Chapter 351: What Miss Kirin Said
Upon seeing that phoenix tree-shaped golden token belonging to a certain Holy Saint of the Demon Sect once again, Wutong felt a strange sense of the passage of time.
She recalled the first time she met this young man—back then, he had been troubled by a bizarre and sinister Netherkin, and so had sought help from their organization, the Six Gate Bureau…
Though in the end, it was this very Holy Saint who personally subdued that Netherkin, and his fame had soared after earning the title of "Nascent Soul Killing Golden Core Cultivator," the Netherkin that he slew had only temporarily reached the Nascent Soul level, and so, though she had been shocked at the time, it hadn't felt entirely outrageous.
After all, those who are chosen by the heaven's were always exceptional… If the Empress had been able to draw upon a sliver of the Human Emperor Sword power before reaching the Nascent Soul realm, she could have done the same thing with ease.
At that time, the Holy Saint merely possessed a trump card capable of threatening a Nascent Soul—not true strength to rival one.
But now… thinking back on all those Nascent Soul cultivators who flattered and fawned over that young man, despite them being not much different in cultivation from herself, Wutong felt the unevenness of the world.
In the blink of an eye, this Holy Saint she had once favored had already reached this stage.
Time really does fly… like hell it does!
Hadn't it only been about half a month since she first met him??
(Forget it. This is also a good thing. The more outstanding he is, the more likely it is Her Majesty will develop certain thoughts…)
Wutong muttered inwardly.
But once she thought about Her Majesty, something felt off again.
These past few days, Her Majesty had been calling her in for discussions more and more frequently.
Hmm, this was a good sign—and exactly what she wanted—since it meant more chances to influence Her Majesty.
At first, these talks had been fine, mostly centered around the chaos among the Netherkins, and occasionally touching on the missing former emperor… But recently, the topics have gotten stranger and stranger.
For example, she really couldn't understand why Her Majesty would suddenly bring up the issue of age.
At Her Majesty's age—which is just a little over twenty—compared to the long lifespan granted by Nascent Soul cultivation, was there even a need to worry about age?
(The weirdest was still yesterday… how did that conversation about the Netherkins somehow veer into discussing the folk tales of love between humans and Netherkin?)
Wutong couldn't make sense of it no matter how she tried.
Still, she gave herself high marks for her "work."
Not only did she manage to steer every conversation back on track, but she also subtly used examples of prominent clans forming marriage alliances in this time of unrest to indirectly broach Her Majesty's views on the matter of marriage.
Moreover, the deeds committed by the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect this time around gave her even more room to maneuver… Once his conversation with Her Majesty at the Immortal Life Pool was over, she could immediately seize the chance to follow up.
Everything was for Her Majesty!
...
Luo Wusheng was transported directly beneath the walls of the imperial palace by Kirin and Wuton.
The moment he arrived, he felt countless auras lock onto him.
He had experienced this feeling before on the night of the Netherkin Extermination Operation—now that he was facing it again, it no longer brought him much pressure.
Unfazed, Luo Wusheng smiled and nodded in the directions of the auras before following behind Miss Kirin, step by step walking along the solid road paved with evenly laid bricks.
From here to the Immortal Life Pool deep within the palace, unless one had received express permission from the Empress, one had to proceed on foot and pass through layer upon layer of guards..
Luo Wusheng's gaze occasionally swept over the various grand and imposing buildings around him, but his mind was not really focused on the scenery.
He extended his spiritual sense into his dantian, examining the recently returned Sword Emperor's broken sword.
After devouring the other Soulblade Specter that had appeared in Sword Province's Jianlin City, the broken sword now held another blank sword intent of Heaven-grade Soulblade Specter level.
Furthermore, back in the Antediluvian Nether Eye space, although the Broken Sword didn't participate in setting up the Thirty-Six Sword Absolute Array, it did retain a formation core unique to itself, drawing in the power it needed from within the grand formation into its own belly.
After this round, the blank sword intent within the Broken Sword had increased by roughly one-fifth of what a Heaven-grade Soulblade Specter would possess.
It might sound like a small amount, but that was already the limit achievable even with a huge pile of high-grade sword-type Artifacts.
(Still… this sword really seems kinda sexist, doesn't it? Clearly, there were plenty of female sword cultivators in Sword Province, but somehow, it only robbed nineteen male sword cultivators of over thirty swords, draining their foundations entirely. The audacity, truly outrageous.)
Luo Wusheng complained in his heart.
What made him feel even more conflicted was that the Broken Sword, even after devouring two Heaven-grade Soulblade Specters and merging them into one, hadn't received a proportional boost in combat power. The only real change was that its previously special Soulblade Specter form had gained a high-level life-preservation ability.
(My connection with it has grown stronger too… Before, I satisfied its housing needs with my dantian; now, with the Thirty-Six Sword Absolute Array, I guess it wants me to satisfy its appetite...)
All I'm saying is, now that we've reached this point, maybe it's time to quit with the habit of coming and going through my kidneys, yeah?
Considering he now has a Dao Companion, he pretty much doesn't want anything bad to happen to his kidney.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Luo Wusheng suddenly sensed a familiar presence, though the heaviness mixed into it made him let out a questioning sound.
His gaze turned in the direction of the presence.
And right at that moment, two gazes from that direction happened to glance back at him.
Then, those two gazes awkwardly and silently turned away.
A strange expression appeared on Luo Wusheng's face.
The familiar presence he had sensed came from mid-air… It was a figure floating listlessly in the sky, wearing a feathered mask, exuding a "life-is-meaningless" vibe.
A white string extended from that figure's body all the way to the ground, tied to the pointer of a massive dark metal compass.
The compass, of unknown material, looked exceedingly heavy just by sight alone and faintly shimmered with sealing power.
Beneath it was a flashily dressed, brawny man with hair sticking straight up.
He also wore a mask, this one decorated with turtle-shell-like patterns.
"Uh… that's Night Crow? And…"
Luo Wusheng's voice was tinged with curiosity, but Wutong beside him picked up where he left off.
"The one below just returned to the capital from his break, he's Xuan Ming."
"I-I see… So right now they're…"
Before Luo Wusheng could finish, Miss Kirin beside him turned to look at him and coolly said:
"On a mission."
???
Luo Wusheng glanced at the two, then turned to look at Miss Kirin again.
"They're preparing to carry out a mission."
The cool, detached voice didn't waver in the slightest.
So Luo Wusheng believed her.
Xuan Ming and the Night Crow must have somehow annoyed the Empress in some way.
In the end, it was Wutong, the veteran official, who gave a light cough.
"Ahem, their mission can't be disclosed for now… The Immortal Life Pool is just ahead. Let's go meet Her Majesty first, she might be willing to tell you about it herself."
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD[1]
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[1] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
[2] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[3] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-487-cry-149583539
[5] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-487-cry-149583539