"Damn it!"
"You were one of the Fire Alliance's Seven King Generals, and you betrayed us!"
Su Yunxi scoffed, turning away. "Fools are beyond saving! Opposing the Imperial Court is a dead end!"
Behind her, several elders choked on their last breaths, their dying roars filled with indignation.
"Su Yunxi, may you rot in hell!"
"Huang Chao Supreme's prophecy will surely come true!"
Su Yunxi's voice was cold. "Huang Chao Supreme himself, a mere clay Buddha crossing a river, could barely save his own skin back then. What talk is there of future generations overthrowing the Imperial Court?"
Not long after, Su Yunxi gathered the corpses of the Fire Alliance's many powerful cultivators. She left the Yunhan Mountain Range and headed directly to a nearby grand city.
The City Lord stared, shocked. "You... you traitor of the Fire Alliance dare show your face in my city? Seize her!"
Su Yunxi waved a hand. "Hold on!"
With a thought, the corpses of the Fire Alliance elders tumbled out of her storage ring, piling up into a small mountain at her feet.
The City Lord's expression flickered, then a smile spread across his face. "Su Yunxi, is this your pledge of allegiance?"
Su Yunxi produced a cultivation inheritance stone. "Send word to Her Majesty the Empress. I possess Huang Chao Supreme's inheritance!"
Hearing this, the City Lord became incredibly excited. He immediately activated a supreme secret art to transmit the message to the Imperial Court.
...
In the Northern Plains Imperial Court.
The Ice Frost Empress sat high on her throne, clad in an ice-blue gown. Her exquisite face was stern and majestic as she gazed down, awaiting news from General Huang Fu.
Within the grand hall, numerous Imperial Court powerhouses had gathered. The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.
"Report!"
A black-clad man rushed in, shouting, "Your Majesty! Terrible news! The Ice Flame Army commander has fallen!"
The Ice Frost Empress's voice was chilling. "What?"
A stir went through the hall. How could this be? General Huang Fu was leading the expedition this time! How could they be completely wiped out?
Just then, another black-clad man entered.
"Report!" he cried, "Your Majesty! Terrible news! The Black Flame Army commander, led by General Huang Fu, has fallen!"
The Ice Frost Empress's face turned utterly frigid, threads of killing intent emerging. "What is Huang Fu doing? He can't even handle such a simple task..."
Before she could finish, yet another black-clad man stumbled in, his voice trembling.
"Report!"
"Your Majesty! General Huang Fu has fallen!"
At these words, the entire grand hall plunged into a deathly silence. All eyes were wide with disbelief.
The Ice Frost Empress shot to her feet, her ice-blue gown billowing. Ice-cold power condensed beneath her jade feet, and the temperature in the hall plummeted, instantly freezing the entire structure. Her face was contorted with fury and killing intent.
"Huang Fu went with my Imperial Court Ancestral Artifact! How could he possibly be dead...?" she roared.
As she spoke, the Ice Frost Empress suddenly froze. The Ancestral Artifact!
Her spiritual seals shifted, brilliant spiritual patterns converging like a galaxy. Her face twisted into an expression of utter disbelief. "How can this be? I've lost all contact with the Ancestral Artifact."
Hearing this, the assembled powerhouses were all stunned.
The Ice Frost Empress's face grew even colder, a deeper shade of ice-blue. She stomped her foot, and a tide of ice-blue energy surged outwards, instantly freezing the entire grand hall. Her face was contorted with fury and killing intent, and she bellowed:
"Who exactly is this Ji Fuyao? Who stands behind her? The Fire Alliance couldn't possibly have the strength to counter an Ancestral Artifact. Even Huang Chao Supreme was defeated by our ancestors!"
Just then, another black-clad man entered. Everyone paused, wondering if more bad news was coming.
The Ice Frost Empress glared at him. "Speak quickly! If it's bad news, I'll kill you myself!"
