Chapter

Amid the wild onslaught, Donggong Fu slammed his palm forward, channeling his power into a series of massive palm imprints that stacked upon each other, crashing down with the force of a collapsing mountain.

A gust of wind accompanied by a roar echoed as Donggong Qianxue spread her vast, winged form and beat them with all her might. Terrifying flames surged forth, rushing to meet the oncoming barrage of giant palm imprints.

One after another, the immense palm imprints exploded in an instant, shattering into nothingness. A searing wave of heat surged toward Donggong Fu—even with his formidable strength, he felt as though he might evaporate on the spot. In the next moment, the scorching blast struck him directly, eliciting a pained scream as his body was hurled through the air.

"Father, if you don't order these people to stop, I will slaughter the entire empire!" Donggong Qianxue bellowed, her colossal phoenix form wreathed in seven-colored divine radiance, flames raging about her in a sight that struck terror into all who beheld her.

"Insolence! See if I don't teach you, you unfilial child!" Donggong Fu, already consumed by fury, roared as a bronze bell suddenly appeared over his chest. The bell swiftly expanded, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive, resounding great bell.

The bell tolled, its peals profound and far-reaching. Within the rolling sound seemed to dwell a dreadful magic, seeping into the bodies of all who heard it, creating an unearthly tension within them, causing their forms to swell painfully.

Just then—

"Enough!" A clear, commanding voice rang out from the distance. In the next instant, a radiant, delicate hand appeared out of thin air, seizing the bronze bell in its grasp.

"Donggong Fu, you scoundrel, do you mean to seal your own daughter within this bell?" A slender, elegant figure strode through the air from afar, draped in a faint, holy glow. Her poise was serene, her beauty otherworldly, like a celestial maiden exiled from the highest heavens.

"Greetings, Holy Empress!" The crowd below was stunned, instantly falling to their knees in reverent obeisance.

"Holy Empress? What in the world?" Chen Changsheng was momentarily dazed, before realization struck him. "So she's the Empress of the Spring and Autumn Sacred Empire!"

"Mother!" Donggong Qianxue, still in her phoenix form, hovered in the sky and called softly.

"Wife, why have you emerged from seclusion?" Donggong Fu's expression was awkward.

The Holy Empress snorted coldly. "The entire empire is in chaos, and if I remained in seclusion any longer, Xue'er would have been sealed within your Eastern Emperor Bell. This all began because you lent the Heaven-Slaughter Sword Array to the Southern Domain's Prince. If not for that, none of this would have happened. Do you think I don't know why you lent it to him?"

"Ah, well..." Donggong Fu broke out in a cold sweat.

The Holy Empress ignored him, standing aloft and gazing down. Only then did Chen Changsheng see her face clearly—so like Donggong Qianxue's, every feature exquisitely carved, flawless, her beauty heightened by the faint divine radiance that surrounded her.

"With such powerful genes, it's no wonder the princess is lauded as the most beautiful woman in the Sacred Empire," Chen Changsheng thought with a sigh.

At that moment, the gentle voice of the Holy Empress echoed down from above. "May I ask, which of you is Young Master Chen?"

Chen Changsheng started, then stepped forward, drawing Chen Die'er with him. "Greetings, Holy Empress. I am Young Master Chen, and this is my daughter, Die'er... Die'er!"

"Die'er, present!" Chen Die'er puffed out her small chest.

"Greetings, Holy Empress," she declared earnestly.

The Holy Empress was amused by the pair, her laughter ringing lightly through the air. "What an amusing father and daughter you are."

Her gaze shifted to Donggong Qianxue, still in her seven-colored phoenix form. "It seems that meeting you was Xue'er's great fortune. Now that you and your daughter have come to our imperial court, as Holy Empress I am deeply honored."

To the side, Donggong Fu was sweating profusely, his expression mortified.

Chen Changsheng glanced at him, a cold laugh in his heart. Henpecked! Indeed, a man may conquer the world, but a woman need only conquer the man.

At last, Donggong Qianxue returned to her human form, descending gracefully through the air toward the Holy Empress. "Mother, if you hadn't appeared, this entire empire might have become a living hell at my hand."

A chill ran through the Holy Empress's heart. In that moment, she truly sensed Donggong Qianxue's resolve. To protect the father and daughter, Donggong Qianxue would stop at nothing.

Her expression shifted, then she smiled softly and nodded. "Xue'er, I understand."

Mother and daughter descended together, stopping before Chen Changsheng and his child.

The Holy Empress wore a gentle, springlike smile as she addressed Chen Changsheng with respect. "Young Master Chen, to enable Die'er to awaken her seven-colored divine phoenix bloodline is truly a feat beyond imagining. Even for Xue'er to become your daughter's attendant is a supreme honor."

"Ah, well..." Donggong Fu coughed twice, attempting to interject.

"Silence!" The Holy Empress fixed him with a glare and snapped.

Donggong Fu immediately closed his mouth, not daring to utter another word.

The sight nearly made Chen Changsheng burst out laughing. He cast a sidelong glance at Donggong Fu—this level of henpecking was severe indeed! Donggong Fu, the Sacred Emperor of the Spring and Autumn Empire, who commanded all with his might, was so meek before the Holy Empress. There must be a story here, he mused.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to the Holy Empress, shaking his head. "Your Majesty, I am but an ordinary man. My so-called abilities are nothing remarkable. I happened to grow some divine herbs, which were no different to me than ordinary vegetables. We simply used them in a hotpot for the princess and her companions, which happened to awaken the princess's divine phoenix bloodline."

Young Master Chen, a mere mortal?

The Holy Empress was stunned.

Donggong Qianxue hurriedly sent a message to her mother. "Mother, Young Master Chen is a sage who has returned to simplicity, choosing to live as a commoner in Qingshui Town, avoiding the affairs of the world. The divine herbs he gave us come from a celestial world far superior to our own Yinxue Realm."

What?

This Young Master Chen was a sage from a celestial world! Even divine herbs from such a realm were nothing more than vegetables to him?

The Holy Empress felt as if struck by lightning, her body trembling as she was utterly dumbfounded.

Terrifying! Truly terrifying!

Chen Changsheng continued with a gentle smile, "As for the princess serving as my daughter's personal attendant for a month..."

"Young Master Chen, it was entirely my choice, and I consider it an immense honor," Donggong Qianxue interrupted earnestly.

Recovering from her shock, the Holy Empress's demeanor became even more respectful. "Xue'er speaks the truth. To serve as your daughter's attendant is Xue'er's honor."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind," Chen Changsheng replied, a bit taken aback at her deference, waving his hand modestly.

Yet inwardly, he could not help but sigh. As expected, the Holy Empress was truly refined—unlike that boorish Sacred Emperor.

"Mother, Young Master Chen is but a mortal. If you are too deferential, you may make him uncomfortable," Donggong Qianxue quietly reminded her, shooting her meaningful glances.