A Matter of Utmost Urgency

Heaven Gu Granny was immersed in the chaotic void. Before long, the chaos began to separate, and the scenery appeared, with one future scene after another flashing by.

These images are chaotic and complex; some depict the future of a valley, others the future of an unknown mortal. This future could be tomorrow, or it could be an hour from now.

The massive flow of information overwhelmed Heaven Gu Granny's Primordial Spirit, causing veins to bulge on her forehead and a throbbing pain in her temples.

Finally, after going through rounds of selection and enduring countless visions of the future, she saw the answer she was looking for.

The image then shattered.

"Puff"

Heaven Gu Granny swayed and fell onto the soft couch, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Her face was deathly pale, her eyes were bleeding, her lips trembled incessantly, and she let out desperate cries:

"Heaven has forsaken the Nine Provinces."

The bedroom.

Huaiqing, draped in a silk robe, was immersed in the icy water.

Dusk had passed, and no palace maids lit candles, so the room was dimly lit. She closed her eyes, her expression content.

Even without a bronze mirror, she knew that her snow-white neck, chest, and other areas were covered with kiss marks and scratches, traces left without any mercy by a certain Half-Step Martial God.

"Call"

She exhaled softly, and all traces of her skin disappeared, her delicate body remaining fair and smooth.

During their dual cultivation session, Dragon Vein energy in her body was transferred to Xu Qi'an's body, including the abundant Fate she possessed as the ruler of a nation.

Huaiqing was not Heavenly Mandate Master and could not foresee the National Fate, but he estimated that the Great Feng's National Fate was at most one or two tenths of what it should be.

The rest all condensed within Xu Qi'an's body.

The three kingdoms of Yan, Kang, and Jing were destroyed because their Fate was taken away by the Shaman God. They were then incorporated into the Central Plains and became part of the Great Feng.

The Great Feng National Fate is now rapidly declining in its national fortunes, and in the near future, it will also face the disaster of national subjugation and annihilation.

This is cause and effect.

"A person in dire straits has nowhere to retreat!" Huaiqing murmured, leaning against the bathtub wall.

She was gambling, Great Feng was gambling, all the Transcendent experts in the Central Plains were gambling, gambling that Xu Qi'an could become Martial God, kill Transcendent Rank, and quell the Great Calamity.

If successful, the lost National Fate can be returned to the Great Feng, and the people of the Nine Provinces and the imperial court will be reborn from the brink of death.

If we fail, there's no worse outcome anyway.

Just then, small, quick footsteps came from outside; it was the palace maids returning.

When Huaiqing dismissed the palace maids, he instructed them not to approach the palace for an hour.

Now that the time has come, the palace maids naturally return to serve His Majesty.

Huaiqing's ears twitched, but he didn't react. He lay in the cold bathtub, squinting as he pondered the situation.

When the palace maids entered the palace, the first thing they saw was the Empress's personal clothing scattered on the floor, and the luxurious dragon bed made of sandalwood in a mess.

It is worth mentioning that martial artists who have mastered the art of Transforming Force know how to deflect force, so no matter how unrestrained they are in bed, the bed will not collapse.

If Zhong Li were present, that would be a different story.

The palace maids, unaware of the truth, were somewhat bewildered. They had served His Majesty for so long, from princess to emperor, and had never seen her so disheveled and careless.

The head maid turned and looked around, instructing the other maids to tidy up the clothes and bedding while calling out in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

Just then, she heard the palace maid making the bed let out a soft "ah," cover her mouth, and look somewhat flustered and frightened.

The head palace maid frowned and glared at her.

The palace maid pointed to the bed but didn't dare to speak.

The head palace maid moved over, took a closer look, and immediately paled.

The bed was a mess, and the water stains and dampness were bad enough, but the little bit of blood was strikingly vivid.

Considering the surrounding circumstances, even a fool would understand what had happened.

"I am taking a bath!"

From inside the bathroom came Huaiqing's cool and sexy voice, tinged with a hint of languor.

The head maid gestured to the other maids with her eyes to get to their tasks, then placed her hands on her lower abdomen, lowered her head, and took small, quick steps toward the bathroom.

During the process, her brain was working at high speed, trying to guess who the lucky person who had been "favored" by His Majesty was.

Besides being extremely loyal, wisdom is also indispensable to becoming a head maidservant by the Empress's side.

She immediately thought of the matter of choosing an heir that had been troubling His Majesty lately. Given His Majesty's temperament, how could he possibly hand over the throne to the late emperor's son?

In the eyes of the head palace maid, the empress was bound to reach this point sooner or later.

What she sensed was something unusual: Her Majesty was of marriageable age, and all the young and handsome men in the world were waiting for her to choose. If she really took a fancy to one, she could bring him into the harem openly and honorably.

Unauthorized and clandestine relations are not in His Majesty's style.

Considering His Majesty's dismissal of them, the head palace maid immediately concluded that the man was someone who couldn't be brought to light.

