From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

"City Lord Lin, there's no need for such formalities."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the old man in yellow, and she asked:

"Did he spit out anything useful?"

Lin Zhengquan straightened up and replied:

"He's an outer elder of the Dragon Tiger Sect. His status isn't high. The group of Evil Cultivators connected to Chen Ming were introduced to him by this elder."

"Besides that, there's nothing else of value."

Xiao Minghuang nodded.

"I understand. I'll leave the subsequent cleanup to you. Ensure no leaks."

Lin Zhengquan naturally understood.

"Your Highness, rest assured, not a single word of today's events will leak!"

Today, Xiao Minghuang had displayed unparalleled, terrifying talent and strength. If word spread, it would likely shock the entire Southern Territory.

At merely fourteen years old, with a cultivation base at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Realm, she defeated a martial artist at the Spring Gushing Peak Realm. Such talent was difficult to describe even with the word "monstrous."

It was at this moment.

Lin Wanqiu emerged from the forest. She walked a few steps to Xiao Minghuang's front, glancing at the hands Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui were holding. Her beautiful brows creased almost imperceptibly before quickly smoothing out. She then held out a storage bag with both hands and said softly:

"Your Highness, I have not failed. Wang Bao is dead."

Xiao Minghuang appraised her. Seeing that her clothes were neat and free of dust, and though her aura had slightly weakened, it was likely due to exhaustion. She would recover after taking some medicine and resting well.

She felt a little relieved and took out a pill from her embrace, saying gently:

"Wanqiu, open your mouth."

"?"

Lin Wanqiu looked confused but obediently parted her cherry lips slightly, revealing neat little teeth and a glimpse of a moist, tender tongue.

With a slight raise of her hand, Xiao Minghuang placed the healing pill into Lin Wanqiu's mouth.

The pill was quite large, filling Lin Wanqiu's small mouth completely. Her cheeks puffed out, and clear saliva spilled from the corners of her lips. She couldn't quite bite down on the slippery pill and ended up choking, her eyes welling up. She wanted to spit out the pill, but Xiao Minghuang held her red lips shut.

"Don't spit it out. Swallow it. It's good for your body."

Hearing Xiao Minghuang's words, Lin Wanqiu dared not spit out the pill anymore. She could only wait for it to dissolve in her mouth. After a considerable effort, she finally managed to swallow the pill.

After swallowing the pill, Lin Wanqiu let out a deep breath, licked away the pill residue and saliva from the corners of her mouth, patted her chest, and looked at Xiao Minghuang, smiling brightly:

"Your Highness, your pill was so big! My mouth is too small, I almost couldn't swallow it!"

Xiao Minghuang gently stroked Lin Wanqiu's soft hair and chuckled:

"Wanqiu, you've already done wonderfully!"

"With a cultivation base at the Body Tempering Peak Realm, you killed a martial artist at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining Realm. Although you used the power of a magical artifact, anyone else couldn't have achieved this."

Lin Wanqiu blinked her beautiful large eyes and said with a smile:

"How can my humble achievements compare to yours, Your Highness?"

Xiao Minghuang smiled without speaking.

She possessed a Heaven-tier Low-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root. With the aid of a Heaven-tier Top-grade Cultivation Method, an Earth-tier High-grade Martial Art, and a Yellow Tier Top-grade magical artifact, she had defeated a martial artist in the Spring Gushing Realm, crossing a major cultivation realm. Such combat prowess was indeed hard to explain.

I really am a normal person!!

51. That Slash, Forever Unreachable

At the same time.

The soldiers of Beiyang City cheered Xiao Minghuang's name in unison.

The scene of her defeating the old man in yellow had been deeply imprinted in the minds of all the soldiers. They would likely remember, even decades later, that there was once an unparalleled young girl.

Her blade moved like a falling star, her sword cut down the Spring Gushing Realm!

"Long live the Ninth Princess!"

"Long live the Ninth Princess!"

Lin Zhengquan's eyes held three parts excitement and seven parts joy. His gaze towards Xiao Minghuang even carried a hint of reverence.

"Long live the Ninth Princess!"

From this day forward, this spiritual vein would belong to Beiyang City.

The Spirit Stones supply crisis for the hundred thousand-strong army would be largely alleviated.

But he felt this was only the beginning.

The Ninth Princess, Xiao Minghuang, would lead Great Xia to a glorious peak he couldn't imagine, to witness beautiful scenery he couldn't dare to envision.

That slash.

Forever unreachable.

If he weren't an elder, he would have already prostrated himself before Xiao Minghuang, begging to follow her side.

However, now that Lin Wanqiu was following by the Ninth Princess's side, he had no regrets.

"Everyone, no need for such formalities. Today's business is concluded, you are all dismissed!"

Xiao Minghuang waved her hand slightly and said indifferently. She had been indifferent to fame and fortune since childhood, always smiling past words of flattery, and had no interest in the so-called praise and accolades of the world.

As long as Ruoshui and Wanqiu liked her, that was enough!

After the excitement, most of the soldiers embarked on the journey back to Beiyang City. Some remained, preparing for a long-term garrison near the spiritual vein to prevent the enemy from the Golden Elephant Kingdom from secretly seizing it.

In the dense forest, ancient trees towered, their green canopies casting deep shade. Fallen leaves drifted down, painting a picturesque scene.

