Profound Ice Palace, main hall.
Donghuang Ziyou sat upon the Ice Phoenix Throne, looking down at the ministers below, whose faces were filled with joy.
"Truly, this is cause for celebration. Who would've thought that after just one night, Zheng Song, the ruler of the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom, would be dead!"
"Exactly. And his backer, the Bloodthirsty Devil Lord, has vanished without a trace. It seems he met with disaster too."
"This is a tremendous boon for the Northern Profound Heaven. I wonder which mighty expert wiped them out!"
Seeing her ministers so jubilant, a faint smile also appeared at the corner of Donghuang Ziyou's lips.
Zheng Song's death and the Bloodthirsty Devil Lord's disappearance had indeed dealt the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom a heavy blow.
For the Northern Profound Heaven, however, it was wonderful news.
But Donghuang Ziyou saw more than just that.
Her smile faded, and she said gravely:
"Though Zheng Song is dead, the conflict between the Northern Profound Heaven and the Heavenly Devil Realm is far from over."
"I have decided to send out troops once more, and we will not stop until we take the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom!"
Song Yan and the other ministers were all baffled.
"Your Majesty, now that the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom has lost its leader, it no longer poses a threat to our Northern Profound Heaven. Why must we still send out troops?"
"Your Majesty, we have repeatedly sent troops against the Heavenly Devil Realm. I fear the people of the world will think our Northern Profound Heaven too warlike!"
There were even several old ministers who had never accepted Donghuang Ziyou and now mocked her, openly or otherwise, for being a warmonger.
Facing their objections, Donghuang Ziyou replied without so much as a change in expression:
"I have decided to send out troops again for two reasons."
"First, the Heavenly Devil Realm is ready to make a move. If we still don't seize the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom now, the Devil Race may think us too weak."
"Second, I intend to take the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom without slaughtering innocents. But if people from the Heavenly Devil Realm are allowed to fight over it, I fear the entire kingdom will fall into a fate worse than death."
As she spoke, she rose from the Ice Phoenix Throne, one hand behind her back, and surveyed the hall.
"The Northern Profound Heaven cannot be bullied!"
"Taking the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom will show the world how we conduct ourselves!"
"Do you still have any objections?"
Her ministers had no answer to her sound and reasoned words.
They all knelt and bowed. "Your Majesty is wise!"
Donghuang Ziyou gave a slight nod.
With an expedition imminent, she intended to finish her official duties as quickly as possible today, then go visit her four daughters.
"Though I haven't been a very capable mother, I'm still trying to become better!"
Thinking of her children, Donghuang Ziyou revealed a rare trace of tenderness.
Southern Profound Heaven, imperial palace back garden.
Two men dressed in splendid golden robes sat facing one another at a crystal-glass table.
The red-haired, green-eyed man on the left was Qin Cang, the emperor of the Southern Profound Heaven.
The man opposite him wore a pair of Thousand Feather earrings.
He was his ally, Kong Qingyu, the eldest prince of the royal family from Cave Origin Heaven.
They clinked their cups and drank a toast of heavenly nectar.
Kong Qingyu put down his cup. "Brother Qin, have you heard about what happened in the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom?"
"Of course." Qin Cang nodded without hesitation. "I wonder what kind of luck Donghuang Ziyou stumbled into to run into such a stroke of good fortune!"
"Indeed." A sinister look appeared on Kong Qingyu's handsome face. "I thought the Bloodthirsty Devil Lord might cause some trouble, but who would've expected him to vanish into thin air!"
"Do you know what happened in the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom last night?" Qin Cang had sent out spies long ago to investigate.
Yet even now, his spies had uncovered not the slightest clue.
Apart from the two severed halves of Zheng Song's corpse being displayed to the public, there was no evidence pointing to anyone suspicious.
Kong Qingyu shook his head. "No one has any idea what happened last night!"
