Empress Lin Shuwang was angry. Furious, even. The man she had secretly loved for three years had come alone, braving the Imperial Palace and risking his life just to appear before her. First, he poured out a series of heartfelt confessions that warmed her to the bone, then presented a peerless earthly treasure like the Phoenix Essence Blood. And then... He left behind the words: "My cultivation is completely lost. I have been reduced to a mortal, unworthy of you." Furthermore, his severe injuries remained unhealed. His life force was already a flickering candle in the wind, leaving him with only a few days to live. To avoid burdening, hindering, or troubling her... Finally, before she could even react, he greased his soles and slipped away.

This... What was the meaning of this? Knowing he could no longer cultivate, knowing he was unworthy of her, and knowing he had only days left to live—why travel thousands of miles just to provoke her heart? Coming and going as he pleased—did he think her Blazing Flame Imperial Palace was a mere decoration? He had said his piece, leaving no regrets in his life, ready to march generously toward death. But what about her?! He had completely stirred her heart, and now he wanted to leave? He had finished his confession, but she... she hadn't even said whether she accepted it or not! How carefree of him! How noble! How indifferent! Hmph, but what about her?!

By the time the Empress recovered from her shock and fury, the instigator, Chu Chen, was already reaching to push open the Imperial Palace doors. In a moment of desperate urgency, her fiery temper flared, and she struck out with a palm. Before an Empress at the Great Saint realm, Chu Chen, now reduced to a mortal, had absolutely no power to resist. Moreover, although the Empress struck in anger, she harbored no killing intent. Thus, the supreme Imperial Weapon within his body, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, remained dormant.

Boom!! Without any suspense, the massive palm print bathed in crimson flames struck Chu Chen. Before he could even let out a grunt, he was knocked unconscious on the spot. This was only because the Empress had held back. Had she used even a ten-thousandth of her true power, Chu Chen's mortal body would have been instantly reduced to ashes beneath that enormous palm.

Swoosh! Before Chu Chen's body could hit the ground, the Empress performed the Divine Ability, A Step to the Horizon. She instantly materialized at the palace entrance, catching the unconscious Chu Chen in her arms.

"Hmph, I do not permit you to die, so you shall not die!" "Whether you are worthy of me is not for you to decide, but for me!" "As long as you are the man I favor, if you are stronger than me, you will be on top, and I will be below! If you are weaker than me, then I will be on top, and you will be below!" "..."

Fortunately, Chu Chen had already been knocked unconscious by that palm strike, and fortunately, the grand Imperial Palace was devoid of anyone else. Otherwise, anyone hearing such bold, shameless words coming from the mouth of the cold and aloof Empress Lin Shuwang would have their jaw drop and completely doubt their existence.

Gazing at the unconscious Chu Chen in her arms, Empress Lin Shuwang's beautiful eyes flashed with a trace of tenderness, followed by a glint of absolute resolve, as if she had made a monumental decision: "I hate owing others the most in this life. Since... since I've listened to so many of your sweet confessions, and since I've accepted your token of love... Hmph, by all reason, I... I must give you a gift in return."

Holding Chu Chen's body, Empress Lin Shuwang's pretty face flushed slightly. She no longer bore the slightest trace of her previous icy majesty, instead resembling an innocent young girl experiencing her first taste of love. It turned out that her so-called coldness and arrogance had always been nothing more than Empress Lin Shuwang's protective coloring. If she did not disguise herself as an aloof, ruthless sovereign, How could she, at such a young age, control the vast Blazing Flame Imperial Palace? How could she intimidate the Elder Council and the various Palace Masters? How could she rule over hundreds of thousands of disciples and millions of subjects?

"This matter is of grave importance. I must find someone trustworthy to act as my Dharma Protector, and to fend off the probing of the Elder Council and those Palace Masters." Empress Lin Shuwang took a deep breath, then formed a hand seal with a single hand. Spiritual power gathered at her fingertips, transforming into a miniature phoenix that spread its wings, shattered the void, and soared away to deliver a message across space.

