"Squeak"
The gate closed, completely isolating the first person to enter, [Heavenblade Dragon King], from the outside world.
Central Forest Garden, main hall
The main hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, exuding extreme luxury.
On the white jade couch in the very center of the main hall, a woman of unparalleled beauty reclines.
She wore a long, bright red Emperor robe, with lifelike phoenixes embroidered in gold on the hem.
The wide robe did not conceal her figure; on the contrary, it accentuated her incredibly beautiful, snow-white skin...
And her slender waist was perfectly outlined.
She was extremely beautiful, breathtakingly so.
This is the absolute ruler of Soul Return Town, [Phoenix Emperor].
However...
The Heavenblade Dragon King stood in the center of the hall, looking at the Phoenix Emperor lying on the bed.
Those gray, vertical pupils were filled with sorrow.
He wasn't there for any groom selection at all!
"Lord Phoenix Emperor!"
Heavenblade Dragon King suddenly stepped forward and knelt heavily on one knee.
"The seal on the imperial tomb is about to break! Please intervene and save the world!"
Phoenix Emperor's beautiful eyes were filled with impatience.
"You shouldn't have come here... Heavenly Blade."
"I'm tired. We've been fighting and killing for thousands of years."
"Right now, all I want is to marry a decent-looking groom in this Soul Return Town and live a peaceful life."
You can fool others, but you can't fool me!
The Heavenblade Dragon King raised his head and directly rejected her.
"This selection process that caused a sensation across the island was actually just a smokescreen!"
"As a former subordinate of you and Dragon God, I know better than anyone else in this world..."
"Your heart for him!"
Upon hearing the words "Dragon God"...
A look of unease finally appeared on the Phoenix Emperor's face.
She let out a cold laugh.
"Hehe... you're right."
"But so what?"
Phoenix Emperor sat up, her red robes fluttering.
"Since that unfaithful man died, I have asked for nothing more!"
"All I want now is to protect this pure land I've created!"
"Also, let me tell you the truth..."
Phoenix Emperor's eyes darkened.
"We've already lost, we've lost badly!"
"Soul Return Town signed a non-aggression pact with the Evil God hundreds of years ago."
"The cause of all this is neither me nor anyone else!"
"It all comes down to that person!"
Phoenix Emperor gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening, "If only he hadn't been so obsessed with the path of immortality back then!"
"If we had insisted on believing that sorcerer who preached 'great love,' how could things have come to this?!"
She smashed the jade cup beside her on the ground.
Then he took a deep breath.
"Heavenly Blade, for the sake of that heartless man, go back."
"Stop getting involved here, and let the remaining Dragon God's minions get some rest too."
Phoenix Emperor waved wearily and turned away.
"But... Phoenix Emperor!"
The Heavenblade Dragon King roared in despair, "Those Filth are completely untrustworthy! Please, do something!"
He stood up and removed his silver armor.
"To tell you the truth... the Dragon God's Claws were all slaughtered by [Void] years ago!"
We have nothing left!
"And myself..."
The Heavenblade Dragon King revealed his chest, and it was clear that the left half of his body had turned completely black.
It looks like it's covered in indescribable worms, but it's actually flesh and blood!
"I can't hold on much longer."
"The curse of the Evil God is constantly evolving! The bloodline of the Dragon Clan is about to wither away!"
"Even Void is about to take its final step and become a god!"
"By then, the entire Barbaric Realm will be ravaged by death, and even the Soul Return Town will not be spared!"
Even you couldn't stop her!
"Please! Come down from the mountain!"
The once mighty Dragon King knelt on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
The hall remained quiet for a long time.
Phoenix Emperor had her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she let out a sigh.
"Even I, the Emperor, have... unspeakable difficulties."
She didn't turn around, but her tone softened slightly, "However..."
I can give you a chance.
"If you can pass the final test of this selection, I, the Emperor, will grant you the [Mountains and Rivers Brush]."
The Heavenblade Dragon King suddenly raised his head, still wanting to try.
"But Phoenix Emperor, while the Mountains and Rivers Brush is indeed powerful, what we need is your personal presence..."
