Volume One: A Beauty That Brings Disaster Chapter 32: Empress of the Pale Moon

"This girl, she actually fell asleep?"

Watching Fan Caiyun, who had finally drifted into a deep slumber after weeping for so long, a wave of heartache surged within Jiang Hao.

"Now that her great vengeance has been exacted, she truly needs a good rest." Jiang Hao gently stroked her delicate, rosy cheek before carefully lifting her and walking slowly toward the bed.

"Sleep, little one. By the time you wake up, we will have left Yongan City and returned to the Misty Forest." Jiang Hao sat quietly by the bedside, tucking the quilt around her, fearful that she might catch a chill.

After settling Fan Caiyun, Jiang Hao stood up slowly and retrieved the storage bags belonging to Ge Tianlang and Yang Dahu from his universe ring.

"Time to scavenge again. Let’s see what treasures these two leaders of the Wild Wolf Gang have sent my way." Previously, Jiang Hao had discovered the second-tier spell "Mountain-Splitting Palm" on Feng Ba, a technique that had served him well!

"One Sea-Transforming Pill, thirty Spirit Energy Pills..."

"One hundred and forty-three thousand silver coins, one hundred and fifty thousand copper coins..."

"Thousand-Catty Blade?"

"Isn't this the spell Yang Dahu used earlier?" Jiang Hao paused for a moment, glancing at the spell manual in his hand, and shook his head with a bitter smile. "The Heaven-Slaying Sword in my hand already weighs ten thousand catties; this manual seems to be of little use to me now."

He continued to sift through the bags, quickly becoming intrigued by a tattered, worn-out spell book.

"Army-Breaking Thrust?"

"It’s actually a second-tier spell manual! That looks promising!"

Jiang Hao’s eyes brightened, and he began to study it in detail: "This spell utilizes immense, swift force to strike directly at the enemy’s heart, possessing the keenness of a blade that shatters armies, piercing through all obstacles."

"When unleashed, the tip of the spear glimmers with a cold light, its momentum as grand as a rainbow, rendering the enemy unable to resist. Like a sudden thunderbolt, it shatters the opponent's defenses in an instant. Its sheer power inspires dread, making it an indispensable spell for any spear-wielder in battle."

"So, after all that, it turns out only a cultivator who practices the spear can use it!" Jiang Hao shook his head, closing the manual with a sigh of resignation. "I can’t exactly switch to spear fighting just for one second-tier spell, can I?"

Recalling the scene, Jiang Hao felt a lingering sense of fear. "Thankfully, my master warned me. In the previous fight, I didn't give Ge Tianlang any room to counterattack. If I had let him unleash this spell, I would have been in grave danger." Thinking of this, he could not help but gasp.

Back then, after Yang Dahu had used the "Thousand-Catty Blade" spell, the immense power unleashed by his mere two-star spirit weapon, the Iron-Blood Saber, had left a deep impression on Jiang Hao.

If not for the heaven-defying power of Jiang Hao's Heaven-Slaying Sword, the outcome would have been hard to predict.

After a moment of reflection, Jiang Hao continued to search the bags, but found nothing else of value or suitability.

Eventually, he tucked the items away into his universe ring, intending to sell the two spell manuals at an opportune moment; after all, keeping them was pointless, and turning them into profit was the best course of action.

Watching the sun shining brightly outside the window, Jiang Hao frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "It is still early. I might as well study that spirit array diagram that can save my life."

After all, it was not convenient to practice the "Void-Shattering Slash" in the room—not to mention the risk of collapsing the inn, if the disturbance were too great, it might draw the attention of the Prince’s men, which would be a heavy price to pay.

Thus, Jiang Hao sat down on a meditation cushion and took out the spirit array diagram of the Bewildering Array.

"The Bewildering Array, a three-talisman auxiliary spirit array. While it lacks offensive power, it can easily entrap the human mind. Once one steps into the array, they feel as though they have entered a dream, surrounded by illusions, causing their mind to lose its way and fall into endless confusion..."

"It is exactly as Pavilion Master Qin described. It seems I bought the right diagram." Jiang Hao smiled slightly after reading the description.

"I remember my father once saying that the first step to laying a spirit array is to manifest spirit talismans, then connect them, and only then can a complete array be formed."

Jiang Hao struggled to recall his father's teachings on spirit array cultivation. Even though he was merely an ordinary person without spirit meridians at the time, his father had poured all the knowledge of the cultivation world into him.

To ensure Jiang Hao had a craft to rely on, his father had even invited the most brilliant physician of the Yanyang Kingdom to teach him medicine.

"Father! Hao-er misses you so much..."

Tears blurred Jiang Hao’s vision. Only in this moment did the usually strong young man shed his mask, expressing his deep longing for his kin.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Hao’s gaze turned cold, and his expression regained its resolve. "Father, Hao-er will surely avenge this blood feud for you!"

"One day, I will return to the Central Plains, return to the Yanyang Kingdom, and kill that venomous woman with my own hands!" Jiang Hao clenched his fists, his voice cold. "Ji Yue! The blood debt of my father is one that cannot coexist under the same sky!"

...

At this moment, one hundred thousand miles away from the Southern Xia Kingdom of the Eastern Wilderness Continent, within the imperial palace of the Yanyang Kingdom on the Central Plains continent.

"Report! To the Empress, the latest battle report!" In the grand hall, a female guard hurried in, knelt on the ground, and bowed respectfully to the woman on the throne.

Ji Yue wore a long black robe, its sleeves like clouds—light and graceful yet imposing, resembling a goddess of the night, exuding a cold and glamorous aura.

She sat upon the throne, which was exquisitely carved like a towering mountain, symbolizing supreme authority. Her robe rippled in the light breeze as if whispering of her legend and cruelty.

"Read it!"

Her gaze was as sharp as frost, fixed on the guard kneeling in the center of the hall, her voice cold.

"Reporting to the Empress, as of dawn today, our army has occupied thirty-five cities of the Beili Kingdom, large and small. There is only one imperial city remaining that has yet to be breached!" The guard lowered her head respectfully, her voice trembling as she relayed the latest situation.

"Before I departed, General Xiang had already assembled five hundred thousand troops, preparing to launch another fierce assault on the Beili imperial city..."

The hall was deathly silent, the guard's voice echoing in the empty space, laden with tension and anxiety.

Ji Yue's face was cold, like a ruthless iceberg, yet her heart was like a surging undercurrent, hiding endless calculations and stratagems.

Whenever the guard mentioned the shifts in the war, her brow would arch slightly, as if she were brewing her next move. The black robe trailing behind her mirrored her isolation and fearlessness.

The flickering candlelight of the hall shone upon her face, making her expression all the more mysterious and stern.

"Go back and tell Xiang Wentian: if he cannot take the Beili Kingdom within ten days, he is to bring his head to me!" Every word from Ji Yue was as sharp as a blade, cutting deeply into the guard's spirit.

"Your subordinate obeys!" the guard said, her voice trembling, her heart filled with unease.

Ji Yue was the Empress of the Cangyue Dynasty, incomparably majestic; no one dared to slight her!

After the guard left the hall, Ji Yue stood up slowly and gazed out beyond the palace, whispering, "Jiang Hao, by the time you set foot on the Central Plains again, the seven kingdoms will be unified, and all the sects will bow to me!"