At the White Sand Emperor's vile insult, Hua Qing Zhu's expression grew colder. She hadn't expected this despicable man to dare such actions today.
"Harlot? By what right do you curse me? Don't forget the true nature of our relationship," she said icily, her eyes glinting with disdain.
"You…" Bai Sa's teeth ground audibly, his spiritual energy surging, murderous intent palpable. "The entire empire acknowledges you as my Empress, yet you dare consort with another behind my back. Name him! I'll exterminate his nine generations!"
Hua Qing Zhu's lips curved faintly, mocking. "Want to know who he is? Are you even worthy?"
Spurt.
Bai Sa coughed up blood, his rage boiling over. As the lord of a Ninth-Grade power, revered across the Viet Dragon Star, he was deemed unworthy to know his rival's identity? Humiliation crushed his remaining reason.
Too much!
"Earth King Seal!"
Without further words, white sand swirled, forming a massive seal imbued with a monarch's might, roaring toward Hua Qing Zhu's head.
"Earth-Ice Falling Blossom Palm!" Unyielding, she countered with dual palms—one earth, one ice—slicing through the air.
Boom! Boom!
Seal clashed with palms, erupting in a spatial explosion. A terrifying shockwave shook Hua Qing Palace, yet its array-reinforced walls held firm against the Body Unity clash.
Bai Sa staggered back two steps, staring at the black spatial rift left by the blast, his face darkening.
"This wench is strong!"
Hua Qing Zhu's power exceeded his expectations. To force her submission, he'd need his full strength.
No hesitation. The White Sand Prison Art roared to life, his aura regal as he chanted, "White Sand Prison Seal!"
His arm extended, summoning a white jade seal. Countless earth energies converged, amplifying its power. The seal grew mountain-sized, shattering nearby space, its pressure capable of suppressing the nine nether hells.
This technique, exclusive to emperors and paired with the imperial jade seal, neared Spirit-Grade Supreme quality.
Bai Sa's face paled, the move draining his energy.
Hua Qing Zhu's stunning visage grew solemn. Her Spirit Magic Staff hovered, glowing vibrantly. She formed a cryptic hand seal, one even Bai Sa hadn't seen.
Before his shrinking eyes, a bone-chilling aura enveloped the space, freezing moisture into ice, snowflakes dancing. The staff's azure light intensified, banishing warmth from the air.
"This ice…" Bai Sa's disbelief grew. Hua Qing Zhu's aura posed a real threat.
But the arrow was loosed. Gnashing his teeth, he roared, "Die, White Sand Prison Seal!"
The colossal seal tore through space, aiming to crush her.
"Ice Rain Nine Heavens!"
Fearless, Hua Qing Zhu summoned countless razor-sharp Extreme Ice shards, blanketing the palace. The seal slowed under the icy barrage, then, to Bai Sa's bulging eyes, froze into a massive ice block, suspended midair.
The palace transformed into a frozen world. Bai Sa, horrified, felt his body icing over, roaring in panic, "What is this ice? Explode!"
The Extreme Ice coating him was frigid and agonizing, his spiritual energy bursting through every pore.
Crack.
The ice shattered, taking chunks of his flesh. Blood oozed, bones faintly visible. He was gravely wounded.
"AHHHH!" Bai Sa's scream pierced the heavens, his body a bloody mess.
"How is this possible?" Bloodshot eyes glared, the ice's chill restoring some clarity. "Wench, what ice is this? When did you gain such fortune?"
He knew the Hua Clan's techniques, none capable of such terrifying ice energy. Though aware of the Extreme Ice Demon Monarch, he'd never encountered Extreme Ice, failing to recognize its origin.
"Call me that again, and I'll take your dog life!" Hua Qing Zhu snapped coldly, inwardly exasperated. She sensed the empire's elders gathering outside, hesitant to enter without clarity.
Clashing fully with Bai Sa now risked the Hua Clan's survival.
Bai Sa's expression shifted repeatedly, finally snorting, "I won't let this go!"
Unprepared to fully break with the Hua Clan, he noted the elders outside—his allies, but also powerful Hua Clan figures. A man of pride, he couldn't let his marital farce be exposed. He'd find a perfect solution later, letting the wench gloat for now.
Covering his bloodied body with his robe, he retrieved the seal and stormed out.
The hidden elders emerged, the Second Elder asking respectfully, "Your Majesty, what happened?"
Private matters between Emperor and Empress were off-limits, but the commotion had roused the empire's powerhouses.
The Great Elder's calm gaze hid a clenched fist.