"Shut up! Otherwise, you won't even get the Mountains and Rivers Brush."
Phoenix Emperor interrupted him.
The Heavenblade Dragon King was stunned.
He watched the Phoenix Emperor's retreating figure, and then bitterly understood.
Phoenix Emperor was bound by the contract with the Evil God and could not directly take action.
But by making this condition, she clearly intended to use connections in the upcoming selection process to give him the top-grade Spirit Artifact!
"Your subordinate... yes, thank you, Lord Phoenix Emperor."
The Heavenblade Dragon King lowered his head helplessly, put his armor back on, and retreated heavily from the hall.
Phoenix Emperor slowly turned around and looked at his desolate back.
Then he looked up at the dragon and phoenix carvings on the dome of the main hall and closed his eyes.
"This time..."
"Just for your sake, let them struggle one last time."
After saying that, the Phoenix Emperor resumed its cold and aloof demeanor.
She gave instructions to her head maid, Little Sparrow.
"Call the next person in."
"Just go through the motions, then kick him out."
Outside the hall.
They saw the Heavenblade Dragon King walk out dejectedly.
Standing next to the second sedan chair at the Muraguchi Nissuu was so excited he almost jumped for joy!
"Hahaha! Did you see that, Morishita- kun!"
"That arrogant white-haired man must have been scolded and eliminated by Lady Phoenix Emperor!"
"Now, it's time for me to display the noble demeanor of the Great Sakura Empire!"
"Next up, the candidate for Prayer Deep Pool..."
"Enter the campus for an interview!"
The voice of the head maid, Little Sparrow, came from inside.
At the Muraguchi Nissuu, Hijiki straightened his kimono and entered the main hall.
As soon as I stepped into the room, I saw the stunningly beautiful Phoenix Emperor on the bed.
The Muraguchi Nissuu, his breath catching in his throat.
"So beautiful!"
However, before Muraguchi Nissuu could even smile and speak at the village entrance...
"Vomit!"
Phoenix Emperor suddenly covered her mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief, her face full of disgust, and directly ordered the guest to leave.
"Quickly! Get him out of here!"
"His stench is absolutely disgusting! It's giving me a headache!"
At the Muraguchi Nissuu was shocked and hurriedly raised his sleeve to frantically sniff himself, his face flushed as he tried to explain.
"Phoenix Emperor Lord! Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm wearing the Empire's finest cherry blossom perfume, it smells wonderful!"
"How could it possibly smell bad?!"
The maids nearby exchanged glances, indeed they didn't smell any foul odor.
If it really smelled bad, they would have killed the guy right at the door; there's no way they would have let him in.
Phoenix Emperor stroked her chin, her eyes darting around, clearly too lazy to even bother making up an excuse.
She simply snorted coldly.
"No odor? That means he's too ugly!"
"Just looking at his lewd face makes me feel disgusted and nauseous!"
"Especially that slovenly tuft of mustache under his nose, it looks like a fly's leg crawling out of a latrine!"
"Just one glance at me will shorten your lifespan by ten years!"
"Guards! Throw him out!"
"A... fly leg?!"
The Muraguchi Nissuu was struck dumb; his proud samurai beard was being belittled as a fly's leg?
Adding to the previous series of blows from being cheated on, he was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath!
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted from anger again!
"Get rid of this unlucky thing right now!"
Phoenix Emperor waved its hand dismissively.
Two maids immediately stepped forward and dragged Muraguchi Nissuu by the ankles, leading him outside.
Next to the warehouse in the backyard of Central Forest Garden.
Guo Shuai was carrying two large buckets of foul-smelling night-blooming jasmine onto a cart with a worried expression.
Just then, two paper maids dragged the unconscious Muraguchi Nissuu, over.
With a "bang," he was casually tossed aside next to the two buckets of manure.
"Hey, new latrine cleaner."
The maid took out twenty taels of silver notes from her bosom, casually stuffed them into Guo Shuai's arms, and pointed to the Muraguchi Nissuu on the ground.
"The Phoenix Emperor Queen finds this guy disgusting."
