Volume 14, Chapter 903 – Infiltrating the Imperial Palace

“Yes, I picked up this Fengxiang Bow at the entrance of the Imperial Palace,”

Qi Huang continued to talk nonsense.

“What’s with that woman? That’s our Majesty’s imperial weapon! How could she just throw it at the palace gate?”

“Exactly! Isn’t that a blatant insult to Her Majesty?”

“Unbelievable! She must be taught a lesson!”

The surrounding servants and maidservants took her words at face value and began condemning Yan Ying.

Empress Fengming’s eyes flickered slightly, then she suddenly lashed out, “What utter nonsense! The Alliance knows better than anyone the value of this bow. How could she casually discard it? You clearly stole it, and now you claim you picked it up? Such audacity!”

“What? Stolen? Then why would she return it to the Empress?”

A few of the servants looked utterly confused.

“Looks like Her Majesty isn’t so easily fooled,”

Qi Huang quipped mockingly.

“This bow is my token of transaction with the Immortal Alliance. You stole it and returned it, clearly intending to incriminate me and sabotage our agreement. You truly harbor wicked intentions!”

The Empress’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, killing intent surging.

“Her Majesty certainly stands by her principles, but this so-called agreement… was it ever anything more than your own wishful thinking? The Alliance never cared about it.”

Qi Huang retorted coolly.

“What exactly are you implying? If you don’t explain, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

Empress Fengming’s patience was running thin.

“Could you have your attendants leave first?”

Qi Huang looked around as she spoke.

After a brief moment of thought, the Empress waved off her servants. She understood they wouldn’t be of much help here anyway.

Qi Huang set up a divine sense barrier and said, “What I mean is simple. The Immortal Alliance has no intention of honoring your agreement. They’re preparing to make a move on Fang Yuan.”

“What evidence do you have? If you can’t produce proof, I have every reason to suspect you’re trying to sow discord.”

The Empress remained cautious.

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“Want evidence? Nothing simpler.”

Qi Huang immediately took out a Shadow-Retaining Mirror and played a segment showing Yan Yi and his daughter receiving orders to eliminate Fang Yuan.

Empress Fengming’s graceful figure began to tremble, trembling from sheer rage. She never expected that even after conceding so much, the other side still refused to let up.

“Her Majesty has made countless concessions, all to protect Fang Yuan. He is the future of the Fengming Immortal Kingdom, we understand that. But now that the Immortal Alliance isn’t holding up their end, there’s no need for you to keep swallowing your pride, is there?”

Qi Huang tossed the longbow toward her as she spoke.

The Empress caught the bow, took a deep breath, and asked, “So, what do you want?”

“Nothing much. Just inviting Her Majesty to join us in dealing with the Immortal Alliance. That bunch parades as righteous and selfless, but behind the scenes, they do nothing but filth and treachery. Frankly, they should’ve been purged ages ago.”

Qi Huang spoke bluntly.

“Take on the Immortal Alliance?”

Empress Fengming laughed bitterly, “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Even with an imperial weapon in hand, I don’t have the power to stand against the Alliance.”

“But I know you have the will to save Fang Yuan.”

Cheng Hongling cut in.

“That’s right. Isn’t he the future of your kingdom? You’re just going to watch him die?”

Qi Huang reminded her.

“…Fine. What do you need me to do?”

The Empress quickly pulled herself together.

“Didn’t the Immortal Alliance want Fang Yuan to hold a Clarification Assembly? Just show up then and help us rescue him.”

Qi Huang proposed.

“Why wait until then? Why not act now? The Immortal Alliance is clearly despicable. I don’t want to see Fang Yuan vindicate them in any way.”

The Empress frowned.

“Because I want to expose their crimes publicly at that very Clarification Assembly,”

Qi Huang revealed her plan.

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Under the bright sun, a group of Immortal cultivators wandered aimlessly through a dense forest. They were dispatched by Yan Ying to search for a zombie.

“This is ridiculous. I don’t sense even a trace of Yin energy. Where the hell are these zombies supposed to be?”

After wandering for ages, a disciple of the Immortal Alliance complained, bored out of his mind.

“Of course not. The Alliance has been trying for hundreds of thousands of years. If zombies were so easy to find, wouldn’t that make us look utterly incompetent?”

Another disciple sneered with smug satisfaction.

“Enough chatter. Keep searching. Elder Yan only gave us a few days. If we fail, we’ll be punished again.”

A middle-aged Immortal cultivator snapped. He was the leader of this expedition, Steward Ping.

