Chapter 36: The Cursed Empress

Jiang Fushou remained unyielding in the face of Leng Yixuan’s intimidation and bribery. To him, although the inspection envoy was a Saint-level expert, his Jiang family was backed by the Morning Light Sect. Should the other party dare to act recklessly, the Morning Light Sect would surely stand up for his family.

As expected, upon seeing Jiang Fushou’s refusal to back down, Leng Yixuan and his men began to hesitate.

"What do you think of this Jiang family?" Leng Yixuan asked Wang Chaobei and Wang Chaonan, who were his right-hand men.

Wang Chaobei replied, "My lord, the Jiang family refuses to surrender their treasures likely because they rely on those four Demon King retainers. Their cultivation is only at the third level of the Imperial Sovereign Realm; my brother and I could easily handle them together. However, the Morning Light Sect behind the Jiang family is likely not so simple. Given that this sect could easily dispatch four Demon Kings to station themselves in the Jiang family, there must be even more powerful figures guarding the sect itself."

Wang Chaonan chimed in, "My brother is right. I’ve heard that Ye Liuyun, the ancestor of the Asura Gate, was at the third level of the Saint Realm, yet he was easily slaughtered by the Morning Light Sect. If we provoke such a sect, we might lose our lives. If you feel confident in avoiding the vengeance of the Morning Light Sect, then we are willing to follow you in annihilating the Jiang family."

Leng Yixuan was displeased that Wang Chaonan had tossed the problem back to him, but he could not afford to lose his temper. He remained silent for a long time, lost in thought. In his view, the Jiang family alone was nothing to worry about, but their backing made things difficult. More importantly, the Morning Light Sect’s reputation for ruthlessness was well-known; provoking their pursuit would be unimaginable.

Suddenly, Leng Yixuan’s expression shifted, and his attitude toward Jiang Fushou did a complete one-eighty.

"Hehe, Brother Jiang, congratulations on passing our assessment. Your integrity and refusal to bow to the powerful are traits we truly admire! From now on, your Jiang family shall continue to serve as the masters of Vientiane City. Once we return, we will report truthfully to Her Majesty the Empress. I am certain that upon hearing our report, she will issue the official decree of appointment for the Jiang family as soon as possible."

Seeing Leng Yixuan’s sudden change, the Wang brothers realized he had made his choice and echoed, "Indeed, we shall both bear witness for City Lord Jiang. It is clear that the rise of the Jiang family is unstoppable. My brother and I offer our congratulations in advance."

Regardless of whether they were sincere, Jiang Fushou saw that the mood had shifted and decided not to offend them further. He cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "In that case, I thank the three of you!"

Jiang Fushou offered to host a meal for the party, but Leng Yixuan declined, citing official business. They departed Vientiane City and headed straight for the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. By now, the Morning Light Sect’s recruitment ceremony had concluded, and the various factions were gradually taking their leave.

Before long, Leng Yixuan and his men learned from these people that the Morning Light Sect possessed not just one, but multiple Great Emperor-level experts. The implications were self-evident. They rejoiced that they hadn't acted impulsively against the Jiang family, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. The inspection team returned to the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty to report their findings, and Empress Li Yuanyuan decided to pay a personal visit to the Sect Master of the Morning Light Sect.

Though she was the Empress, Li Yuanyuan was only eighteen. The previous Empress had passed away from illness five years prior, forcing her to take the throne. It was said that the royal family suffered from a genetic curse that prevented any member from living past the age of thirty-six; otherwise, they would suddenly drop dead as if cursed. Fortunately, every Empress prepared for her successor before her demise.

This was a closely guarded secret: the deceased Empress would not be buried but would enter the Spirit-Transformation Pool, turning into pure spiritual energy to be inherited by the next Empress. Upon inheriting this power, the new Empress would instantly reach the peak of the Imperial Sovereign Realm, and with secret techniques, could wield strength equivalent to the fifth level of the Saint Realm.

This was the main reason the Great Yong Dynasty had stood for a millennium. A dynasty with a Saint-level expert was not to be trifled with. Few sects within the dynasty possessed such power; even the late ancestor of the Asura Gate, at the third level of the Saint Realm, had to sleep in a coffin to slow his fading vitality.

However, since the emergence of the Morning Light Sect, the Empress had seen a glimmer of hope. Great Emperor-level experts possessed lifespans of over ten thousand years; they surely had a way to resolve her family’s curse. Thus, the Empress, accompanied by four Imperial Sovereign-level attendants, quietly arrived in Vientiane City.

Rather than approaching the Morning Light Sect directly, the Empress intended to start with the Jiang family, given their connection to the sect. Her four attendants—Chunxiang, Xiaxiang, Quxiang, and Dongxiang—had served generations of Empresses and were her most trusted confidantes.

Chunxiang cautioned, "My lady, although the Jiang family is linked to the Morning Light Sect, they have few members, and their rise will take time. We should head to the Morning Light Sect directly; perhaps we can see the Sect Master sooner. However, he calls himself the Invincible Ancestor, which sounds like mere boasting. No one in this world is truly invincible, or at least not forever."

Quxiang agreed, "Chunxiang is right. Do not be too fixated, my lady. Your curse has persisted for thousands of years; if it were so easily broken, why have none of the past Empresses succeeded?"

The others nodded in agreement. They had served ten generations of Empresses and had never seen one live past thirty-six.

Li Yuanyuan remained silent, but her eyes burned with determination. She had to break this curse. She had to try, for if she didn't, there would be no possibility at all. She decided to seek a position within the Jiang family to get closer to the Sect Master.

Meanwhile, Liao Chen, who was drinking tea, suddenly heard the system’s voice: "Ding! The system has detected Li Yuanyuan, holder of the Nine-Star Extreme Yin Glazed Saint Body, in Vientiane City. She is at the peak of the Imperial Sovereign Realm and is the Empress of the Great Yong Dynasty. Host, please proceed to take her as a disciple. Success will earn you a mysterious gift package; failure will result in the total abolition of your cultivation."

Liao Chen was taken aback by the system’s ruthlessness. It was just taking on a disciple, yet failure meant the loss of all his power—this was preposterous. With no other choice, he set down his teacup and teleported toward Vientiane City.