Qin Cang drew a deep breath and sighed. "Forget it. If we want to deal with Donghuang Ziyou, we'll have to rely on ourselves."
Kong Qingyu nodded in agreement. "Exactly. She managed to turn the tables last time. We must make thorough preparations this time."
"If we do nothing, so be it. But once we strike, we must kill Donghuang Ziyou!"
Qin Cang nodded. He thought the same.
Four years ago, he and Kong Qingyu had sent out twelve Quasi-Emperor Realm death warriors to kill Donghuang Ziyou.
To his surprise, the woman had turned the tables.
Not only had her power surged overnight, she had returned to the Northern Profound Heaven and seized the throne.
That incident had lodged in Qin Cang's heart like a nail, making him grind his teeth with hatred.
To understand the grudge between him and Donghuang Ziyou, one had to go back to their first encounter six years ago.
Back then, Qin Cang had been captivated by Donghuang Ziyou's beauty and had gone to great lengths to ask her father, the emperor, for her hand in marriage.
However, Donghuang Ziyou had no interest in him and had rejected him mercilessly time and again.
Qin Cang could not have her, and as time passed, the seeds of hatred took root in his heart.
Of course, that was only one part of it.
He was determined to marry Donghuang Ziyou because the Southern Profound Heaven and the Northern Profound Heaven had similar environments, both locked in ice and snow.
After inheriting the throne, Qin Cang had always wanted to expand his territory.
His first ambition had been the Northern Profound Heaven, so similar to his own.
But things had not gone his way.
Donghuang Ziyou's merciless rejection had cost Qin Cang his chance to take the Northern Profound Heaven at the smallest possible price.
So he had joined forces with the royal family of Cave Origin Heaven to deal with Donghuang Ziyou and avenge his humiliation.
To keep his schemes from being exposed, he had carried out all his plans in secret.
"Recently, I secretly contacted the Demon Race. They'll send the Black Eagle War God to ambush Donghuang Ziyou halfway, once she attacks the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom."
Qin Cang gave a cold laugh. "As long as Donghuang Ziyou is dead, our armies can march straight in and seize the Profound Ice Palace!"
Kong Qingyu gave a smug smile. "Excellent!"
The moon sank toward the west.
After enjoying a delicious dinner with his daughters, Lin Xuan took the four little girls to bathe.
In a bathtub made of soft, supple cloud-jade, Xuanzhu and her sisters sat in a row, soaking in the water.
As Lin Xuan washed their hair and bodies, the little girls couldn't sit still.
Xuanzhu kept scooping up water and splashing it onto her face.
The splashes carried the fragrance of flower petals and all sorts of rare incense.
Xuanxi and Xuanhan kept kicking their little legs, sending water from the tub flying into the air.
The most mischievous one, of course, was Xuanyou.
The little girl was actually swimming in the water like a nine-winged frog, sending splashes everywhere.
As Lin Xuan bathed them, there was no way he could avoid all the flying water.
And when the girls saw that he was getting soaked too, they were all thrilled.
"Haha, Daddy's hair is wet!"
"I got Daddy's sleeve wet just now too!"
"This is so much fun! So much fun!"
"Daddy, look! I've turned into a nine-winged frog!"
Seeing his daughters frolicking like this, Lin Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Don't splash Daddy again, or I'll spank your little bottoms!"
Lin Xuan had no choice but to threaten them.
But it didn't work at all.
Xuanzhu and her sisters all knew Daddy would never really get mad at them. He was only trying to scare them.
"These little girls are such clever rascals!" Lin Xuan smiled helplessly. "There's really no simple way to deal with them."
"You've worked hard, dealing with the children making such a fuss."
As Lin Xuan racked his brains for a way to deal with the little girls, Donghuang Ziyou's calm voice came from behind him.
But before Lin Xuan could turn around and reply, Xuanxi, who was facing Donghuang Ziyou, shouted:
"Mommy, it's so much fun when Daddy bathes us! You should get in too and let Daddy bathe you!"
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