Swoosh! The moment the miniature phoenix plunged into the boundless void, Empress Lin Shuwang waved her delicate hand. A terrifying spatial force swept through the entire hall. Forcibly twisting time and space, she constructed a spatial passage connecting two ends of the Blazing Flame Imperial Palace at a speed visible to the naked eye. Generally, when a cultivator broke through to the Saint realm, they could comprehend spatial force, shatter the void, and perform spatial teleportation. But to wield such vast spatial force to construct a stable spatial passage for others to traverse, one absolutely needed the cultivation of a Saint King. And to construct a spatial passage so quickly, so stably, and so effortlessly—even those terrifying existences who had just stepped into the Saint King realm could not achieve such a feat. Yet Empress Lin Shuwang was only at the peak of the Great Saint realm, having not yet broken through to the Saint King realm...

Whoosh! The moment the spatial passage took shape, a young girl at the other end suddenly opened her eyes. Seeing the miniature phoenix flying toward her, she grabbed it and refined the message. The girl was in her early teens, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old—an age still fond of play. She wore a verdant green dress with exquisite floral embroidery adorning the hem, looking fresh and endearing. When she spoke, she revealed a row of fine teeth, crystal clear as jade, accompanied by two deep dimples that made one want to reach out and pinch her cheeks. She was utterly playful, utterly adorable.

After refining the miniature phoenix and learning that the Empress wished to see her, the girl excitedly stood up and cheered: "Great! Master is looking for me; she must be taking me out to play~ Wait, if Master summoned me, she could have just sent a messenger. Why... Why expend so much effort to construct a spatial passage? Could Master be in danger?"

Without a shred of hesitation, the young girl stepped into the spatial passage extending before her and vanished instantly. When she reappeared, she was already inside the Empress's Imperial Palace.

"Disciple Zhang Ke'er pays respects to Master! Master, what happened? Could it be that those Palace Masters have already begun..." Before Zhang Ke'er could finish her sentence, her body froze as if struck by heavenly thunder. Because... as soon as she looked up, she saw that her Master, the Empress, was actually... Holding a man?!

Zhang Ke'er's mouth hung half-open, drool nearly dripping from the corner of her lips. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, staring intently at her Empress Master and the Chu Chen in her arms. A man! It really was a man! And quite a handsome one at that!!! Heavens, was Master... In love? But hadn't Master told her that men were like floods and savage beasts? Monsters that would dig out a person's heart and liver? The two of them had even held hands and sworn under the bright moon to remain single for billions of years~ So how could she now...

Zhang Ke'er stared and shook her head, her face full of utter disbelief, causing the Empress's pretty face to flush an even deeper shade of red.

"Ke... Ke'er, he is Chu Chen." Feeling flustered under Zhang Ke'er's intense gaze, Empress Lin Shuwang broke the silence first, confessing honestly.

"Oh~" Zhang Ke'er smacked her lips, feeling quite sour in her heart. Her Empress Master's love was supposed to be hers alone to enjoy, but now...

But a moment later, Zhang Ke'er finally processed the name, and explosive Killing Intent erupted instantly. Clang! Forgetting all about her jealousy, Zhang Ke'er immediately drew her longsword and thrust it straight toward Chu Chen's neck.

"..."

Just as the sharp blade was about to pierce Chu Chen's throat, Empress Lin Shuwang gently raised her hand. With a light flick of her finger, she sent Zhang Ke'er's longsword flying. With a single sweeping glance, spatial force surged, directly locking Zhang Ke'er in place just as she prepared to charge again.

"Ke'er, what are you doing..." Empress Lin Shuwang furrowed her delicate brows, looking at her beloved disciple in confusion.

"Master, he is Chu Chen! Three years ago, wasn't he the one who severely injured you, forcing you into Secluded Cultivation for over a year to recover? It was because of him that those Palace Masters took the opportunity to rebel and pressure you, leading to the current state of our Blazing Flame Imperial Palace... Master, your disciple swore long ago to personally slay this villain Chu Chen and vent your anger! Master, quickly release me! Let me go!"

"..."

Watching her disciple clamoring for blood, Empress Lin Shuwang rubbed her forehead, feeling a massive headache coming on. She suddenly regretted summoning this girl. How was she supposed to explain this? Was she supposed to admit that she had always secretly loved the Chu Chen who had defeated her? That she had always admired him? Always thought of him? No! Absolutely not! She was the cold and aloof Empress; didn't she need face?

