The Empress's Might, the Venerable Offers Treasures

"It was over."

Jiang Xuan looked at the corpses strewn haphazardly around the altar and murmured softly.

These corpses had all belonged to prodigies from the major factions, yet now they had vanished from the world forever, with no possibility of ever appearing again.

"Brother Jiang Xuan, this is cultivation. If they did not die, then we would."

At that moment, Leng Lingshuang approached Jiang Xuan, her gentle voice sounding beside his ear.

"I know. I already knew when those people from the Profound Heaven Sect framed me."

Jiang Xuan nodded. "In this world, mercy toward one's enemies is cruelty toward oneself. Only by being ruthless toward others and ruthless toward oneself can one possibly stand atop the summit."

"That is how it is, Brother Jiang Xuan."

Leng Lingshuang nodded in agreement.

"There can only be one final victor. The two of you should fight another battle."

At that moment, Everlasting Heaven Venerable's melodious voice seemed to cross the river of time and echo through the space once more.

"Fight another battle?"

Hearing that voice, Jiang Xuan frowned deeply and looked at Leng Lingshuang.

"Lingshuang, what should we do now? If I truly have to fight you, I would rather let you win."

"Don't worry, Brother Jiang Xuan. I will not fight you, and we do not need to fight."

Leng Lingshuang flashed Jiang Xuan a radiant smile.

Hm?

Jiang Xuan looked at Leng Lingshuang in confusion.

What did she mean?

"Everlasting Heaven Venerable, come out and see me yourself. Do not force me to return to the Immortal Realm one day and settle accounts with you!"

Just as Jiang Xuan was puzzled, Leng Lingshuang spoke coldly toward the void.

Her voice was indifferent, like an emperor issuing an order to a subject.

"Who are you, to dare speak to me in such a tone? Aren't you afraid I will make you perish body and soul?"

The void rippled, and a spirit incarnation appeared out of thin air.

The spirit incarnation wore green robes. His brows were sharp as swords, and he possessed a handsome, refined bearing. He was actually a graceful young gentleman.

"This is Everlasting Heaven Venerable?"

Jiang Xuan stared fixedly at the figure in the void, his face full of disbelief.

In his subconscious, Everlasting Heaven Venerable should have been a white-bearded, stoop-backed old man on the verge of death, his entire body steeped in the twilight air of old age.

"Chen Changsheng, do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. If you do not heed my words, you will not escape when the Immortal Realm settles accounts one day!"

Boom!

In an instant, boundless demonic qi surged around Leng Lingshuang. It was incomparably pure and as dazzling as blood, making her seem like a fairy returning from hell—bewitching and breathtakingly beautiful.

At that moment, the Other Shore Flower mark between Leng Lingshuang's brows bloomed with bloody light.

Behind her, a vast sea of blood seemed to rise and fall, with an Other Shore Bridge towering within it, as though representing reincarnation.

"Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art... You are... Her Majesty the Empress?!"

The instant Leng Lingshuang revealed her aura, the spirit incarnation in the void shuddered violently. He stared at her in disbelief, his expression turning both respectful and terrified.

"It is me."

Leng Lingshuang spoke without expression.

"Your Majesty the Empress! It really is you! You are not dead!"

Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation was dumbfounded.

Not only was he dumbfounded, even a supreme existence within a forbidden zone of the Immortal Realm was dumbfounded.

Within the Immortal Realm's forbidden zone, Everlasting Heaven Venerable abruptly rose to his feet. His face was filled with shock and astonishment as he stared fixedly into the void and murmured as if in a dream.

"Her Majesty the Empress is actually still alive!"

As his words fell, he stretched out a hand, sent out a stream of spiritual power, and cast it into the Three Thousand Realms.

At the same time, within the Everlasting Heaven Secret Realm, Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation seemed to become several degrees more solid. His eyes also grew more lifelike, as though he had gained true consciousness of his own.

"Aren't you alive as well? Why have you not told the people of the Three Thousand Realms? Could it be that you are plotting some earth-shaking scheme?"

Leng Lingshuang spoke calmly, asking the question with peerless bearing, truly like an empress.

"Empress, please do not tease me. What scheme could I possibly have? I merely wished to cultivate a few passable inheritors for myself."

Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation shook his head with a bitter smile, his tone becoming respectful.

The Empress had once shown him kindness.

