The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 177 - 156. Upgrading to a high rank, and the "forbidden area" of Mubei Forest

"Old Xu, what are you saying?"

At the edge of the snow pit, Zhao Douan was stunned for a moment, no longer feeling sleepy:

"A secret passage? Did you just say ’secret passage’?"

However, in the face of his eager questioning, the seated Martial Artist in meditation said nothing more.

Fine, his intermittent intelligence kicked in... Zhao Douan sighed, but he couldn’t afford to overlook the matter, carefully considering the keywords "eleven" and "secret passage."

He remembered that the last time he mentioned the Empress’ anointment, Old Xu had talked about the "The Book of Changes" marrow-cleansing and the knowledge related to the renewal of one’s mortal body.

Thus, it was clear that to some extent, this Grand Ancestor Emperor before him could provide feedback on what he said.

"I only mentioned the Primordial Ancestor Temple just now... This means, the two keywords are related to it, a secret passage? Could it be that the Primordial Ancestor Temple is not as simple as it appears on the surface? Is there a hidden mystery within?

Uh... Zhenbao didn’t mention it, it could be that she deliberately hid it, which is quite normal—it’s royal family secrets after all, why would she casually divulge them to an outsider like me ...or, perhaps, even she doesn’t have the full details."

The latter guess was bold but not without possibility.

The Empress ascended to the throne unexpectedly; the Old Emperor died a violent death, and the Crown Prince as well...

Thus, it made sense that when the Empress took the throne, she was unable to inherit some of the royal family’s secrets.

Of course, with the Empress’ cultivation, she could also investigate these matters herself, but if these were measures personally arranged by the Grand Ancestor Emperor in his day, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Empress couldn’t see through them.

"Eleven... What does this number signify? Is it related to the secret passage?"

Zhao Douan had no clue and looked to question the retarded Old Xu, but then he saw the middle-aged Martial Artist, covered with frost and snow over his cotton-padded clothes, with his unkempt hair trembling as he stood up and continued walking north.

"Sigh... wait up."

Zhao Douan sighed, resigning himself to temporarily set aside the mystery and tried his best to keep up with the other’s pace.

In doing so, they walked for several more hours, and the snow showed no sign of diminishing; on the contrary, it seemed only to grow fiercer as they moved farther north.

To fight off the cold, Zhao Douan had no choice but to continuously move his qi all day long.

When he was once again utterly exhausted and had climbed atop a hill, his legs gave out, and with a "plop," he fell into the snow, lying in a "big" character shape, gasping for breath, exhaling mouthfuls of mist:

"No... I can’t... I can’t move anymore..."

Old Xu stopped in his tracks and glanced down at the young man sprawling on the ground, looking as if he were wasted, with undisguised disgust in his eyes as if looking at a pile of trash.

Zhao Douan pretended not to see, ranting to himself:

"I mean, I can handle trekking through the snow, but can we at least stick to flatter paths?

This awful terrain is uneven, not any easier to travel than a desert, and you’re aiming for higher ground. How about we find some branches, make a sled, and you can drag me along..."

The thought of dog sledding seemed rather exciting.

Old Xu’s lips twitched slightly, he stopped looking at Zhao Douan, and with his hands behind him like a grandmaster, he gazed toward the north and said:

"We’ve reached the farthest point north of our journey."

Huh? Zhao Douan was taken aback, ’the farthest point north of our journey,’ not ’the end point of our journey,’ emphasizing the far north.

"Are we not continuing north?"

Zhao Douan stood up, using both hands and feet, and managed to crawl to the top of the hill. Through the howling winds and snow, he could see a continuous black line on the horizon.

He had already sighted it several days before, assuming it was their destination.

Old Xu shook his head: "That’s not where you should be going right now."

Zhao Douan, curious, asked: "What lies further north?"

Old Xu solemnly replied: "The Mubei Forest Sea."

Zhao Douan was shocked: "The forest sea beyond the northern borders of the Great Yu dynasty?"

He had heard of it, said to be at the very northern edge of the continent, a land of unforgiving snowstorms and a boundless forest sea, a place untouched by the rulership of the Great Yu dynasty.

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But due to its remoteness, the common people knew little about it.

Aside from Cultivators, ordinary mortals seldom had the opportunity to visit in their lifetimes.

"The old people? You’re talking about the people who live in the Mubei Forest Sea? Why do you call them that?" Zhao Douan asked curiously.

He was beginning to see the benefits of the Martial God Map, which allowed him to glimpse the world traversed by the Great Yu Grand Ancestor without leaving his home.

It was a world filled with mystique.

"If you reach the Heavenly Human Realm, you can come here," Old Xu said.

"...What about the Worldly Realm? I feel that the Heavenly Human Realm might be a bit difficult to achieve. You know, difficult in many ways," Zhao Douan bargained.

Old Xu ignored him and simply continued:

"On this trek across the snowfields, you haven’t stopped for a moment, breathing and shifting qi to keep out the cold. Now that your internal qi has grown robust and you can control it with ease, it’s time to try the Swallowing Cloud Breathing Skill. Watch carefully."

Zhao Douan hurriedly scrambled to his feet, eyes wide open.

He saw the shabbily dressed middle-aged Martial Artist suddenly inhale sharply, his belly expanding with a thunderous rumble.

Whoosh—

A breathtaking scene unfolded before Zhao Douan.

Accompanying the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s breathing, the falling snowflakes were crazily sucked into his belly.

It was like a dragon drinking water, creating from his point of view a massive tornado that almost covered the sky. The broad end of the tornado disappeared into his gaping mouth.

In that instant, the snowflakes for miles around were drawn into his belly.