The disciples reluctantly straightened up and resumed the search.

“Help! There’s a zombie! Help!”

Suddenly, a clear female voice rang out.

“Zombie?!”

Hearing this, the Immortal Alliance team lit up and quickly flew toward the source. Soon, they saw a veiled woman fleeing in panic. From her speed, she was clearly just a regular cultivator, not even an Immortal. But her tall, alluring figure was certainly eye-catching.

Steward Ping rushed ahead and asked, “What happened? Where’s the zombie?”

“It’s behind me… chasing me!”

The woman’s brows furrowed as if on the verge of tears.

Steward Ping drew his sword immediately, standing ready. The other disciples followed suit.

Time passed, but no sign of a zombie appeared. Steward Ping finally turned to ask, “So where is this zombie you mentioned?”

“You’ll see it soon enough.”

The young woman’s expression lost all panic, replaced by calm. A faint pink mist began to seep from her body—Assimilation Qi, dreaded by all.

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Yes, this veiled woman was Qi Huang. The Assimilation Qi she released wasn’t enough to physically transform others, but it was more than enough to manipulate minds.

The disciples of the Immortal Alliance felt their minds grow muddled, quickly slipping into unconsciousness. When they came to, the woman before them felt even more dear than their own parents.

Qi Huang smiled in satisfaction, then released two transformed women from her storage ring.

“Done. Now we’ll use them to slip into the Imperial Palace.”

Qi Huang announced the success.

“And then?”

Cheng Hongling asked.

“Then? Then it’s all up to her acting skills.”

Qi Huang looked toward An Xuan and said, “Before you absorb any of Fang Yuan’s blood, you must not reveal your true strength.”

“Is all this really necessary? Why not just wipe out the Alliance’s people and take whatever blood I want?”

An Xuan offered a violent solution.

“No way. We’re not here to kill. We’re here to ruin the Immortal Alliance and the Heavenly Dao’s reputation. Don’t you get it? Killing a few people won’t change anything.”

Qi Huang flatly refused. She had learned the hard way that violence alone solved nothing. If it did, she wouldn’t be running around so freely now.

An Xuan didn’t argue further. She’d lived for a hundred thousand years, of course she understood. She’d just been venting.

“Alright. I’ll go into the storage ring with Hongling. One of the Immortals will carry us, so we can assist from nearby.”

With that, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling entered a storage ring, which Steward Ping then carried.

Once everything was ready, Steward Ping and the others escorted An Xuan back to report.

Not long after, An Xuan was brought into the palace and presented to Yan Ying.

Yan Ying swept her divine sense over An Xuan but found nothing detectable. She frowned. “Did you apply Heaven-Deceiving Water?”

“Yes. The Immortal Alliance is so dominant nowadays. I wouldn’t dare walk around without it.”

An Xuan replied meekly, even throwing in some flattery.

Yan Ying relaxed, then ordered, “Take her away and keep her secure. Zombies aren’t easy to come by these days.”

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“Yes, Elder Yan!”

Steward Ping saluted with feigned sincerity. In truth, he was already under Qi Huang’s control.

He then led a few disciples to take An Xuan away, all without revealing a trace of suspicion.

Yan Ying remained standing still, her face full of hesitation. She wanted to inform her father, but feared he’d question the matter of the imperial weapon.

She deliberated for a while before finally deciding to leave the room. She didn’t want to keep making the same mistakes.

Soon, she found her father and reported their capture of the zombie.

“Father, should we let the zombie absorb Fang Yuan’s blood now, or wait until after the Clarification Assembly?”

She asked for guidance.

“What do you think?”

Yan Yi countered.

“To avoid complications, I think it’s better to wait until after the Assembly.”

Yan Ying answered cautiously.

“Sigh… Yan Ying, if you’re so timid, you’ll never accomplish anything.”

Yan Yi sighed in disappointment, then said, “Can’t you see? The only reason Fang Yuan compromised before was because of the Empress’s influence. He’s been unwilling from the start. If, during the conference, he goes back on his word before the entire Immortal Realm, where would that leave our reputation?”

“Uh…”

Yan Ying was momentarily speechless.

“So we must act now. Let the zombie absorb his blood. Once we uncover his ancestors in Immortal Heaven, we’ll hold the key to his life. Then what do we have to fear?”

Yan Yi advised.

“Brilliant, Father! I’ll go right away.”

Yan Ying nodded in realization and turned to leave.

“This matter is critical. I’d better come with you.”

Yan Yi wasn’t reassured and followed close behind.