"When you take Ye Xiang out of town later, just throw this trash anywhere on the Third Ring Town."
"You can throw it anywhere, just don't make Central Forest Garden dirty."
Guo Shuai paused for a moment, took the twenty-tael silver note, and glanced down at the little baka on the cart.
"Holy crap?! Is this for real?!"
Guo Shuai's eyes lit up instantly.
He patted his chest and guaranteed it.
"Don't worry, sisters! I'm absolutely reliable when it comes to handling things!"
"I guarantee I'll arrange a perfect burial site for him!"
After the maid left.
Guo Shuai sneered and rubbed his hands together, then grabbed the collar of the Muraguchi Nissuu.
They threw him into the chamber pot.
"Heh heh heh! You little bastard, you dare to steal the boss's wife?"
"You have absolutely no self-awareness! The septic tank of Soul Return Town is your final resting place!"
Inside the main hall.
Phoenix Emperor yawned lazily.
In any case, the selection process was just a formality; she had already decided on the final spot for Heavenblade Dragon King.
The rest of the cats and dogs can just be chased away.
"Little Sparrow, go and call the third one up."
Phoenix Emperor closed her eyes, her mind already racing, trying to come up with the most outrageous excuse she could come up with later.
"Just say he stepped through the gate with his left foot first, violating my rules..."
Because all the other maids went to deal with that disgusting little cherry blossom.
Left with no other choice, the head maid Little Sparrow, had to walk herself to the front of the first large red sedan chair.
Since her master had already decided that it was just a formality, Little Sparrow's attitude was naturally not much better.
She stood in front of the sedan chair and gave a perfunctory greeting.
"Hey you inside, stop dawdling! Get out of the sedan chair now, Phoenix Emperor summons you for a... uh!"
Little Sparrow had only spoken halfway when her voice abruptly stopped.
A hand lifted the bright red sedan curtain.
Jiangnan stepped calmly out of the sedan chair.
He casually peeled off the Memo Paper covering his face to block out the light and crumpled it into a ball.
That cold and arrogant face was completely revealed under the moonlight.
The moment I saw that face clearly.
The Little Sparrow took two steps back, trembling all over.
A sense of awe and disbelief from the depths of her soul rendered her unable to utter a complete sentence.
"Is it... is it him?!"
"That man who once commanded the submission of all races in the Dragon Xia Imperial City..."
"A man even the Ancestor Dragon Emperor revered..."
"But how is that possible? The master clearly already..."
Jiangnan glanced at her.
Without uttering any unnecessary words or acknowledging her shock, he simply said in a cold voice.
"Lead the way."
Just two simple words.
Little Sparrow Que shuddered. She didn't dare to look at Jiangnan again and just nodded frantically.
"Never mind..."
"My humble eyes might be mistaken. Let's take it in and show it to Phoenix Emperor!"
The Little Sparrow was so frightened it almost walked backwards.
He stumbled and staggered as he led the way.
Walk through the corridor and cross the threshold.
Jiangnan officially entered the main hall of Central Forest Garden.
On the bed.
Upon hearing footsteps, Phoenix Emperor didn't even open its eyes, preparing to hurl the excuse it had just made up at the enemy.
"When you came in just now, did you step in with your left foot first...?"
But before she could finish speaking, her voice trailed off.
Because she sensed something so familiar, so deeply ingrained in her soul...
Even what has haunted her dreams every night for three thousand years...
Breath.
Phoenix Emperor suddenly opened her beautiful eyes and her gaze fell on the man in the center of the hall, who was wearing a flying fish robe.
Time stood still at this moment.
Phoenix Emperor's usually languid face completely lost all composure at this moment.
Her red lips trembled violently, and the emotion in her eyes shifted from shock...
Unbelievable...
It took less than half a second to go from hot to scorching.
The next moment!
"Whoosh!"
A sudden gust of wind swept through the main hall!
Phoenix Emperor didn't even bother to put on shoes, her snow-white jade feet bare.
In an instant, he was teleported from his bed to Jiangnan's side!
The tips of their noses were almost less than an inch apart.
"You... you're back?"