At the same time, she was not someone he could afford to offend.

Thus, he did not dare defy Leng Lingshuang's wishes.

"Heh, I do not believe you."

Leng Lingshuang sneered and continued.

"Your affairs are none of my concern, nor do I wish to concern myself with them. But now, I truly need you to help me with something."

"What matter is it? Empress, please speak freely. So long as you do not ask me to deal with those Immortal Emperors, I will go through fire and water for you in all other matters!"

Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation immediately stated his position.

He truly feared that the Empress would settle accounts with him someday.

"I will not make things difficult for you. Just give the inheritance within this Everlasting Heaven Secret Realm to Brother Jiang Xuan and me."

Blood-red light flickered in Leng Lingshuang's eyes as she looked at Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation.

"Since the Empress has spoken... very well!"

After hesitating for several seconds, Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation nodded.

Then, he raised his hand and swept it through the void.

At once, several spheres of light appeared above the altar.

Within the spheres of light were a sword, several ancient scriptures, and an unknown quantity of spirit stones.

"Empress, these are the inheritances I left for those who came after: the Everlasting Sword I used in my youth, my Longevity Emperor Scripture, the Secret Art of Zhe that I created myself, and the spirit stones I had left unused when I departed."

Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation looked at Leng Lingshuang and smiled.

"Go. There is nothing for you to do here anymore."

Leng Lingshuang smiled faintly and waved her hand.

"Understood."

Everlasting Heaven Venerable's spirit incarnation nodded. The next moment, it dissipated and ceased to exist.

From then on, there was no trace of Everlasting Heaven Venerable in the Three Thousand Realms. Only the Immortal Realm could still find his shadow.

"Holy shit! We got Everlasting Heaven Venerable's inheritance just like that?!"

At that moment, Jiang Xuan was dumbfounded.

It all felt like a dream. The legendary, towering figure Everlasting Heaven Venerable had actually treated Leng Lingshuang with such respect.

With only a single sentence from Leng Lingshuang, he had handed over all of Everlasting Heaven's inheritance to them!

This was simply too inconceivable!

"Is this the power of having backing?"

Jiang Xuan stared fixedly at Leng Lingshuang, feeling somewhat incredulous inside.

"Brother Jiang Xuan, this sword is for you, the Imperial Scripture is for you, the Secret Art of Zhe is for you, and we will split the spirit stones equally."

Just as Jiang Xuan sank into thought, Leng Lingshuang's voice sounded beside his ear, pulling him back.

When he looked up, Leng Lingshuang had already handed over the Everlasting Sword, the Longevity Emperor Scripture, and the Secret Art of Zhe. She was smiling at Jiang Xuan, while all the demonic qi around her had fully withdrawn.

"Lingshuang, these are all supreme treasures. You do not want them?"

Jiang Xuan was deeply moved, but he did not take them. Instead, he asked instinctively.

This Everlasting Sword was a genuine Imperial weapon.

And in the entire Azure Firmament Realm, fewer than ten Imperial weapons could be found!

As for the Longevity Emperor Scripture and the Secret Art of Jie—

Those were also an Imperial Scripture and a supreme divine ability, both things that could only be encountered by chance and never sought after.

"I do not." Leng Lingshuang shook her head. "That fellow's path of longevity is extraordinary, but it is a little too cowardly. It does not suit me. I have my own path and do not need his."

"As for this Everlasting Sword, it looks like something meant for a man to wield. It does not suit me either."

"I see."

Jiang Xuan nodded upon hearing this.

So it turned out Leng Lingshuang no longer had any need for such things.

"Lingshuang, just how powerful was your past life?"

Jiang Xuan could not help asking.

"My past life?"

Leng Lingshuang fell silent for several seconds before speaking.

"In my past life, even a hundred people at Everlasting Heaven Venerable's level combined would not have been my match."

"Hiss... terrifying indeed!"

Jiang Xuan could not help drawing in a sharp breath, his heart utterly shaken.

Although Jiang Xuan already knew that Leng Lingshuang's past life had reached the Immortal Emperor realm, a realm beyond anything he could currently comprehend, hearing her say this still made his heart jolt.

Very quickly, the shock in Jiang Xuan's heart turned into delight.

The thigh he had latched onto was this powerful.

Then once Leng Lingshuang returned to her peak...

Would he not be able to swagger sideways through the Immortal Realm as well?