Chapter 1561: Chapter 85: Mother Empress’s True Nature

Mu Qingyan only looked coldly at the Mother Empress.

Mu Qingyan’s temperament was inherently incomparably icy; only in front of Zhou Yan and her close kin would it grow a bit warmer. Once she released that cold aura and emotion, then even within the environment of the Emperor Ancient Clan, everything still turned chill.

A Holy Spirit who is naturally indifferent—once she shows a sharp, frigid attitude, that kind of cruelty can no longer be described.

At the very least, facing Mu Qingyan’s attitude like this, the Mother Empress felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, her bond with Mu Qingyan ran very deep, so she did not take offense. Instead, she sighed and said, "If there were a choice, how could I have walked this path? Mu Qingyan, you can forgive Hou Chen, you can forgive Zhou Yan and even Yanyan—so why are you unwilling to spare a thought for me?"

There was an inexplicable trace of resentment woven into the Mother Empress’s words.

This kind of resentment was enough to make even Zhou Yan frown when he heard it.

Let alone Hou Chen and the others.

The Mother Empress paid absolutely no heed to the expressions of Hou Chen and Zhou Yan. It was as if no matter how Zhou Yan and Hou Chen reacted, it had nothing to do with her, and she did not care in the slightest about such a situation arising.

The Mother Empress quietly turned her gaze to Jiang Yuning. No emotion showed in her eyes—there was only a trace of mockery, irony, and disdain, as if it were a gaze that looked down on all things.

Although that glance was extremely well concealed, with Jiang Yuning’s cleverness, she still sensed it.

Jiang Yuning’s face turned a shade paler, yet she likewise did not say anything, merely staring silently at the Mother Empress.

At this moment, the Mother Empress’s gaze once more shifted back to Mu Qingyan, as though she were waiting for Mu Qingyan’s answer.

Yet, just like the Mother Empress’s eyes, when Mu Qingyan looked at her, there was likewise an extra trace of ridicule, contempt, and scorn.

With such a look in her eyes, Mu Qingyan let out a cold laugh and said icily, "Hou Chen is, in the end, my son. Even if he was not born to me, what do you have that can compare to him?"

"Even if he was wrong, by his very nature he can still reverse Heaven and Earth and change his own core of Heaven and Earth. And you? What have you accomplished?"

Mu Qingyan’s words seemed like a Sword, piercing straight into the Mother Empress’s heart.

The luster on the Mother Empress’s golden mask shifted; it was obvious she had been hurt—hurt by Mu Qingyan.

Zhou Yan was unaware of all this. After all, even though he was the King, it was impossible for him to know everything.

Moreover, his women had also gone through many things. He had not been at their side every moment, so there was much he did not know.

Not knowing, at this moment he could only watch in silence, quietly waiting for Mu Qingyan to resolve it personally.

Mu Qingyan was an exceedingly kind woman; she had been this way from very early on. Even now, as a King, she still possessed a sincere heart. In many matters she would leave her enemies a sliver of hope, and she never did things in an utterly ruthless way.

But now, her words seemed to carry a terrifying Power of Destruction, bit by bit piercing the Mother Empress’s heart.

It was as if the more she hurt the Mother Empress, the more balanced her own heart would feel.

Zhou Yan could sense this, and naturally Hou Chen and Jiang Yuning could sense it as well.

Hou Chen silently watched this scene unfold without speaking.

His lips moved slightly; clearly, he wanted to say something, yet after pondering for a long time, he did not know how to speak.

As for Zhou Yan, he did not even have the qualification to interject, because he knew nothing.

"Yes, what have I done? In your eyes, I’m just so pitifully clinging to life, isn’t that so? In your eyes, I’m completely worthless, isn’t that so?"

"Hou Chen, I wonder, back then when you were treated like that by them, did you ever feel All Hope Lost? In your heart, did you ever feel a kind of hysterical despair?"

The Mother Empress suddenly turned the question on Hou Chen.

Hou Chen was slightly stunned. After a long moment, he gave the Mother Empress a complicated look, then shook his head and said, "You brought this upon yourself; you can’t live."

"Yes, back then I indeed fell to such a state. But tell me, now that you’ve come here, aren’t you here to watch us make a fool of ourselves? In your heart, did you ever think we would succeed this time? You might not even know that on your body there has been branded some unique information mark aura, allowing the Evil Emperor to obtain everything about you."

Hou Chen questioned her in an icy voice.

The Mother Empress froze and said, "Impossible! With my ability, who could set up surveillance on me and monitor me?"

"If I don’t have this ability, then no Holy Spirit under Heaven and Earth would have it!"

At this moment, the Mother Empress appeared extremely confident, as though she truly bore the Sovereign-like, Only I Am Supreme, Invincible air.

But Hou Chen only let out a series of cold laughs and did not explain.

Mu Qingyan, however, suddenly sighed and said, "Hou Chen is right. Have you really never known? It’s not that you didn’t know; you just refused to admit it."

"Whether it’s my father or Zhou Wangchen and the others, it actually wouldn’t be difficult for them to accomplish this. But my father’s Life and Death and Creation all lay in your hands. If not for you, how could that scene back then have come to pass?"

"This time, I don’t want to fuss over the past any longer, because the past is ultimately past, and the future may not even hold a future. This is what my husband and I both think."

"So, I don’t wish for the image I’ve always had in my husband’s heart to change at this final moment. I am just a woman—only a woman who is adorable and gentle in my husband’s eyes. Thus, I will no longer haggle over everything that has gone by.