"Nothing. The Empress and I merely sparred, disturbing you all," Bai Sa said nonchalantly.
The elders exchanged skeptical glances but, with no further explanation, could only bow and depart.
Spurt.
As they vanished, Bai Sa coughed blood, his face ashen. The eerie ice had invaded his organs.
"Strange Earth, if you'd followed me, how could that wench defy me?" he muttered bitterly, rushing to seclusion for healing.
Inside the palace, Hua Qing Zhu's face paled, her body swaying.
Strong arms caught her, a masculine scent calming her fury. Lan An's heart ached as she spat blood, cradling her in his lap, chiding, "I told you to let me stay. Worst case, I'd blast him with Thunder Fire."
Her laughter at his bravado was weak. "I forced the third tier of Extreme Ice before mastering it, causing minor backlash. I'll recover with rest."
"You mastered the second tier?" Lan An's eyes lit up, her ice talent surpassing his expectations.
"Yes. Once I perfect the third, I'm fifty percent sure I can break through to Body Unity Late Stage," she smiled radiantly, thrilled by her progress with the Extreme Ice Heavenly Art.
All thanks to this man.
"Bai Sa won't give you that chance," Lan An said gravely.
"Hmph, he caught me off guard but retreated. I don't fear him," she declared, brimming with battle intent.
"The Supreme Emperor is the empire's strongest, right?" he asked thoughtfully.
"It's a secret. I'm unsure, but don't underestimate him. Though Body Unity Late Stage, the empire has a secret art to reach Perfect Stage, at great cost, rarely used," she replied gravely.
Lan An's heart jolted. A man who could match the Strange Earth was no trifle. Body Unity Perfect Stage was formidable.
"I don't fear him either. Once I reach Mid-Stage and master Extreme Ice, I can fight a Perfect Stage," Hua Qing Zhu said proudly, undaunted.
"But the empire's numbers overwhelm us. We need a plan," Lan An mused.
She nodded, now viewing him as family, sharing her thoughts openly.
He lay back, letting her rest on his chest, inhaling her fragrance, stroking her platinum hair. "Who's the Great Elder, really? Can we trust him fully?"
Without hesitation, she nodded, voice tinged with reminiscence. "He's a Hua Clan elder, from my grandfather's generation, once the empire's top genius."
Lan An listened intently.
"The empire's rule to suppress the Hua Clan demands each generation offer its best male and female talents to the palace," she said somberly. "The woman becomes Empress, the man a eunuch."
Lan An's heart clenched, anger rising. A clan's future rested on its geniuses, yet the Hua Clan sacrificed both, one to wed the emperor, the other to serve him?
This gutted their future. How could they endure?
"The Great Elder was peerless, a dashing figure, desired by countless women, but he sacrificed his dignity for the clan, becoming a eunuch. His cultivation slowed, overtaken by me, a junior," she sighed deeply.
Lan An understood. No wonder the Great Elder, once Zhong Wu Ming's peer, lingered at Body Unity Mid-Stage. How could a castrated man maintain a cultivator's heart?
Zhong Wu Ming's talent was monstrous; he wouldn't befriend a mediocrity. The Great Elder, in his youth, matched him. Unhindered, he could've reached Tribulation Stage.
But for his clan, he abandoned his manhood, his spirit broken.
"Before him, Hua Clan elders in the palace died. After him, my uncle was chosen but died mysteriously. Now, my cousin, Void Refinement Late Stage, serves with me," she explained.
"What of the Hua Clan women before you? Were they happy as Empresses?" Lan An asked gravely.
She shook her head bitterly. "Who's happy with a loveless marriage? Some died of sorrow, others in seclusion. Even my aunt, Bai Sa's mother, died after birthing him."
"Damn it…" Lan An's fists clenched, understanding Hua Qing Zhu's coldness and obsession with strength. She fought to free the Hua Clan from its shackles.
Generations of Hua Clan heroes humiliated, their women doomed to tragic fates. Without her prodigious talent and Bai Sa's cowardice, her fate might mirror theirs.
They held each other in silence, his touch comforting. He recounted overhearing Bai Lie and Bai Tian's plot against Bai Lian Hua.
"Scum! Dare target my Little Hua? I'll make them pay!" Hua Qing Zhu's eyes blazed, like a cat with raised hackles. Her daughter was her line.
"Don't worry, I won't let them off either. But we've got bigger priorities," Lan An said, a sly smile forming.
"What?" she asked, eyeing his expression.
"Healing you, of course."
Before her playful glare, he pinned her soft body beneath him.