Qi Huang’s eyes were filled with unwavering determination.