“Moreover, from this queen’s perspective, if that Zhou Xuzi truly values Zhou Qingchen that much, he actually won’t launch an all-out a.s.sault against the Northern Divine Region after Zhou Qingchen dies.”

“Because Zhou Qingchen’s death will not only cause him to go insane with anger, it will also cause him to feel shame! Since the person has already died, the last thing he can do for his son will be to do his best to protect his reputation. Zhou Xuzi won’t allow the people of the world to find out about the fact that his son was transformed into a ‘devil’.”

“Launching an all-out a.s.sault in a fit of pure rage would vent his anger for a moment, but it would also greatly harm the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm. It would also very likely expose the fact that Zhou Qingchen had been transformed into a devil, expose the fact that he was the one who broke the taboo and tried to make a deal with this queen. It would also result in many other unforeseeable consequences.”

“But if he buries his anger and chooses not to act despite the fires of rage burning within his heart, he will be able preserve the last of Zhou Qingchen’s dignity while not exposing himself to any of the things I just mentioned.”

Chi Wuyao drew even closer to Qianye Ying’er. “You definitely understand far better than this queen just how much the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm is repulsed by the word ‘devil’ and how disgraceful it would be for any one of them to become ‘devils’.”

“So which option do you think he will lean towards?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Without waiting for Qianye Ying’er’s response, Chi Wuyao suddenly said, “This queen will first help you recall one thing… Zhou Xuzi’s age, experience, and time spent as emperor also far exceeds Qianye Fantian’s.”

“Moreover, during his time as emperor, in the Eastern Divine Region… No, in fact, in all three divine regions, he has always been the most esteemed and respected G.o.d emperor of them all.”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

“Just how likely is it for a person like that to lose complete control of his emotions due to extreme rage?”

Qianye Ying’er’s hands were tightly clenched. Even though rage simmered in her heart, she was not the sort of person who would fly off the handle easily. Furthermore, Chi Wuyao’s words had actually left her speechless for the moment.

When she had described her plan to Yun Che, she had explained just how special Zhou Qingchen was to Zhou Xuzi and that she was about sixty percent confident that Zhou Xuzi would go berserk if he died. However, she did not have enough time to make sure her plan was completely foolproof.

When she heard the words that Chi Wuyao just said, even though she really did not want to acknowledge them, she could not help but come to the sudden realization that the chance of the plan succeeding were truly only ten percent or so, maybe even less.

She was very familiar with Zhou Xuzi’s past relations.h.i.+p with his proper wife. As a result, she was utterly convinced that Zhou Qingchen was Zhou Xuzi’s greatest and perhaps only weakness. Yet she had overlooked such an important point… and that was Zhou Qingchen’s “reputation and dignity”, something that would exist even after his death.

However, after she had given Chi Wuyao a simple explanation of her plan, she had actually actually perceived this gaping “hole” in her plan, a hole that she had always overlooked, after just half a day.

This woman...

“Since that is the case, why did you deliberately publicize Yun Che’s whereabouts and allow this news to leak out to the Eastern Divine Region?” Qianye Ying’er asked.

“Of course it’s to borrow your ‘suggestion’ and lure him into meeting this queen with Zhou Qingchen in tow,” Chi Wuyao said.

“Now?”

“Of course.”

Qianye Ying’er did not flare up immediately. She pondered Chi Wuyao’s words for a brief period of time before she spoke in a low voice, “Let’s not even mention uniting the three king realms first. If we enrage the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm now without even taking the first step in our plans, it would be akin to wasting the best opportunity we have right now.”

“And if he truly goes berserk from rage and launches an all-out attack against the Northern Divine Region, it will be at a time when we haven’t even been able to stand firmly yet. Even talking about using this opportunity to launch a counterattack will be nothing more than a huge joke.”

“He won’t.” Chi Wuyao chuckled dryly. “Even if he does, it is of no matter. If this land of darkness were so easily conquered, how could it still be standing to this very day?”

“Then what exactly do you mean to accomplish by doing this?” Qianye Ying’er’s mind swiftly raced through several possibilities, but none of them made any sense to her.

“It’s very simple. As long as he comes here, that will be enough.” That was Chi Wuyao’s reply.

Yun Che, who had been silently listening to Chi Wuyao all this while, suddenly spoke up. “What do you mean by that?”

“There is a very colorful proverb that I believe that two of you have heard before. Chi Wuyao’s eyebrows arched a little as she softly whispered those words in a breathy voice, “If yellow mud stains your pants, it’s treated as s.h.i.+t even if it isn’t actually s.h.i.+t.”

The Soul Sky lapsed into a long period of silence after she said those words.

