Chapter 18
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This chapter is edited by Farouq Omileye. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 18: The Path to Becoming an Empress
—
I can’t stand it when women cry!
Lying in bed, An Lan thought exactly that.
She had assumed Yan Yue was a tough nut to crack, but to her surprise, Yan Yue crumbled, leaning on Bai Lian with teary vulnerability.
Completely useless!
An Lan sighed. Yan Yue would probably smile happily even if she was cheated—too soft-hearted to be formidable. An Lan shook her head in disappointment.
But perhaps she was overthinking. After all, not everyone could become a powerful “Empress” like her.
Before she ascended to the Immortal World, she had…
—
Wait, what?
An Lan froze, her train of thought halting abruptly.
A peculiar sensation stirred within her. It felt as though a memory, long buried, was trying to resurface.
But when she reached out for it, her mind turned blank, as though she’d been struck from behind.
This left her deeply unsettled.
It wasn’t the first time this had happened.
“This isn’t an illusion,” she murmured, frowning. “Something must be wrong with my soul!”
—
In truth, this wasn’t surprising.
During her previous life, a “bitch” had ambushed her, violently using the Taiyi God Wheel to shatter her very essence. Her soul had been fragmented into countless pieces.
If even one fragment hadn’t escaped, she would have perished completely.
“Most of the fragments were destroyed…” she whispered bitterly. “The damage she caused is beyond repair.”
A trace of sorrow clouded An Lan’s expression.
At that moment, a faint noise outside the cave broke her reverie.
Her sharp ears perked up.
—
It was Yan Yue sneaking into the cave.
An Lan remained still, her expression unreadable. What was this foolish woman up to now?
She listened as Yan Yue sat by her bed, whispering self-recriminations.
“If it weren’t for me… I’ll help you recover soon… I swear.”
Her words echoed with guilt.
But An Lan didn’t care much for apologies. She was more annoyed when Yan Yue began a long-winded confession about their shared past.
—
“I’m sorry, Shifu… When we were kids, I hid your clothes, and they disappeared… Dad blamed you for breaking the vase, but it was me. I broke it and tried to fix it secretly…”
Each sentence grated on An Lan’s nerves.
What the hell!
The more Yan Yue spoke, the angrier An Lan became. Who knew Yan Yue had been so shameless as a child?
She wanted nothing more than to jump up and kick her disciple’s backside.
But she restrained herself. Instead, she blinked her eyes slowly, flexing her fingers as if she were just waking from a deep slumber.
—
“Shifu!” Yan Yue gasped.
Feigning grogginess, An Lan rasped, “You needn’t blame yourself. Truly, I don’t hold it against you.”
“But I—”
An Lan interrupted, her voice stern. “Don’t overthink. Instead, could you fetch Bai Lian for me?”
The message was clear: leave.
Yan Yue, filled with guilt, obeyed immediately. “I’ll go right away!”
The moment she left, An Lan exhaled in relief. Finally, some peace.
—
Bai Lian arrived not long after, her voice tinged with surprise.
“Master?”
An Lan studied her for a moment, nodding in satisfaction. Bai Lian looked better—calmer—than Yan Yue.
This disciple of hers was the most reliable person in the world.
“I have something for you,” An Lan murmured, slipping her hand under the quilt.
After some fumbling, she pulled out a round white disc. Carved into it was a rabbit.
“This is the Time-Space Compass I took from Marquis Wu’an,” she explained. “It will always guide you back to Qiongming Peak.”
—
Bai Lian accepted the compass silently, her emotions swirling.
Even in her injured state, her Shifu was still thinking about her.
Clutching the compass, Bai Lian resolved to help An Lan recover as soon as possible.
—
That night, Bai Lian worked late into the evening, researching the locations where Immortal Spirit Qi might be found.
When she finally dozed off at her desk, the flame of her candle flickered softly, casting shadows across the room.
—
Unbeknownst to her, a small figure slipped in through the window.
It was An Lan.
Silently, she approached Bai Lian and reached for the storage pendant hanging from her neck. Curiosity drove her to examine its contents.
Inside was a bottle of liquid that carried a faint orange fragrance. She sniffed it, then licked the bottle cap.
Delicious.
An Lan hesitated briefly before gulping down the entire bottle. She filled it back up with water and placed it where she found it.
Satisfied, she left the room as stealthily as she’d entered.
—
When Bai Lian awoke the next morning, she found her clothes soaked with sweat from a strange dream. She had dreamed of fighting alongside her Shifu—a memory that left her feeling both flustered and motivated.
With renewed determination, she prepared to continue her quest for Immortal Spirit Qi.
The disciples she passed on her way to the library greeted her with enthusiasm.
Even Tong Yao, the purple-haired Junior Sister, clung to her side like an excited puppy.
—
Far away, in the icy depths of the Snow Sea, a man sat on a black throne.
He was the Lord of Hades Hall.
When his subordinate reported the presence of pure Ghost Spirit Qi within the Duxian sect, his interest was piqued.
If no one from Hades Hall had visited recently, there could only be one explanation—his long-lost daughter was there.
A genius who could awaken Ghost Spirit Qi without cultivation…
The Lord of Hades Hall clenched his fists, his breath quickening.
She was the key to his plans.