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Ba narrowed her eyes at Houqing.

“We didn’t spare you because we were charmed but because we wanted to leave some manpower for Chiyou. Aside from the utterly evil ones who harmed the innocent and masses, we spared all of Chiyou’s subordinates. Gone through tough times together? Hah! That was us saving you; it was us saving you every time. Your weakness and incompetence burdened us. Do you think we would fall for you? Giving you the zombie ancestor seed was merely to keep it from Jiang Lianshan and Ji Dihong. They had already begun plotting against us and preparing to turn us into a fire-attributed zombie. We wouldn’t let them have their way. At the time, you just happened to be there, so we let you take the zombie ancestor seed,” Ba replied in a heavy voice.

“No, you must feel something for me!” Houqing argued frantically.

“Humph! Houqing, you reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm only because you turned into the wind-attributed zombie ancestor. Without the zombie ancestor seed, what would you be? Weak and self-serving. You thought we would admire you? Neither in strength nor character are you strong enough. You are not worthy even as a mere figurehead,” Ba scoffed coldly.

Houqing glared at Ba. “Unworthy even as a figurehead? Hahaha! Do you know I did not hesitate to become a zombie for you when I heard about your plight? When you turned into a fire-attributed zombie, it infuriated the Six Paths Immortal. I apologized on your behalf; I was even willing to become a guard for the Six Paths Immortal for three thousand years just to seek his forgiveness for you. I did all this for you, yet you tell me I am not worthy even as a figurehead?”

The calm Ba looked back at Houqing and affirmed, “Yes, you’re not worthy.”

Houqing suddenly reared his head back and roared, “Hah!”

This roar stirred up a gale in the palace.

Boom!

The winds blasted the doors open, which prompted many guards to rush in.

“What’s wrong, Your Holy Eminence?”

“Who dares to cause trouble?”

“How audacious!”

When the guards saw Houqing’s explosive aura, they all drew their weapons and glared.

“Get out!” Ba said coldly.

The zealous guards halted. “Yes!”

Then they all withdrew.

Ba gave Houqing a cold look. “Houqing, don’t say we’re purposely belittling you. We both have zombie ancestor seeds, but you’ve only reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. Furthermore, that was by virtue of the zombie ancestor seed we gave you. More accurately, we gave you your current cultivation. We welcome you into the Yan Heavenly Dynasty, but if you harbor unrealistic fantasies, then you’re courting death. We don’t fear slander. You are still unworthy.”

“Hah! Hahahahaha! I’m unworthy? Fine! Ba, I’ll remember this. I’ll remember your words today. You will remember this moment, here, the words you said to me. One day, I will make you look at me in a new light!” Houqing declared with a hateful look.

In his rage, Houqing shot up into the sky.

Having wished to aid the one he loved, only to meet with such humiliation, Houqing was indignant, his fury blazing inside him. He found this difficult to swallow, and he became increasingly frenzied.

Houqing flew away.

Ba watched Houqing leave with the corner of her mouth curled in a scornful smirk. “Houqing? What a joke!”

She turned and left with a swish of her sleeve.

Ba felt no regret over driving Houqing away. Firstly, she had always looked down on Houqing, even though his cultivation had reached this level. Secondly, love? Such a person constantly talking about loving her was simply nauseating. Taking her hand in marriage? In this world, no one was worthy of taking her hand in marriage. She might take someone’s hand in marriage, but no one would take her hand in marriage.

[TL Note: In Chinese culture, marriage is seen as the bride leaving her family to join the groom’s family, so the word for a man marrying a woman is different from the word for a woman marrying a man. The word for marry in the above paragraph refers to taking a bride into one’s family. Hence, I had to rephrase the wording slightly to reflect that, even though it might sound a little strange in English.]

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Houqing flew away from Great Desolation City as fast as he could, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

Being belittled by the woman he loved bred the most terrifying resentment.

Houqing stopped only after going far away from Great Desolation City. As he looked at the distant Great Desolation City, resentment and hatred flashed in his eyes.

“Ba, you look down on me? Think I’m incompetent? Humph! I’ll prove my worth with my accomplishments. I will make you take notice; I will make you regret what you said today!” Houqing vowed, clenching his fist.

Then Houqing turned his head to the north.

“You say I’m incompetent? Humph! I can clearly see the situation of the world. The Huang Heavenly Dynasty is currently flourishing. It held its own even when challenged by the Yan Nation, the Han Nation, and the Nine Li Nation. Now, the death of Chiyou leaves Ji Dihong stronger, for he acquired all of Chiyou’s divine Dao secret techniques. How, then, could Gu Hai and Ba possibly compete against Ji Dihong?” sneered Houqing, his face gloomy.

“Consider me incompetent, do you? I’ll annihilate you. Ba, not only will I make you regret what you said, but I’ll also make sure you beg at my feet one day!” Houqing’s countenance twisted into a vicious snarl.

After his outburst, he turned his gaze to the southwest, towards Xuanyuan City.

Whoosh!

Houqing instantly took off for Xuanyuan City.

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The emperor’s study, Xuanyuan City, Huang Heavenly Dynasty:

Ji Dihong dealt with a pile of memoranda.

