Chapter 337
A Yue remained silent for a long while, then sighed softly and whispered, "Princess..."
No matter what choice you make, I will always stand by your side!
After saying that, she stretched out her arms and pulled Xiao Minghuang's head into her embrace, gently patting her back to comfort her.
This time, Xiao Minghuang did not dodge. She leaned against A Yue, closed her eyes, and felt the trust and warmth coming from the other person. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"A Yue, thank you!"
On the calm sea.
A Yue walked through the waves to the shore, her moonlit gaze sweeping over Ye Ruoshui and the others who had been watching for some time, and smiled gently:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the princess has gone to the Southern Wilderness and will return soon. During this time, I will take care of you in her place. I hope you do not mind."
Her voice was melodious, like the song of a nightingale, which was very pleasant to listen to.
Ye Ruoshui smiled and said, "It is our blessing that you are willing to take care of us, senior. How could we possibly mind?"
"Yes, we also respect our seniors very much," the sisters quickly echoed.
A Yue smiled gently, "You're too kind, everyone. Just call me Sister Yue."
"Sister Yue!"
"Sister Yue..."
Ye Ruoshui quickly replied respectfully.
Just now, they saw Xiao Minghuang invite this mysterious woman and chat and laugh with her. As for the more intimate actions that followed, they were all concealed within the barrier and were not seen by them.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so respectful.
A Yue nodded and waved, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you to your lodgings."
The sisters exchanged glances and said in unison, "Thank you, Sister Yue."
Immediately, the group left the coast and headed into the boundless depths of the endless sea.
"Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles!"
"Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles!"
"The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles..."
The easternmost point, above the vast sky.
Three clear, resonant voices rang out.
In a short while.
A majestic and imposing figure emerged from the clouds; it was none other than the Eastern Pole Emperor.
His gaze shifted, looking toward someone standing not far away.
Amidst the hazy mist, a slender and graceful figure stood tall and elegant.
It was a woman wearing a bright yellow dress.
Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her skin was as white as snow, and her figure was graceful, as if a celestial maiden had descended to earth. Her exquisite and beautiful face carried a calm and aloof expression, noble and elegant, natural and untouched by the world, which was beyond description.
Only the most beautiful and noble words can describe it.
Even when sharing the same void with the ruler of this world, the Eastern Pole Emperor, he was in no way inferior.
Looking at her, the Eastern Pole Emperor's eyes gleamed with a strange light, thinking to himself, "It is precisely someone like her who can lead my world to boundless prosperity!"
448. Exile Order
"Princess Xiao, you truly keep your word."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's lips curled slightly, but she did not respond, remaining noncommittal.
Judging from the attitude of the Eastern Pole Emperor, if she really leaves, there will definitely be another conspiracy waiting for her, which will be even more ruthless and vicious than it is now, and may even affect the sisters.
It would be better to deliberately walk into the trap now, so that we can still maintain some initiative.
Seeing that Xiao Minghuang had no intention of talking to him, the Eastern Pole Emperor felt awkward and didn't say anything more. With a flick of his sleeve, a golden gate unfolded in the void.
"Since I promised to send you to the Eastern Pole to discuss peace talks, I will not go back on my word. The delegation has already set off. Once you arrive at the Central Demon City in the Southern Wilderness, someone will meet you. At that time, you will have full authority over all peace talks. I only have three requirements. The third one must be met, and the rest is up to you."
"First, release all the Eastern Extremity cultivators captured by the Southern Wilderness."
"Secondly, withdraw all spies from the Southern Wilderness in the Eastern Pole of Zhongtian, and prohibit cultivators from the Southern Wilderness from entering the Eastern Pole of Zhongtian."
"Thirdly, cultivators from the Eastern Pole are allowed free entry and exit to any part of the Southern Wilderness and are protected by the Central Devil Palace of the Southern Wilderness. They shall not be harmed or restricted by anyone in any form. If a cultivator from the Eastern Pole violates the order of the Southern Wilderness, he or she shall be sent back to the Eastern Pole for disposal by the Eastern Pole itself."
"Apart from that, it's up to you. As long as you achieve the third point, I will acknowledge the outcome, whatever it may be. However, you will also bear all the consequences, good or bad, that result from it!"
"If it cannot be achieved..."
Having said that, the Eastern Pole Emperor's eyes flashed with a dangerous light as he stared intently at Xiao Minghuang and said, "As the Lord of the Eastern Central Heaven, I can, of course, issue an exile order against anyone at any time, in any place within this realm, and banish them from the Five Directions One Realm!"
That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself!
The words had barely left his mouth.
The body of the Eastern Pole Emperor slowly faded and disappeared.
After hearing what the Eastern Pole Emperor said, Xiao Minghuang clenched her fist.
"Exile order..."
For any cultivator, cultivation is about cultivating the Dao.
The so-called Dao is both the Great Dao and the Dao of Heaven.
Once you leave your original world, your connection with the path you cultivate will be greatly weakened.
For cultivators below the Saint Realm, this is severe enough to cause them to instantly lose all their cultivation!
For Longevity Saint, however, their lifespan can be greatly reduced, leaving them with only the lifespan of an ordinary person. Their magical power will also be used entirely to maintain their connection with their original world, and they will not be able to make any progress in this life!
Even if one reaches the Supreme Realm, once one leaves their original world for too long, their connection with the Dao will gradually weaken, and as time goes by, their realm will gradually decline until it becomes no different from the Saint Realm.
Only by reaching the Earth Immortal realm and possessing the protection of Immortal Qi can one truly be said to no longer need to rely on one's original world, and can freely roam the vast universe, going wherever the universe is.
Although the Heavenly Dao and all living beings share in the same glory and decline, and the prosperity of a realm is closely related to the prosperity of its inhabitants, the vast Five Directions One Realm is not lacking in people.