Xiao Minghuang and the two women, Ye and Lin, walked and chatted. Most of the time, Lin Wanqiu was talking, while Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui listened quietly, occasionally responding or asking a question, which was always answered promptly.

The three did not walk together but were arranged in a strange formation, one behind the other.

Lin Wanqiu walked at the very front, facing Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui, walking backward. Her beautiful face was wreathed in smiles. Her steps were light, on tiptoe, agile and graceful. She walked and stopped intermittently, stepping on the fallen leaves, creating a rhythmic melody.

Xiao Minghuang walked in the middle, elegant and graceful, a faint smile on her serene face, often echoing Lin Wanqiu's words.

Ye Ruoshui lagged half a step behind Xiao Minghuang, her steps steady. Although she walked at the very back, she often conversed with Lin Wanqiu.

"Speaking of which, we went through all this trouble to obtain the spiritual meridian, but we haven't even taken a look inside. It feels like such a waste!"

Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui, although she hadn't participated in the fighting, had provided medicinal aid to Xiao Minghuang and Lin Wanqiu. She also felt it was a pity and sighed softly:

"I've heard that undeveloped spiritual veins might contain naturally formed divine objects. If used in alchemy, they can greatly improve the quality of elixirs, and it's not unheard of to even use them as the main ingredient to refine high-level elixirs."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang was also tempted. The corners of her mouth curved slightly, and she smiled enchantingly, "Since that's the case, shall we go and explore the spiritual veins?"

"Okay!"

Both Ye and Lin agreed, and the three returned to the entrance of the spiritual脉.

When the three arrived at the entrance, Lin Zhengquan had not yet left. Seeing them, he looked curious and asked, "Your Highness, weren't you returning to the city? Why have you come back?"

"The spiritual meridian is a place of spiritual essence. We plan to enter and explore it a bit."

Hearing this, Lin Zhengquan showed a hesitant expression.

Seeing his demeanor, Xiao Minghuang asked, "What is it? Does City Lord Lin have something difficult to say?"

"Your Highness may not know, but undeveloped spiritual meridians can hide unknown dangers, perhaps nascent innate spirits, or demons and ferocious beasts lurking within, or some strange malevolent spirits. It's impossible to guard against them all."

"If Your Highness wishes to visit a spiritual vein, you can go to another spiritual vein near Beiyang City. It has already been developed, there are no dangers, and no accidents will occur."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

If this were before, such words would have made her give up on entering the spiritual脉.

But at this very moment, she changed her mind.

Because, within her mind's compass, the long-dormant needle suddenly began to shake, quickly pointing towards the entrance of the spiritual meridian.

There was an opportunity within the spiritual meridian!

This opportunity had not been discovered when she first came near the entrance, but on her second visit, as she got closer to the entrance, it appeared.

This meant that she was too far away the first time, outside the compass's detection range.

Thinking of this, a hint of gratitude appeared in Xiao Minghuang's eyes as she looked at Ye and Lin.

If it weren't for the casual conversation between Ye and Lin just now, and returning to the entrance again, she might have missed this opportunity forever.

Ye and Lin, who were being looked at with such eyes, had expressions of confusion on their faces.

Lin Wanqiu was the first to ask, "Your Highness?"

Xiao Minghuang chuckled softly and said, "Since there might be dangers inside, I'll go down first to scout the path. After confirming it's safe, we can go down then."

Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui, concerned for Xiao Minghuang's safety, immediately became anxious and said quickly, "Sister, you can't go down!"

Xiao Minghuang raised her delicate eyebrows and asked, "Why can't I go down?"

Ye Ruoshui was not good with words, so Lin Wanqiu interjected, "Ruoshui is right. We don't know what dangers exist in the cave. If Your Highness encounters danger, what should we do?"

"Your Highness is of noble birth. You shouldn't put yourself in danger out of mere curiosity. I think I should go down and investigate first, and then we can enter after confirming it's safe."

At this moment, Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu had miraculously united, all to prevent Xiao Minghuang from entering the spiritual脉 cave.

Seeing Ye and Lin speaking in unison, Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but chuckle and tease, "I didn't know when you two became such good friends?"

As soon as these words were spoken.

A faint blush rose on Ye Ruoshui's earlobes, and she turned her head away, saying no more.

Lin Wanqiu was not so easily dealt with. Her delicate brows furrowed, and she spoke, "Your Highness, don't change the subject. We are only concerned about you."

Seeing that Lin Wanqiu was even more difficult to handle, Xiao Minghuang had no choice but to use her trump card.

She suddenly took a step forward, wrapped her arms around Lin Wanqiu's slender waist, and with a gentle spin, they were behind a large rock.

In an instant.

Lin Wanqiu felt herself tightly held in Xiao Minghuang's embrace. When she opened her eyes again, all she could see was the other's stunningly beautiful face, her star-like, brilliant eyes, and her rosy, tender cherry lips.

The next moment.

Her vision went dark, and she felt something soft and moist press against the corner of her mouth.

This sensation made her feel as if she were floating on clouds, so wonderful it felt unreal.

When she opened her eyes again, Xiao Minghuang's figure had already disappeared.

52. Will saying it like this hurt her too much?

Xiao Minghuang flashed out from behind the boulder and saw Ye Ruoshui standing frozen in place, her beautiful large eyes filled with confusion.

"Why did Sister and Miss Lin disappear all of a sudden?"

Although she was also at the peak of Body Tempering