“Your Holy Eminence finally emerged from seclusion. Gu Hai has been very active, leaving us confused. We are relieved that Your Holy Eminence returned at this time,” Emperor Kong sighed deeply.

“I haven’t finished my seclusion; I just stepped out for a bit,” Ji Dihong responded mildly.

“Yes. Your Holy Eminence, these are reports on Gu Hai’s recent activities,” Emperor Kong said earnestly.

After examining the documents, Ji Dihong frowned slightly. “Gu Hai? He recruited three imperial dynasties and three middle-tier sects? Now, he’s mobilizing his forces. Does he plan on engaging my Huang Nation in an all-out war?”

“Yes. Hah…. That Gu Hai is truly lucky. The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon was about to breach Borderless Heavenly Capital’s defenses, but Gu Hai returned in the nick of time. The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon turned coward and hid,” said Emperor Kong, grimacing in frustration.

“The Divine Scorpion Heavenly Demon? That’s how he is. He’s just biding his time; he will emerge sooner or later,” Ji Dihong remarked with a smile.

“Yes!” Emperor Kong nodded in agreement.

“Your Holy Eminence, progress on the shaman race’s mind control has been promising,” Emperor Kong suddenly announced with a grin.

At his words, the officials of the Huang Nation perked up their ears, especially Mister Starless, who raised his eyebrows.

Ji Dihong frowned slightly as he glanced at the officials. “We’ll discuss that later. For now, let’s focus on Gu Hai,” he said.

“Yes!” Emperor Kong answered.

Even though these were loyal confidants, Ji Dihong was very cautious. He did not reveal more than necessary.

“Your Holy Eminence, Gu Hai left Borderless Heavenly Capital for almost a year. I wonder if he has increased his cultivation or reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm,” Emperor Kong pondered aloud.

“Reaching the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm isn’t easy.” Ji Dihong shook his head gently.

“True, but every time Gu Hai disappears and reappears, he seems to make significant improvements. We must remain on guard,” Emperor Kong said, frowning.

“No worries, we’ve already made arrangements with Master Cangjie,” Ji Dihong replied lightly.

Emperor Kong turned to Cangjie, who nodded.

“Rest assured, Lord Kong. I’m monitoring Gu Hai’s movements closely. If Gu Hai leaves Borderless Heavenly Capital, I’ll know immediately. There won’t be a repeat of Dahong’s mistake.”

“Given Mister Cangjie’s abilities, I’m reassured. We must eliminate Gu Hai as soon as he leaves Borderless Heavenly Capital again, no matter the cost,” Emperor Kong declared, his face steely.

“Enough talk. What have we learned about Gu Hai’s recent movements and the internal situation in Borderless Heavenly Capital?” Ji Dihong inquired.

With a bitter smile, Emperor Kong replied, “During the period when the blessings of the Han Imperial Dynasty scattered, Borderless Heavenly Capital’s Embroidered Uniform Guards acted ruthlessly, purging all spies from various factions. Hence, we lack current intelligence on Gu Hai.”

“No intelligence?” Ji Dihong verified coldly.

“Yes,” Emperor Kong replied ruefully.

“We don’t want to hear that. Use whatever means necessary to gather reliable information,” Ji Dihong commanded sternly.

“Yes!” Emperor Kong acquiesced, nodding helplessly.

As they strategized against Gu Hai in the study, a guard outside announced the arrival of a visitor.

“Reporting to Your Holy Eminence, a man named Houqing claims to bring news of Gu Hai and seeks an audience!” shouted the guard from outside.

“Houqing?” Everyone in the room was taken aback.

Ji Dihong showed a hint of surprise. Houqing?

“All of you leave, except for Master Cangjie and Emperor Kong,” Ji Dihong commanded indifferently.

“Yes!” everyone answered.

The room emptied quickly before Houqing was led into the study.

“Houqing? You claim to have news of Gu Hai? How did you come by this information? What are your intentions?” Ji Dihong interrogated coldly.

Cangjie and Emperor Kong watched Houqing warily from the side.

“This humble one is Houqing. I have come to pledge allegiance to the Huang Heavenly Emperor. Would the Huang Heavenly Emperor consider accepting me?” Houqing asked formally.

Pledge allegiance?

Emperor Kong and Cangjie exchanged surprised glances before turning back to Ji Dihong.

Ji Dihong also seemed uncertain about Houqing’s sincerity. However, he responded promptly out of courtesy.

“We welcome your arrival, Mister Houqing, but your sudden pledge has us puzzled. The surprise is so unexpected that it’s hard for us to believe.” Ji Dihong smiled.

Houqing exhaled lightly. At last, he felt vindicated. After the humiliation in Great Desolation City and the stifling atmosphere in Borderless Heavenly Capital, here at last was a man who recognized his worth. And this man was an enlightened sovereign, the most revered person in the world.

“You needn’t worry about why I came. All you need to know is that I’m here to serve you. Also, you want to defeat Gu Hai, don’t you? I have secrets about Gu Hai to share,” Houqing announced solemnly.

“Oh? Secrets about Gu Hai?” Ji Dihong’s eyes narrowed in intrigue.

“Indeed. I know Gu Hai’s current strength, how many consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators he commands, and their relationship with him. I wonder what kind of position this information could secure for me in the Huang Heavenly Dynasty,” Houqing proposed seriously.