The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1267 - 674: The Second Door

Xue Shence and the other military leaders remained silent, only able to clasp their fists and withdraw, pondering how to stabilize the military’s morale.

The Empress turned around and returned to her own tent embroidered with five-clawed golden dragons. Her complexion visibly turned pale, and her breath became weak.

Xu Zhenguan’s eyes dimmed as she mocked herself: "Triggered the old injury...I wonder how things are at the Capital. I can only wait for the Split Soul to return..."

At the same time, there was worry in her eyes:

Through the recent battle, she noticed that within Xiping Road, the power of the Worldly Venerate that Xuan Yin could borrow was increasing.

"Is his own cultivation improving, or is it that, with the war, Xiping Road is gradually being shrouded under Buddha Light? Is the belief in the Worldly Venerate on this land increasing?"

"This is...not good."

...

...

North Tomb.

Outside the empty and quiet mausoleum, a phantom full moon appeared. Subsequently, Zhao Douan and his group emerged.

The night breeze brushed their faces.

The surroundings remained silent, yet the expressions of the five-member tomb-stealing team were not good.

Not to mention that the Great Yu Grand Ancestor’s cultivation back then reached the heavens, even if it were just a mortal body, in six hundred years, the bones could not have possibly rotted away.

Moreover, there were no signs of theft in the tomb.

Even after thorough inspection, not a trace of corpse stench could be found in the coffin.

This outcome left Xu Zhenguan both horrified and puzzled.

As for being pleasantly surprised...to be honest, there wasn’t any.

After all, it’s an ancestor from six hundred years ago; there is certainly respect, but to say there is much closeness...that’s somewhat far-fetched...the key is...

"Where did the Grand Ancestor go back then?"

Zhao Douan was the first to break the silence: "Judging from the scene, there’s reason to speculate that the Grand Ancestor Emperor faked death back then, left the tomb after entering...or perhaps never even entered the tomb. Hence, the final whereabouts are quite important."

Zhang Yan Yi, stroking his beard beside him, probed: "As of now, the greatest suspicion still lies behind that golden gate. However, since the Xu Royal Family’s Grand Ancestor indeed left behind all his lifetime cultivation, it at least indicates he didn’t live very long."

Having lost cultivation, at Xu’s age back then, he indeed could not have lived long.

Of course, if he had transformed into a state similar to Pei Niannu, then it would be hard to say.

In any case, all mysteries point to the Mubei Forest.

"Please keep today’s matters confidential," Xu Zhenguan looked seriously at the three master and disciple duo from the Heavenly Master Mansion: "Let’s pretend we never came today."

Zhang Yan Yi nodded: "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I naturally understand."

Then, he gave his two disciples a glance. Gongshu Tianyuan shuddered and quickly patted his chest to assure, while Jin Jian was still somewhat dazed, somewhat disappointed about not bringing out any burial goods.

"I will leave first." Zhang Yan Yi grabbed each disciple with a hand and soared into the sky.

Once they vanished, leaving just the two of them, Zhao Douan looked at the Empress with concern: "Your Majesty..."

Xu Zhenguan smiled at him, shook her head, and said poignantly: "It’s fine. It seems your previous concerns were indeed valid. Now it seems even more necessary for me to go with you behind the golden gate. I have a hunch; everything will have an answer."

Zhao Douan nodded, and at that moment, he suddenly saw the Empress’s face change dramatically, her body swaying.

He hurriedly supported her, worriedly asking: "What’s wrong?"

The Empress’s lips turned white, and her eyes were grave: "It’s from my main body; it seems to have triggered the injury...could it be the Xuan Yin has come looking?"

The only one in Xiping capable of making her main body go all out would be Xuan Yin.

"I must return to the palace immediately to return to my main body and understand the situation," she said.

Zhao Douan said: "I’ll take you."

Xu Zhenguan shook her head, smiled, and declined: "Don’t forget, tonight I was disguised as you to come over; can’t let the secret slip. All right, go back and rest. If anything happens, I’ll naturally find you. Take these few days to rest well, and when Heavenly Master Zhang recovers, we will set out."