Even if this person is an unprecedented genius, so what?
Without the will of Heaven, you are nothing!
Therefore, the Eastern Pole Emperor's exile order was undoubtedly a trump card, leaving Xiao Minghuang with no way to deal with it.
"Alas... Even if I can rely on the Star Dao to survive outside this world without my cultivation being affected, it's impossible for me to break through the barrier of the Heavenly Dao and return to this world..."
After all, the Emperor is the ruler of this realm, and he possesses limitless power within it.
Xiao Minghuang knew what the Emperor was planning.
If cultivators from the Eastern Pole are allowed to travel freely through the Southern Wilderness, while cultivators from the Southern Wilderness are not allowed to travel freely through the Eastern Pole, then the Heavenly Dao of the Eastern Pole will strengthen its connection with the Southern Wilderness. The Heavenly Daos of the two realms, which were originally interdependent, will gradually transform into the Eastern Pole Heavenly Dao unilaterally invading the Heavenly Dao of the Southern Wilderness, and eventually completely take over the Southern Wilderness!
This is something that Nanhuang would absolutely not accept.
However, at this moment, she probably has no room for maneuver.
Xiao Minghuang gazed at the golden gate left behind by the Eastern Pole Emperor for a moment, then finally turned and stepped inside.
The moment she entered.
The golden gate vanished without a trace.
The endless sea, the Penglai Immortal Island.
Inside a simple palace.
Two figures sat facing each other on either side of the chessboard, a man and a woman.
One of the men was tall and slender, with a handsome face, deep eyes, and an ethereal, otherworldly air. He seemed to be surrounded by a faint glow, making him appear like a banished immortal.
Another woman held the white piece, dressed in a white robe and skirt, with a serene expression, long black hair cascading over her shoulders, and a stunningly beautiful face and an ethereal temperament, like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs.
At this moment, when it was time for the white piece to be placed, the woman hesitated and refused to make her move.
Suddenly--
A ripple suddenly appeared in the void, and a woman dressed in a moon-white dress stepped out from it.
After settling Ye Ruoshui and the others, the Innate Osmanthus arrived from elsewhere.
With the arrival of the Innate Osmanthus, the woman's slender hand, which had been hovering for a long time, finally fell, placing the chess piece between her fingers into the game.
Buzz--
The chessboard trembled.
The next instant.
On the chessboard, the deadlock that had been tightly blocked by the black pieces suddenly opened up, revealing a new path.
"He conceded!"
Looking at the two who had determined the winner, Innate Osmanthus smiled slightly.
"Um."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly.
"With the four of us speaking in unison, even the Eastern Pole Emperor cannot remain indifferent!"
The man raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpened, and his emotions surged.
The man and woman were none other than the Earth Immortal Xuan Du and the Penglai Earth Immortal.
In order to persuade the Eastern Pole Emperor to make concessions and not drive Xiao Minghuang to the brink of despair, the Innate Osmanthus and the Penglai Earth Immortal joined forces and found the Earth Immortal Xuan Du Primordial Earth Immortal, and the four of them put pressure on the Eastern Pole Emperor together.
This is also why the Eastern Pole Emperor only emphasized achieving the third point, and did not force Xiao Minghuang to achieve the first two points.
While the first two points are far less important than the third, a concession is still a concession.
They knew that the Eastern Pole Emperor had embarked on the Replace Heaven's Will with My Own Dao, Xiao Minghuang was his most important pawn.
Therefore, even if the four Earth Immortals joined forces to make the Emperor concede, it would be impossible for the Eastern Pole Emperor to truly abandon Xiao Minghuang.
Therefore, the final result was only a concession, not a complete abandonment.
The Penglai Earth Immortal pondered for a long while, then sighed and said, "The Eastern Pole Emperor has a deep scheme, and we must be wary. Even if we retreat again and again, he will never be satisfied. He will insist on taking over the entire Five Directions One Realm, along with all living beings in the Heavenly Dao, for himself!"
The Penglai Earth Immortal slowly shook his head. "Such ambition is terrifying!"
449. Does the princess have other Dao Companion?
Although the Eastern Pole Emperor conceded, they still felt a sense of crisis.
Or rather, it's a threat!
The Eastern Pole Emperor desires to use the Epochal Annihilation to control the Five Directions One Realm, rule over heaven and earth, surpass all things, and replace heaven with himself.
"Perhaps the four of us alone are not enough to contend with him..."
The Penglai Earth Immortal spoke softly, referring to four people: herself, the Innate Osmanthus, the Earth Immortal Xuan Du, and the Primordial Earth Immortal who was not present.
Innate Osmanthus said, "I gave Princess Xiao our tokens. With her intelligence, she will surely be able to persuade the Demon Emperor. With the Demon Emperor's help, she will definitely be a great asset to us when she returns from the Southern Wilderness."
Earth Immortal Xuan Du's pupils flashed with a sharp light as he said, "During this time, I will visit two friends to seek their help, hoping to reach an agreement to jointly resist the Eastern Pole Emperor."
"Then I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Xuandu to make the trip."
As they spoke, the Innate Osmanthus and the Penglai Earth Immortal each took out a new leaf and a pearl, respectively, and handed them to the Earth Immortal Xuan Du, saying in unison:
"This serves as proof."
"Very well, I will certainly not let down the two fellow Daoists who entrusted me with this task."
Earth Immortal Xuan Du cupped his hands in greeting and added, "By the way, just in case, we need to prepare some rare and precious herbs. If Princess Xiao is unable to participate in our contest with the Emperor upon her return, we should still lend her a hand."
"I have a pool of water that should be of some help to Princess Xiao."