One day later.
The first Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty, Qin Liuli, celebrated her birthday as scheduled!
Various resources were distributed nationwide; every citizen of Great Jin received their share, from cultivation techniques and resources to food and clothing. The entire country was filled with joy, presenting a scene of prosperity.
Moreover, the Empress issued an edict that during the birthday celebration, all executions, except for those involved in the Burial Immortal Mountain Range battle, were postponed, and all wars were halted.
Border soldiers were allowed to return home to visit their families, and all active soldiers received their salaries in advance.
Envoys from neighboring countries arrived, either on flying boats or riding colossal beasts that blotted out the sky, hovering around the capital to congratulate the Empress on her birthday.
However, Meng Qingzhou, the Empress’s only consort and the Empress herself, could not attend due to illness.
This disappointed many envoys from neighboring countries who harbored ulterior motives.
After all, who wouldn’t want to see what kind of person Meng Qingzhou, rumored to have no cultivation and to be disabled, was to capture the Empress’s heart?
Capital, Imperial Palace.
Golden Throne Hall.
Today, the Empress wore a majestic robe adorned with nine dragons and nine phoenixes, her train trailing on the ground like a fiery ladder. Her long, straight, and fair legs ascended the throne at an unhurried pace.
Turning around, she gracefully sat down.
Dongfang Liuli’s cold and gorgeous phoenix eyes swept over the civil and military officials kneeling below and the group of envoys from neighboring countries kneeling in the center. Her red lips parted slightly:
“Rise.”
Scanning the hall, she did not see Meng Qingzhou, and Qin Liuli felt a bit puzzled.
‘Is that guy still sleeping?’
‘He dares to skip my birthday celebration… Well, he is Salted Fish Meng after all.’
‘Besides Dongfang Liuli, he doesn’t care about the Empress or Qin Liuli.’
Thinking of Meng Qingzhou, Dongfang Liuli’s mood inexplicably improved.
The civil and military officials also noticed Minister Meng’s absence, but no one dared to question it. They all pretended not to see, eyes fixed on their noses, noses on their hearts.
Some old foxes who had been deeply rooted in the court for years exchanged glances and concluded that Minister Meng had been drained dry!
As the Empress’s lover, bedridden on the day of the birthday celebration, the answer was obvious.
Understandable, understandable…
Su Qingqiu, the Empress’s personal maid, dressed in a simple white dress, stood beside the throne and said:
“Envoys from various countries, step forward to pay respects to Your Majesty!”
“We pay our respects to the Great Jin Empress!” The envoys hurriedly bowed and saluted.
The Great Jin Dynasty’s prestige had been rising in recent years, all thanks to the Empress’s civil and military prowess.
The Empress was known for her ruthless reputation, preferring to sustain war with war. The Great Jin army was either fighting or on the way to fight.
What, you say there’s not enough military funding?
Conquer a country! Plunder its treasury!
What, you say the soldiers are depleted?
Recruit the surrendered troops and send them to the battlefield!
What, you say the territory is too small to accommodate the people of the conquered nations?
Keep expanding until the entire world is unified, and naturally, there will be enough land.
Such a domineering and ambitious hero, who would dare to underestimate her, let alone a group of envoys.
“Envoy of Yong Kingdom, by the Empress’s decree, presents ten top-grade celestial spiritual treasures and ten thousand tamed beasts of the First Rank Realm! Congratulations on the birthday!”
“Envoy of Lingtuo Kingdom, by the Empress’s decree, cedes three cities and a spiritual energy lake! Congratulations on the birthday!”
“Envoy of Wanxi Kingdom, by the Empress’s decree, presents ten thousand acres of grain and three thousand sets of earth-grade armor! Congratulations on the birthday!”
…
…
The hall was filled with continuous congratulations.
The officials of Great Jin looked down on these small neighboring countries, and no one cared about the gifts, not even the high and mighty Empress.
But at this moment.
The sunlight over the capital was suddenly obscured, plunging the world into gloom. People looked up at the sky in confusion.
Countless strong cultivators soared into the sky from all over the capital, like meteors rising from the ground, glaring at the sky.
A colossal beast that blotted out the sky broke through the clouds, revealing a ferocious turtle head.
Just its head was the size of a city, and its body was boundless, hidden in the void, with its neck surrounded by void fragments.
“This… This is the Sea-Suppressing Turtle! It’s recorded to have a trace of Basalt bloodline, but wasn’t the Sea-Suppressing Turtle clan extinct long ago?”
“A Sea Covering Realm great demon, what a terrifying aura!”
“Look, there’s someone standing on the Sea-Suppressing Turtle’s head! Who could it be, riding a Sea Covering Realm demon king, with such grandeur?”
“The Sea-Suppressing Turtle is proud and violent by nature. If that person didn’t have real strength, it wouldn’t let him stand on its head.”
Countless strong cultivators who had risen into the air were blown down like raindrops by the Sea-Suppressing Turtle’s breath.
A young man in black stood on the head of the Sea Covering Realm demon king—the Sea-Suppressing Turtle, smiling faintly:
“Don’t be alarmed, don’t be alarmed.”
“I am Wang Teng, Minister of War of the Great Qian Dynasty. I heard that the Great Jin Empress is hosting a birthday celebration, so I came to congratulate her.”
As soon as he spoke, the originally indignant officials fell silent, and the great beings who were about to make a move stopped.
The Great Qian Dynasty was also an extremely powerful nation.
In some aspects, it even surpassed the Great Jin Dynasty, but the two countries were far apart and had no conflicts or interests over the years.