When Qianye Ying’er raised her head once more, she finally understood Chi Wuyao’s intentions. She gave a low and hearty laugh as she said, “When it comes to being despicable and underhanded, I am indeed still far inferior to you.”

Those words were both a mocking jibe and a wistful sigh.

Chi Wuyao’s smile remained fixed on her face and her devilish voice grew effusive. “When this queen has to choose between relying on an opportunity someone delivered up to me versus a scheme I have personally crafted, the difference being that the former is pa.s.sive while the later is active, I far prefer to take the active option. After all, being the one who sets the gears in motion and being the one who has to pa.s.sively endure anything that happens to them are two completely different things altogether. Yun Qianying, don’t you agree?”

Qianye Ying’er’s eyebrows furiously twitched and she turned her head sharply away from Chi Wuyao. However, she had already unconsciously softened her stance.

As her smile grew more reserved, Chi Wuyao turned around and said something quite mysterious. “This queen has always disdained these sorts of wicked and petty tricks. However, if it is that Zhou Xuzi we’re talking about… then that’s an entirely different story.”

She had said those last words with a deeply hidden malice.

“Yun Che, you will cooperate with me in this matter, right?” Chi Wuyao said. However, she already knew what his reply would be before he even answered.

Because Yun Che was looking forward to this more than anyone else.

“When,” Yun Che said.

Qianye Ying’er did not object either.

Chi Wuyao gave a soft chuckle as she said, “Given the degree to which the Northern Divine Region and Eastern Divine Region are isolated from each other, it might take as long as a month before Zhou Xuzi finds out that you’ve fallen into this queen’s hands. We should also conveniently mix in some fragmented rumors that you’ve angered this queen on multiple occasions. At that time, he will definitely send a sound transmission to me as soon as he possibly can and arrange for us to meet.”

“As for when this meeting will take place, it cannot be too soon or too long.”

“If it takes too long, it will gradually wear his patience down and a long delay will naturally give rise to hitches in the plan.”

“If we move too quickly… If this queen does not take the opportunity to demand the world from him and tries to press him into a meeting at the first available opportunity, it will arouse suspicion in him instead.”

“How does one hundred days sound to you?” Her eyes swept past both Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er. To her surprise, she discovered that strange fluctuations had occured in their auras when she had proposed the date, fluctuations that should not have appeared at all.

“Oh?” Her eyes narrowed slightly, “Could it be that the amount of time I proposed is not to your liking?”

“No.” Yun Che opened his mouth and both his expression and voice were devoid of irregularities. “I find this amount of time… very much to my liking.”

Chi Wuyao, “...?”

Qianye Ying’er quietly shot a glance at Yun Che and bit back the words she was about to say.

At this time, a gentle breeze brushed by them and a woman covered in twinkling rainbow light floated down towards them. It was the Seventh Witch Hua Jin.

With her arrival, all nine of the Soul Stealing Realm’s Witches had been a.s.sembled before Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er’s eyes.

“Reporting to Master,” Hua Jin greeted Chi Wuyao, “Young Master Yun’s bedchambers have been prepared.”

“Mnn.” Chi Wuyao replied softly. She turned towards Yun Che, a sweet and beautiful smile on her face. “Yun Che, you’ve been forced to live as a fugitive for the past few years. Since you’re already here, why don’t you allow yourself to rest for a single day. From tomorrow onward, it’ll be hard to find a moment to relax even if you want to.”

“Chanyi, escort Yun Che and Yun Qianying to their bedchambers. Today, you will serve outside the palace. If they desire to tour the sacred region, you will be in charge of guiding them.”

“Yes,” Chanyi replied. Even though she had been entrusted the role of “attendant” despite her status as a Witch, she did not feel too repulsed by the role she had been a.s.signed to. After all, there was no way that she could truly repay Yun Che for the gift he had given her.

Yun Che gave a very disinterested nod of his head.

Chi Wuyao turned her devilish body around, her gaze coming to rest on each and every one of her Nine Witches. “Jie Xin, Jie Ling, Ye Li, Yao Die, Qing Ying, Lan Ting, Hua Jin, Yu Wu, Chanyi.”[1]

She recited the names of each of her Nine Witches, her voice containing a gentleness reserved just for them. “This queen has described her dream of the future to all of you many times. In the past, this would always be a foolish wish, an extravagant hope. However… the day I have waited for has suddenly come and my dream starts from this day forward.”

“This queen cannot even begin to imagine what the future will hold, so it is even more impossible for me to promise you anything. In fact, I might even end up being unable to protect all of you. As such…”

“Master, you need not say another thing,” Jie Xin said. “Your life and your dream are the very reasons for our existence.”