Which man in the capital is His Majesty's favorite, yet whom he keeps hidden away?

As a trusted confidante who had served the Empress for many years, her first thought was of the current consort, Princess Lin'an's husband.

Silver Gong Xu.

This, this, how could Your Majesty do this? How is this any different from a father taking his daughter-in-law, or a brother taking his brother's wife? If this gets out, it will definitely cause an uproar in the court and among the people. In the future, you will be remembered in history for your debauchery and licentiousness. The head palace maid's heart raced. She walked to the bathtub, took a deep breath, and said calmly:

"Shall this servant massage Your Majesty's shoulders?"

Huaiqing gave a lazy "hmm," lost in his own world, analyzing how to proceed in this game of chess that concerned the Nine Provinces.

At this moment, a messenger eunuch arrived outside the palace and whispered a few words to the palace maids outside.

The palace maid hurried back to her bedchamber, stopping before the yellow silk curtains hanging outside the bathroom, and whispered:

"Your Majesty, the Superintendent and Song Qing request an audience."

Western Regions.

The ears of the Shenshu sitting cross-legged on the edge twitched. He heard the sound of "waves," the surging waves.

He immediately stood up, and with a light leap, he shot into the sky like a cannonball.

The spot where he had just been was immediately engulfed by a dark red tide of flesh and blood. The surging, wave-like flesh and blood missed its target, scattered, and covered the ground. Then, they collectively surged upwards and solidified into a blurry Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue's feet are integrated into the flesh and blood, forming a unified whole with the overwhelming "waves".

Three streaks of light swept across the western sky, but did not approach, instead observing from a distance and waiting for their chance to strike.

They were three Bodhisattva from Buddhist Order.

The monks of the Buddhist Order are all living well in Aranda, but apart from the three Bodhisattva, the Arhat and Vajra are either dead or have betrayed them, making them seem very weak and isolated.

After creating some distance, Shenshu calmly reached out and beckoned, and amidst the flowing light, a dark iron bow appeared in his hand.

This bow has a cool name— the God-Shooting Bow!

One of the works of the Superintendent, this bow can transform a martial artist's energy into arrows, enhancing their penetrating power and lethality. Third Rank- grade martial artist wielding this bow can increase the power of the arrows shot by half a grade.

Although this bow cannot increase the power of Half-Step Martial God by half a grade, it is still more powerful than a punch casually thrown by Shenshu.

The Superintendent Directorate of Astronomy a small treasury where he stores magical artifacts he improvises on a whim. The Fate-Disordering Hammer is one of the treasures in the treasury.

Now that the Superintendent is gone—no, sealed away—and Chu Caiwei advocates non-interference in governance, the Superintendent's collection has become something Xu Qi'an can squander at will.

This bow was lent to Shenshu by him.

Shenshu slowly drew back the bowstring, and his energy burst forth from his fingertips, condensing into an arrow nocked on the string. The arrowhead generated a vortex that distorted the air.

A piece of paper slowly burned, turning into a clear light that condensed within the arrow.

The Buddha statue stood motionless, with eight great Dharma Idol Fuxian behind it in succession. These Great Compassion and Great Mercy Dharma Idol chanted Buddhist scriptures, and Buddha light descended from the sky, their sacred sounds guiding the world.

Collapse!

The arrow transformed into a streak of light and hurtled away. The next moment, it struck the Bodhisattva Guangxian, and the young monk's upper body instantly exploded into a bloody mist.

Huaiqing, lying in the bathtub, opened his eyes, subconsciously frowned, and said softly:

"Please ask them to wait in the Imperial Study."

After dismissing the palace maids, she patted the head maid's hand on her shoulder, "Ya'er, help me change my clothes."

Huaiqing quickly dressed in his everyday clothes, tied his hair with a golden crown, and led the head palace maid Ya'er out of the palace and toward the imperial study.

The imperial study was brightly lit by candlelight. Huaiqing came out from the inside and glanced around. In addition to the girl in the yellow dress, Chu Caiwei, the time management master Song Qing, there was also Heaven Gu Granny with a sullen face.

"Why did Mother-in-law come to the capital?"

Huaiqing studied Heaven Gu Granny's expression, then turned to instruct Ya'er:

"Go and fetch some nourishing pills."

She realized something might have happened.

Heaven Gu Granny waved her hand and said anxiously:

"No need for that, Your Majesty. Where is Silver Gong Xu?"

"He went to Leizhou," Huaiqing said. "Mother-in-law, you can speak frankly with me if you have anything to say."

What's the point of talking to you!

Upon hearing that Xu Qi'an had gone to Leizhou, Heaven Gu Granny's tone became increasingly urgent. Ignoring the fact that the other party was the Emperor of Great Feng, she urged him repeatedly:

"Earth Book send a letter to tell him to return to the capital. I have something extremely urgent to tell Silver Gong Xu."