Zhao Douan had no choice but to nod, turn and leap onto the rooftop, then watched as Xu Zhenguan donned her cloak again, summoned the waiting female attendants outside, and then returned to the Imperial Palace by carriage.

...

...

In the following days, everything calmed down.

The next day, Zhao Douan went to the Imperial Palace and learned from the Empress about Xuan Yin’s disturbances. Fortunately, it seemed Xuan Yin did not intend to start the war early, so it was just a feint and did not appear again.

On the same day, Li Wushang Dao from the Heavenly Master Mansion arrived at Xiping Road on a celestial crane, met with the true form of the Empress, and presented the Divine Dragon Grass.

That night, the Empress consumed the Divine Dragon Grass, healed overnight, and by the next morning, her injuries were miraculously healed, returning to her peak state. Even the "injury" from splitting off a soul was mended.

Her state was surprisingly good.

This made Zhao Douan even more amazed at the miraculous nature of Divine Dragon Grass.

And with the Empress in her prime stationed there, it seemed that before Xuan Yin advanced to the Human Immortal, the war in Xiping wouldn’t take a bad turn.

Another couple of days passed.

Zhang Yan Yi finally finished his healing.

This day, in the morning.

After breakfast, Zhao Douan, once again under the guise of a business trip, left his residence, first stopping by the government office to bring along Tuoba Weizhi.

This time, Ji Yue was not brought along.

Afterwards, he went to the Heavenly Master Mansion and called on Zhang Yan Yi.

Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan were absent this time, as Mubei Forest was too dangerous, so they were ordered to stay and guard the house.

Finally, Zhao Douan took the Old Heavenly Master and the Priestess to the palace to meet with the Empress. The four of them, once again, reached the depths of the Grand Temple.

They stood before that golden gate.

"Let’s begin," Xu Zhenguan announced seriously, this time dressed in convenient, slightly androgynous white attire with a warm jade at her waist, resembling a lady swordsman.

Zhao Douan nodded, then looked at Tuoba Weizhi: "You open it first."

"Yes, Master." The Black-skinned Priestess did not hesitate, as if it was finally time to fulfill her destiny.

She stepped towards the golden gate, suddenly pausing, her eyes swirling with black. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Immediately, threads of black lines flowed from her brow, frantically filling one of the grooves on the golden gate.

Simultaneously, Tuoba Weizhi’s body became motionless like a powered-off robot.

Next was Zhao Douan. He too stepped up to the door, contemplated for a moment, then raised his right hand to press on another groove. His inner Dragon Essence was activated, coursing through his arm into the groove.

Finally, the Empress stepped forward under the watchful eye of the Old Heavenly Master, beginning to manipulate a mysterious dial covered in strange symbols in the center of the golden gate, gradually aligning it to the correct position based on a code obtained from the "Human World."

"Boom!"

When the code was precisely aligned, a vibration like a mechanism unlocking echoed from the sealed golden gate.

Then, it was finally Zhang Yan Yi’s turn. This golden gate also required someone of the Heavenly Human Realm to push it open.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

As Zhang Yan Yi applied force little by little, Zhao Douan and the Empress clearly saw the door gap widening, with wind and light entering from behind the door. The wind seemed blocked, but the stark white light clearly shone on their faces.

Little by little, in the dark underground, it illuminated their faces.

Finally, when the golden gate was about a third open, an invisible membrane vanished, and a cold wind blew in their faces.

Zhao Douan shivered, then was amazed to see the light behind the door gradually fading away, revealing an ice field before them.

This time, the door seemed to open directly to another location.

And from the grooves in the golden gate, the black glow from Tuoba Weizhi retracted back into her body, and the Dragon Essence returned to Zhao Douan.

...

The typos first to be changed later

This time, their door seemed to open directly to another location.

And from the grooves in the golden gate, the black glow from Tuoba Weizhi retracted back into her body, and the Dragon Essence returned to Zhao Douan.

...