Empress Lin Shuwang's pretty face flushed slightly. Under Zhang Ke'er's relentless questioning, she forcefully fabricated an excuse: "Chu Chen came today to... to deliver a declaration of war to my Blazing Flame Imperial Palace. He has now lost all his cultivation and been reduced to a mortal. My Blazing Flame Imperial Palace never takes advantage of others in their moment of weakness. If you kill him now, how will the world view me, Lin Shuwang? How will they view my Blazing Flame Imperial Palace?!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ke'er froze and scratched her little head. What Master said... seemed to make some sense.

"..."

Looking at her not-so-bright disciple, Empress Lin Shuwang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"But since we can't kill him, Master, what... what should we do?" Zhang Ke'er sheathed her longsword, walked up to the Empress, and blinked her big eyes, staring unblinkingly at the Chu Chen in the Empress's arms. Hmph, no matter how she looked at him, she found him annoying~

"Strange, his... his Meridians are completely destroyed, and his cultivation is lost. He's already a useless cripple who can't cultivate. How could he challenge Master?"

"..."

Empress Lin Shuwang was taken aback, then blushed and forced another explanation: "So... so I intend to remove my... my own God Phoenix Feather and give it to him. To heal his Dao injuries, reconnect his Meridians, reshape his bone structure, and let him live a second life!"

Whoosh— At these words, Zhang Ke'er, who had just been full of curiosity and playfulness, was instantly stunned. Her usually vibrant little face turned deathly pale.

"Master, no! I won't agree to this! The God Phoenix Feather is comparable to a legendary Immortal Medicine, extremely precious. Even for you, Master, you can only condense a single feather in your entire lifetime. If you give this God Phoenix Feather to him, not only will your cultivation regress, but it will also damage your Great Dao foundation. You will have no hope of breaking through to the Emperor realm in this life, and your very life will be in danger!"

As soon as Zhang Ke'er finished speaking, she drew her longsword and prepared to charge at Chu Chen again.

Boom!! The Empress was quick; she struck out with a palm, and terrifying spatial force once again locked Zhang Ke'er's body in place.

"My mind is made up. Do not try to persuade me further."

For the Empress, who possessed the Undying God Phoenix Physique, the cost of losing the God Phoenix Feather was clearer to her than to anyone else. But Chu Chen's life force was now a flickering candle in the wind. Apart from the God Phoenix Feather, which could rival a legendary Immortal Medicine, no other earthly treasure could allow him to live a second life and continue his path of cultivation. If she didn't want Chu Chen to die, then she, Lin Shuwang, had... No choice.

"Listen! I called you here to act as my Dharma Protector, not to teach me what to do." While restraining Zhang Ke'er, Empress Lin Shuwang spoke coldly to prevent the girl from causing any more trouble. At the same time, crimson fire-attribute Spiritual Qi surged from the Empress's body, lifting Chu Chen into the air.

"Once the God Phoenix Feather is drawn out, my cultivation will drop by three consecutive realms, and I will immediately fall into a coma. During this time, I will enter Secluded Cultivation to heal in the Imperial Palace's secret chamber. He... I will leave him in your care." As she spoke, looking at the unconscious Chu Chen, Empress Lin Shuwang seemed to remember something and waved her delicate hand. A Storage Ring floated toward Zhang Ke'er, hovering right before her. "Do not tell Chu Chen about this. When he wakes up, simply give him the Storage Ring. If he wishes to leave the Blazing Flame Imperial Palace, you must not stop him. Escort him down the mountain. If he chooses to... Do as he wishes. This is your Master's order!!"

Pfft!! Before she even finished speaking, Empress Lin Shuwang spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Scree~" At the same time, accompanied by a clear, resonant phoenix cry, a crimson feather bathed in scarlet flames and brimming with boundless vitality slowly emerged from the top of Empress Lin Shuwang's head. It drifted toward Chu Chen until it completely merged into his body. The God Phoenix Feather. One could only condense a single feather in a lifetime. It possessed the miraculous power of rebirth through fire and nirvana. It was comparable to a legendary Immortal Medicine!!

"Master!!" Watching the Empress continuously cough up blood, Zhang Ke'er screamed hoarsely, tears streaming from her eyes. As the God Phoenix Feather left her body, Empress Lin Shuwang's aura instantly plummeted, and her cultivation at the Great Saint Eighth Heaven began to drop continuously...