Fang Ling clenched his fist, and the world within his palm vanished.
He had already planted the seeds of hope; all he needed now was patience. One day, they would bloom and bear fruit.
He looked down at the ground. After the entire city had been moved, a terrifying abyss appeared.
Anyone unaware of the situation would be utterly shocked.
At this moment, he concealed his only weakness, leaving no room for other concerns.
From his storage ring, he took out a Dragon King mask and put it on.
Then, using the Heavenly Concealment Technique taught by his master, the Flower Thief, he altered his aura.
The disguise technique of Heavenly Concealment was top-notch.
Back in the Miao Territory, even a powerful figure like Lan Yan couldn’t see through his true cultivation.
Now, after changing his aura, no one would be able to discern his true strength.
With his current power, he couldn’t confront a giant like the Heavenly Dao Sect head-on, so he had to lay low for now.
Since his debut, he had only operated around the Blood Marsh in Nanyang.
In a few days, the Heavenly Dao Sect and the remaining witchcraft practitioners from the Chuan Clan tribe would surely come seeking revenge.
He planned to leave this place temporarily and head north to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was also a top-tier power in the Southern Dipper Region.
Moreover, its foundation was even deeper than that of the Great Qian Dynasty behind the South Sun Kingdom.
More importantly, the Zhou Dynasty was an enemy of the Han Dynasty, where the Heavenly Dao Sect was located.
In the Zhou Dynasty, he could develop in peace for a while without worrying about the Heavenly Dao Sect’s pursuit.
But before leaving, he felt an inexplicable urge to detour to the capital of the South Sun Kingdom.
…
South Sun Kingdom Palace.
Li Hong Shao was cultivating in her training room.
Compared to a few years ago, she was even more radiant, with an added touch of allure.
The most astonishing part was that in just three years, she had broken through from the mid-stage to the Great Perfection stage of the Alioth Realm.
To advance two minor realms in such a short time was simply unbelievable.
The reason behind all this was something she didn’t want to recall.
Ever since Fang Ling had possessed her that day, she felt as if her body had been unlocked!
From that day on, her cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, even without actively cultivating.
At first, she was excited, but later she became faintly afraid.
There were no free lunches in the world, and such a strange situation made her uneasy.
However, after spending a lot of time researching ancient texts, she finally understood what was happening.
She believed she had the legendary Heavenly Sealed Physique.
The Heavenly Sealed Physique was extremely rare, and before its seal was broken, one wouldn’t be aware of it.
Although she had shown remarkable talent before, it was nothing compared to the heirs of major powers.
At over eight hundred years old, she had only reached the mid-stage of the Alioth Realm, so she never thought she had any special physique.
“Where did that bastard run off to?”
“My people have been searching for years, but there’s no trace of him.”
“Although, thanks to him, I’ve soared to new heights…”
Three years had passed, but she still couldn’t forget Fang Ling and wanted to seek revenge.
Now, she was brimming with confidence, believing she had surpassed Fang Ling.
“Your Majesty, Young Master Wei requests an audience!” At this moment, her trusted maid’s voice came from outside.
Li Hong Shao frowned and snorted coldly, “Didn’t I say I wouldn’t see him?”
“Tell him I’m in seclusion!”
“I did tell him that, but he…” The maid hesitated.
“Speak freely!” Li Hong Shao said.
“He said that if Your Majesty refuses to see him, our South Sun Kingdom might have to increase its tribute by seventy percent this year!” the maid whispered.
Upon hearing this, a flash of killing intent appeared in Li Hong Shao’s eyes, and her face darkened.
But these negative emotions quickly disappeared. She had endured for many years and had honed her temperament.
She stood up and left the training room.
Soon, she arrived at the Golden Throne Hall.
At this moment, the vast hall was empty, without a single servant or eunuch.
Only a carefree young man sat on the dragon throne, his legs crossed.
Seeing Li Hong Shao approach, he remained unmoved, sitting where he was.
“Emperor Shao, you don’t want to see me?” Wei Wujin stared at Li Hong Shao, his eyes filled with undisguised possessiveness.
Li Hong Shao said indifferently, “I was merely in seclusion. What business do you have?”
“Didn’t I already submit this year’s tribute?”
Wei Wujin was a scion of a top family in the Great Qian Dynasty, punished to follow the envoy team to collect tributes from various vassal states due to his mistakes.
He had thought it would be a tough job, but upon arriving in the South Sun Kingdom, he was delighted.
He hadn’t expected to find such a beautiful woman in this small place.
Although she was cold and gave off an unapproachable vibe, he liked that type.
He enjoyed seeing strong-willed women submit before him.
“Emperor Shao, you should know that my Wei family has high-ranking officials in both the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue. The amount of tribute your vassal states pay each year is actually decided by my family.”
“You did submit the originally planned tribute, but… things change.”
“This year is special, so we might need to collect more.”
“Hmm… I won’t make it too hard for you. Just increase it by fifty percent this year!”
“Submit the remaining fifty percent within three days, and I’ll leave immediately!” Wei Wujin sneered.
Emperor Shao coldly replied, “You’re joking. If the tribute amount is to be increased, you need to present an imperial decree with the Emperor’s seal. Do you have it?”
“If you want to see it, I can get it!” Wei Wujin said sternly.
“I’m the only son of the Wei family. If I want, I can have the decree here by tomorrow!”
“Let’s not waste time. How much do you want? Name your price,” Li Hong Shao said.
In the past, those who came to collect tributes often extorted extra spirit stones from the national treasury.
Wei Wujin laughed, stood up, and looked down at Li Hong Shao.
“My Wei family is as wealthy as a nation. We don’t care about your trifles.”
“You should understand what I mean. I’m interested in you.”
“If you accompany me, I won’t trouble you anymore.”
“Otherwise… hmph! Your South Sun Kingdom will face increasing tribute demands year after year until your country is destroyed.”
Emperor Shao took a deep breath. Over the years, this was the first time she had encountered such a shameless envoy.
Years of pent-up anger surged within her. She had had enough!
The royal bloodline was down to just her. If she killed him, she could always flee.
As long as she lived, the South Sun Kingdom wouldn’t fall. One day, she would make the blood-sucking Great Qian Dynasty pay.
With her mind made up, she was about to strike.
But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind Wei Wujin.
“Who are you?” Wei Wujin noticed him too. “You scared me!”
“What’s happening? Why can’t I move?”
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”
“Do you know who I am?”
Fang Ling swung his palm, smashing Wei Wujin’s head into a bloody mist.
Then he looked at Emperor Shao and said calmly, “I killed him. Just report my name.”
With so many debts, he didn’t mind adding the Wei family of the Great Qian Dynasty to the list.
Li Hong Shao frowned and snorted coldly, “I would have killed him myself. Why did you interfere?”
“I’ve been looking for you for years, and now you show up on your own.”
“Today, you’ll pay for what you did back then!”
She waved her sleeve, pulling Fang Ling into an independent small space.
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