A Shrewd Beauty

The celebration lasted for a week. Day by day, bigshots from various places came over, making the city more lively.

Mortals and lowly cultivators felt deep gratitude to the emperor for this lifetime sight.

Had the emperor celebrated it in the imperial city, they would never witness these people with deep and fearsome backgrounds scattering like fireflies.

Any natives here opened businesses to make a little fortune. An unimaginable income knocked on their door, increasing their reverence toward the emperor.

In the majestic hall where the emperor lived.

A purple carriage was enshrouded with a hazy brilliance, pulled by four mystical beasts. The coachman was a courageous middle-aged man in black.

The onlookers were wondering who this carriage belonged to.

"The Misty Flowery Palace!"

Someone noticed four violet petals engraved on the carriage. The onlookers immediately gasped in shock!

The Misty Flowery Palace was one of the ancient sects with deep heritages that could be traced back to thousands of years of age. Rare moments to see them 'descend' from their nest.

The Misty Flowery Palace had a deep bond with the current emperor. Rumors said they once groomed the emperor.

It also said that they betrothed the genius disciple to the emperor. They would be a perfect match sent down from heaven!

"Could it be this it about that rumor?" One man in a black robe pondered.

"Of course. This moment is very suitable to please the majesty!" The man next to him expressed his opinion.

"A mighty man and a genius beauty. The empire will soar to a higher level with them!" The black robe man nodded in agreement.

Inside the majestic hall.

The emperor sat gracefully in a lotus position.

He closed his eyes, and his body emitted a brilliance, golden aura of spiritual Qi. He looked lofty and imposing. People could not help but kneel, trembling before his presence.

At the entrance, a woman entered with a thin veil covering her face. Alas, it could not cover the whole beauty.

The violet dress accentuated her snow-white skin. The smooth, slender legs gracefully walked in, causing purple petals to fall around her as she took every step.

The little cherry mouth was red in the perfect amount, alluring with a romantic fragrance that could captivate anyone. Once she smiled, it charmed people, and the empire would go crazy!

This woman was the rumored genius disciple, the fiancée of the emperor!

When the emperor noticed her presence, his mouth curled up with satisfaction.

"I am here to congratulate your majesty!" The woman cupped her fist, said with respect. Then, some 'servants' entered, carrying some gifts from the Misty Flowery Palace.

The emperor's face turned ugly seeing the woman's attitude.

It won't be long before this woman submitted to him, yet she still called him "Your majesty." Clean and straightforward. She clearly drew the line here.

It meant he was not hers yet, so he could not go too far.

But this thought flashed in a short moment. The emperor then said: "Please deliver my gratitude to the sect."

The servants lowered their heads, then moved the gifts to their proper place. The woman, however, stood still, staring coldly behind the veil.

Seeing this, the emperor internally frowned, but a graceful smile appeared. "I suppose you still have something to say. Please tell."

Suddenly, a ray of light flew at a frightening speed toward the emperor. He casually waved his sleeve and immediately dispersed the incoming attack.

"What's the meaning of this?!" The emperor was enraged by the sudden attack. His rage caused the majestic hall to tremble. Truth to be told, the attack could not threaten him, but it annoyed him — the attack was from the woman.

Despite that, the woman did not budge a bit. It seemed like she had no guilty feelings.

Then, she unsheathed the sword on her back, and stroked it from one edge to another as it emitted a violet, oppressive aura.

Soon, the violet aura transformed into different swords and floated around her as it formed a phantom image of five violet petals.

The woman's right hand gripped the handle while the left hand was on the tip of the sword.

Hum! Hum!

Buzzing sounds could be heard as the violet sword auras revolved around her, transforming into smaller, sharp petals and immediately shooting out at a high speed toward the emperor.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The emperor looked indifferent to the incoming attack. He waved his hands like repelling little bugs. Thanks to the woman, now his mood was ruined!

Then, the emperor made a move. Stretching out his palm as a breeze contained profound energy, and dragon shriek came forth. It immediately shattered the 'bugs' of the violet sword aura.

The woman, in a stabbing stance, rushed forward. Radiant brilliance and violet lights enshrouded her sword as the buzzing sound tensed up.

Clank!

As it collided with the emperor's attack, the breeze transformed into a dragon, pouncing ferociously on the woman.

Mere petals against a dragon. The result was obvious.

The woman flew and hit the wall crudely. As she flew, the veil lifted a bit, showing the indifferent expression of peerless beauty.

She quickly stood up and cupped her fist in respect. "That's the reward from me."

The emperor frowned. What kind of reward was that?

However, as he thoughtfully pondered it, he realized that the woman exposed the trump card movement to him.

Of course, he realized it after some of his skin was successfully pierced and blood leaked from it.

"What a considerate gift." The emperor said with a smile.

In that short exchange, he could gain much insight if he realized the woman's intention sooner, perhaps helping him break through to another level.

After all, it was rare for someone to injure him. Alas, he was too haughty, and he did not pay attention much to it.

There was no way he would ask the woman to repeat the move. That would mean he could not understand it, humiliate himself!

But this was what makes the genius of the Misty Flowery Palace more interesting. That short exchange was the tip of the iceberg for both real powers.

Not only did the woman successfully injure him, but she also successfully prevented him from asking for a gift and getting her personal technique.

What a shrewd and calculative woman she was!

The more one flees, the more others chase.

The more emperor desired her. The cunning method she used was excellent. He could not help but smirk, thinking about the empire's expansion under the reign of both of them.

"Would you like to accompany me?" With a smile, the emperor lifted an empty cup.

Uttering no word, the woman approached him gracefully. Then, with a slender hand, she poured the wine into his cup. This scene was like a goddess acting like a housemaid. Too wasteful!

-------

In a dilapidated house.

Mao Nianzu woke up and quickly analyzed his body and the room. Yet, he found nothing had changed.

There was no fabric or tape on the cracks in the wall. No trace that the entrance of luminous eyes had caused.

"It's definitely not a dream. I don't know how this works, but I think I can work longer than before."

Mao Nianzu usually had an hour to thirty minutes of sleep every day. Now, he felt like he could work for an entire day without resting at all.

So, he prepared to work, filling his stomach with the leftover dried bread.

On the way, his thought ran mindlessly, still captivated by the dark place called Abyss. Of course, during his childhood, he heard Abyss many times. It was a filthy place full of monsters.

The Abyss was an entirely different place from hell. Regarding which one holds a higher authority?

Some said hell holds the path of life and death where the souls of the dead will return, so hell is higher—a sacred place, and at the same time, a deadly graveyard.

On the other hand, Abyss is the symbol of all darkness. All beings, dead or alive, gathered. Villains, criminals, and overlords reside behind the deep schemes of the dark curtain.

Hence, the famous saying is: "Hell is the sacred Abyss; Abyss is the true despair."

Once someone dipped oneself into the Abyss, one could no longer return.

Even a mighty emperor who found a spatial dimension of the Abyss was swallowed by it. That was the genuine threat of Abyss.

'Does it mean I can no longer live a normal life?' This thought flashed through his mind.

Mao Nianzu curled up a smile as he recalled the sentence before he parted way. It said the Abyss was his home, and he was their home.

It had been a long time since someone said that, and he felt touched by it.

Mao Nianzu had been through many deceptive people.

In the past, women approached him, saying he was their home, only ended up losing money. Thereafter, every time someone approached him that way, he would have a premonition, but now… he felt nothing.

'It's going too smooth. So much so that I feel more suspicious about the Abyss' motives.'

Although the deep voice had annoyed him with the disgusting joke 'darling', internally he never had any denial. It went naturally, as though Abyss was his place all this time.