The black-clad man trembled, immediately replying, "No, Your Majesty, it's good news! King General Su Yunxi of the Fire Alliance headquarters has obtained Huang Chao Supreme's inheritance, and she has also killed many powerful cultivators from the Fire Alliance headquarters. She wishes to pledge allegiance to our Imperial Court!"
"Oh?"
The Ice Frost Empress's expression finally softened a fraction. Ever since losing the Extreme Cold Three Thousand Flames, she had yearned for Huang Chao Supreme's inheritance to further enhance her own foundation. She hadn't expected Su Yunxi to deliver it right to her.
She looked at the black-clad man. "Is there any news of the Fuyao Dynasty?"
The man replied, "They have already left Fengcang City and are heading towards the Yunhan Mountain Range. They are expected to arrive in three days!"
The Ice Frost Empress snorted. "As expected, the Fuyao Dynasty has spies within the Fire Alliance! But this can be exploited."
"Have Su Yunxi, under the guise of the Fire Alliance headquarters, invite Ji Fuyao into the inheritance grounds. There, my Imperial Court will lay an inescapable trap to annihilate that woman!"
The black-clad man bowed. "As you command!"
The Ice Frost Empress turned to the assembled powerhouses. "All Five Tiger Generals, gather immediately! Lead the Black Flame Army and the Ice Flame Army to the Yunhan Mountain Range. You have one hour to assemble! Prepare at once! I, too, will personally descend!"
The four remaining generals bowed solemnly. "As you command!"
The Ice Frost Empress then dispatched several other powerhouses, leaving only a small contingent to guard the Imperial Court. This time, she would personally bring several Ancestral Artifacts. She had underestimated the Fuyao Dynasty! She never expected Ji Fuyao to kill Huang Fu, and even erase the Ancestral Artifact's imprint!
As the powerhouses departed to prepare, the Ice Frost Empress went directly to a hidden area within the Imperial Court. Here, numerous ancient tombs clustered, housing many of the Imperial Court's Old Ancestors.
The Ice Frost Empress summoned them all.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Over twenty Quasi-Dao Supreme Old Ancestors emerged from their ancient tombs.
The Ice Frost Empress informed them of Ji Fuyao's actions, and expressions of monstrous killing intent appeared on the faces of the Old Ancestors. "The might of our Imperial Court is inviolable! Those who offend us, no matter how far, shall be annihilated!"
"To think that even an Ancestral Artifact's imprint could be erased! We never imagined such a force would rise in the Northern Plains!"
The Ice Frost Empress added, "Esteemed Old Ancestors, I have already contacted our Supreme Old Ancestors. They are currently in a place called the 'Ice Soul Realm' in the Star Sea. It is said that realm is far more powerful than ours! They are already en route to assist our ascension and transform this realm into a slave star for the Ice Soul Realm!"
Slave star!
Hearing this, the Old Ancestors were all curious. "When will the Supreme Old Ancestors descend?"
The Ice Frost Empress pondered. "Approximately three days from now."
The Old Ancestors asked, "Will all eight of our Imperial Court's Supreme Old Ancestors return?"
The Ice Frost Empress shook her head. "Of our Imperial Court's eight Supreme Old Ancestors, only four remain alive. They have now reached Two-star Supreme, and some even Three-star Supreme! However, the Supreme Old Ancestors said that our realm is too low-tier. Once we reach the Ice Soul Realm, breaking through to Supreme will be effortless!"
"Excellent! Excellent!"
The Old Ancestors' eyes gleamed with anticipation.
A moment later, the Ice Frost Empress took out four Ancestral Artifacts and declared, "Esteemed Old Ancestors, let us depart!"
The Old Ancestors nodded.
At the same time, the Five Tiger Generals, Wang Chen and others, had already assembled the Ice Flame Army and Black Flame Army aboard Ancient Spirit Arks in the void. They stood in formidable ranks, their aura surging to the heavens!
The Ice Frost Empress stepped onto an immensely grand chariot and declared, "Depart!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their momentum was overwhelming!
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan lay in a tavern in the Imperial Capital, glancing up at the sky. He said casually, "Looks like they're going to attack my Fuyao."