The other eight Witches did not say anything, but their eyes were saying the exact same thing.

“Fine.” Chi Wuyao nodded her head, a faint smile on her face. Indeed, there was no need for any useless words between her and her Witches. “Then all of you may leave.”

The gathered Witches dispersed. From this day on, the arc of their fates and the very world they lived in would undergo an enormous upheaval.

All because of Yun Che’s arrival.

“Young Master Yun, please.”

Chanyi arrived at Yun Che’s side and she now displayed a degree of deferential respect towards him.

As she recalled their encounter in the Central Nether Ruins, her heart was filled with boundless rueful emotions.

Yun Che glanced at Chi Wuyao but he did not say a single word. He turned around and followed Nanhuang Chanyi out of the Soul Sky.

However, Qianye Ying’er, who was moving alongside Yun Che, suddenly stopped the moment Yun Che descended out of the Soul Sky. She turned her body slightly as she spoke to Chi Wuyao in a cold voice. “Chi Wuyao, you truly do know how to pick a date.”

“What exactly is wrong with the date that I’ve chosen?” Chi Wuyao asked.

A complex look flashed through Qianye Ying’er’s eyes and she gave a soft sigh as she said, “One hundred days from now, it will be his daughter’s eighteenth birthday.”

“...” Chi Wuyao was stunned by that revelation.

“Also, remember these words well.” Qianye Ying’er’s back faced Chi Wuyao as her voice turned frosty, “I admit that I am your inferior in certain aspects.”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao’s eyebrows arched as amus.e.m.e.nt played across her face.

“However, that is only because I am far younger than you are. If we were the same age, I would definitely be far superior to you!”

Chi Wuyao gave a laugh as she replied in that soft and cottony voice, “Are you sure that difference between us lies only in our ages?”

Qianye Ying’er’s brows sank slightly.

“Every single person in the Northern Divine Region knows the name ‘Brahma Monarch G.o.ddess’,” Chi Wuyao said in a languid manner. “The legendary Brahma Monarch G.o.ddess has extraordinary talent and succeeds in everything she tries her hand at. There is nothing that you cannot obtain, no person you cannot trick.”

“However are all of these achievements truly because of your excellent and exceedingly cruel schemes or are they because… of the Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm that backed you up at every turn, the Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm that no one even dares to offend?”

“Then what about you?” Qianye Ying’er retorted sarcastically, “The Northern Region’s Devil Queen Chi Wuyao. A woman who rose from a middle star realm king to a higher realm king before finally becoming a G.o.d emperor. However, you did this by riding on one man after the other. How wise and brilliant you were!”

“Hahahaha.” Chi Wuyao laughed loudly, but no one in this universe would understand the meaning behind her laughter. She raised her eyes to the heavens and said in a carefree voice, “All the men of this world who have risen to high places, the women who catch their eyes will only ever be lesser than they are. If that is the case, then why can’t a woman see men as her lessers and use them as tools?”

Qianye Ying’er, “...”

“This queen started off as a common mortal woman. But with my own two feet, I climbed up to the top by trodding on these stepping stones that these men personally laid out for me. Whether it was their sect, their lives, their families, or even their… king realm!”

“Until not a single man in this universe dared to look down on this queen in the slightest.”

“So you, someone who has been born into the lap of luxury, someone who has always stood at the highest point in this universe, are the one person in the universe who is the least qualified to look down on this queen.”

“...” Qianye Ying’er stood rooted in place, and she could not bring herself to say anything for a long time.

“However…” Chi Wuyao’s tone suddenly changed again and it now contained several hints of playful mockery. The emotions she was putting on full display seemed to forever be changing according to her own fickle mood and no one could even guess at what she was going to do next. “There really isn’t any need for you to harbor such enmity towards this queen and there is even less of a need for you to feel such a huge sense of peril. After all, you were the one who was by his side constantly during his darkest years. This is something that no one can change, no one can replace.”

“And it was also the same for you.”

“...What do you mean by that?” Qianye Ying’er’s head violently whipped towards her.

“A good question,” Chi Wuyao gave a dry laugh as her feet crossed the borders of the Soul Sky. “This is a question that you have to ask yourself, and it is also a question that only you can answer accurately. This queen is merely blathering on pointlessly.”

With a seductive laugh that was so soft and charming that it melted straight into the bone, Chi Wuyao flew into the distance. Only Qianye Ying’er was left standing within the Soul Sky, and she stayed inside for a long period of time.

1. Their names might actually be together like Chanyi or said like t.i.tles, but they will be left alone for now until we have further evidence.