“It’s said that the ruler of the Great Qian Dynasty recently broke through to the Half-Step Morning Glow Realm just before his lifespan limit!”
“Half-Step Morning Glow Realm, isn’t that equivalent to the Great Jin’s General of Column Kingdom? Not to be underestimated.”
“You’re wrong. The Great Qian Dynasty has more than one Half-Step Morning Glow. It’s rumored that the previous two rulers are also Half-Step Morning Glow, hidden somewhere in seclusion!”
“Wow! Three Half-Step Morning Glow experts, even the Great Jin Dynasty can’t compare.”
The envoys whispered in awe.
Standing on the Sea-Suppressing Turtle’s head, Wang Teng’s gaze pierced through the void, landing directly on Dongfang Liuli on the throne. He then waved his hand and said loudly:
“The Great Qian Dynasty has also prepared generous gifts. Please accept them, Your Majesty.”
“One ancient forbidden god array blueprint! One half-immortal grade ancient halberd! Thirty-three peak Mountain Moving Realm demon beasts! And one bottle of Heaven and Earth Vitality Liquid!”
Wang Teng’s voice, infused with spiritual energy, echoed throughout the capital.
The city fell silent, followed by an uproar.
Crazy!
What is the Great Qian Dynasty doing? It’s just a birthday celebration, why give such generous gifts?
Any one of these gifts is a rare treasure in the world, and they just gave them away?
“Heaven and Earth Vitality Liquid…” Jiang Canghai muttered, glancing at Wang Teng in the sky, and said indifferently:
“What is the Great Qian Dynasty planning?”
A minister exclaimed, “Heaven and Earth Vitality Liquid is priceless, capable of extending lifespan. The three rulers of the Great Qian Dynasty rely on this treasure to stay alive. How can they give it away so easily?”
However.
The Empress Dongfang Liuli, sitting on the throne, had cold eyes, staring at Wang Teng from afar.
Wang Teng grunted, blood seeping from his eyes.
“A king should not be looked at directly. Don’t you understand this principle?” Dongfang Liuli said coldly, “If you dare to look directly again, I will not spare you.”
Wang Teng wiped the blood from his eyes, his expression unchanged, and bowed slightly, “I will obey the Empress’s decree.”
Dongfang Liuli waved her hand, her voice echoing in the Golden Throne Hall, “Accept the gifts and enter the hall. Also, tell your turtle to retract its head, so it doesn’t scare my people.”
Soon, the chaos subsided.
The Sea-Suppressing Turtle retracted its massive head into the void, and Wang Teng descended into the capital, entering the Golden Throne Hall.
In the Golden Throne Hall.
Wang Teng smiled, his hands behind his back, and said calmly:
“I believe the Empress has seen the sincerity of the Great Qian Dynasty. I am here not only to congratulate you but also…”
Before he could finish.
A sword sense soared into the sky, seemingly splitting the sun in two, disrupting the rules of heaven and earth.
A hundred-zhang-long ancient bronze sword appeared in the sky, and a white-haired middle-aged man said loudly:
“The Forbidden Zone of Sword Seclusion visits. I am Jian Wentian, the personal disciple of the Forbidden Zone’s master. I present a handwritten painting by a Morning Glow Realm sword cultivator to congratulate the Empress.”
Before the echo faded, another commotion arose.
From the end of the world, a vast blood aura spread to the capital, and a voice said, “Third Prince of the Blood Sea Empire, Mo Wuyi, presents ten early Sea Covering Realm blood puppets to congratulate the Empress!”
About a minute later, a young man with long, disheveled hair and a bare upper body arrived above the capital, his vast blood aura suffocating.
And it wasn’t over yet.
The arrival of Wang Teng, the Minister of War of the Great Qian Dynasty, seemed to trigger a chain reaction.
From four directions of the capital, four young supremes descended simultaneously, all from powerful nations or major forces.
The four young supremes who arrived late had equally terrifying auras, no less than the sword cultivator from the Forbidden Zone and the Third Prince of the Blood Sea Empire.
“General of Ao Lai Kingdom—Sun Baisheng, presents…”
“Chief Elder of Wuyatian Sect—Duan Wuchou, presents…”
“Third Leader of the Five Spirit Clan—Huang Hao, presents…”
For a time, the sky above the capital was filled with powerful auras, and various forces arrived one after another.
Seven young supremes, the oldest not exceeding fifty, the youngest only thirty. For cultivators, under a hundred years old is considered young. They were all exceptionally talented, all at the Sea Covering Realm.
They were undoubtedly considered prodigies.
Capital, Qin Residence.
Meng Qingzhou, hearing the commotion, lay leisurely on a chair, sipping tea. He spat out the tea leaves disdainfully and said:
“Ha, all trash.”
“In my hometown, fifty-year-olds should be holding grandchildren, what young supremes.”
He knew exactly what these people were after.
They were all eyeing Empress Qin Liuli, who was not only beautiful but also talented, a twenty-year-old Moon Shine Realm great being. Recently, she had issued an imperial edict to suppress the Forbidden Zone, and some even said she had touched the threshold of the Morning Glow Realm.
Most importantly, Qin Liuli was a woman!
Marriage was undoubtedly the best option.
If they could marry her, the gifts given today would be repaid many times over in the future.
“Want to marry the Empress? Dream on. The book clearly states that the Empress hates show-offs the most, and here you are, one by one, oppressing the capital, scaring the people into closing their doors.”
“I bet the Empress wants to kill you all right now, hahaha…”
Meng Qingzhou laughed as he recalled the plot, enjoying the show.
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