The world cleared.

The sky above the snowfield was clearer than ever before, and Zhao Douan’s view was unobstructed.

He looked into the distance and took in the lush, vibrant forest, a sea of towering green leaves.

Above the forest, there were even giant birds circling.

Suddenly, an indescribably immense and intangible gaze came from deep within the forest, instantly spanning thousands of miles and enveloping Zhao Douan.

The Mubei Forest had been disturbed.

Boom, the ground began to tremble.

From within the forest, countless wild beasts started to charge out, with a vast pack of wolves leading the way, and behind them, the vague forms of larger creatures drew near.

"Old... Old Xu..."

Zhao Douan felt a chill all over, suddenly understanding why his thrift-shop master insisted he be strong enough before coming here.

Because, perhaps only by reaching the "Heavenly Human Realm" could one protect oneself in this place far from the mortal world.

The next second, however, Xu saw Old Xu suddenly spewing out endless clouds toward the north, a massive cold current pouring from his mouth.

The snowfield became like a raging sea, raising ten-meter-high waves, the wind carrying snow and ice, transforming into rolling, angry waves, sweeping toward the Mubei Forest.

The wolf pack running ahead was instantly engulfed, frozen to death, turned into ice sculptures, as countless terrified animals fled behind them. That colossal will seemed somewhat surprised.

"Let’s go." Old Xu raised his hand and patted Zhao Douan’s shoulder.

Seeing his weak-kneed, powerless state, he lifted him by the belt, carrying Zhao Douan and turning towards the southeast.

...

Zhao Douan didn’t make a sound from the bottom of his heart, his mind repeatedly churning with the scene he had just witnessed.

A Martial Artist swallowing clouds and blowing fog, a breath freezing thousands of miles.

Just how powerful was Old Xu at his peak?

Wasn’t this "Human Immortal" power?

And what was that will in the forest?

Feeling the snowflakes begin to fall again, landing on his head, and face, Zhao Douan started to become curious about the world beyond Great Yu.

"Hey, Old Xu, where are we going next?"

"To the east, to take you to Martial Emperor City to see the sea."

...

...

Inside the Primordial Ancestor Temple, early morning.

When Zhao Douan opened his eyes and woke from his "dream," he felt an indescribable sense of comfort, every cell exulting in joy.

He could clearly feel that the thickness of the Qi machinery within his Qi Sea had at least doubled.

This meant the power he could unleash with a slash of his sword had also at least doubled.

Besides, the "Swallowing Cloud Breathing Skill" Old Xu had taught was also imprinted in his heart.

This gave him a mysterious premonition:

Whenever he wished, he could change the color of the "Qi machinery" within him, much like "True Qi" in martial arts novels, into... Cold Frost True Qi?

Without anyone’s reminder, he understood that he had made a Breakthrough to a high-grade mortal tier.

One more step up, and it would be an assault on the Divine Chapter Realm.

"Your Majesty?"

After briefly zoning out, Zhao Douan was surprised to find that Xu Zhenguan hadn’t left as before and was still in the temple.

The beautiful woman in white sat cross-legged on a cushion facing him, seemingly also in meditation.

Next to her were several empty wine jars.

Xu Zhenguan’s eyes were tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, lit by the faint morning light that filtered through the temple doors.

Her icy, snow-white, crystal-clear visage was tranquil and ethereal, like a fairy descended to the earth, arousing no impure thoughts.

Her pale wrist rested on her knees as her long fingers formed mudras, her black hair cascading like a waterfall.

Her gown was slightly transparent and from a distance, it went unnoticed, but now upon closer observation, one could faintly discern underneath, a figure that was no less impressive than Princess Yunyang’s long legs...

"What... are you looking at?"

Zhao Douan’s aesthetic pursuits were interrupted by a cool voice; he quickly looked up, meeting a pair of meaningful, dark eyes.

"Your... Your Majesty... are you awake?"

"Yes. You..."

"I’ve made a high-grade Breakthrough."

"...Very good."

After a brief silence, Xu Zhenguan still broke the slightly awkward atmosphere.

She rose up gracefully, waving a hand, the wine jars sent back to the cellar.

Zhao Douan, eager to help, stepped forward and turned the candlestick; with a "scratch" sound, the secret passage was sealed.

Could it be... that the so-called secret passage referred to this wine cellar?

Suppressing his curiosity, he tried not to show anything unusual.

By now, he had already realized that his Cultivation of the Martial God Map might be different from others.

At least from an oblique conversation with Ma Yan, he had learned that when he Cultivated, the Great Yu Grand Ancestor only spoke when teaching martial arts.

Other times, it was completely like a segment of footage, far less "intelligent" than the Old Xu he had encountered.

Thus, for prudence, Zhao Douan suppressed the urge to ask the Empress about the "secret passage" and the "colossal will in the Mubei Forest."

With a "flattering" smile, he said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping your servant make a Breakthrough!"

Xu Zhenguan looked at him profoundly, emitting a gentle "Hmm," and walked out:

"Go and bathe in the sleeping chambers, then leave the palace. Xiuwen Pavilion will convene in a few days, and someone will notify you."

"Oh, alright!"

Zhao Douan hurried to push open the temple door for her.

The door creaked open.

A night passed, and it was nearly dawn outside; fortunately, the Empress had held a short court session the day before, so there was no morning court today.

No hour was wasted.

Outside the Primordial Ancestor Temple, two rows of palace servants holding lanterns still stood with heads bowed.

Zhao Douan and Xu Zhenguan had Cultivated together in the temple all night.

These people had also been standing silently outside all night.

No, there was one more person.

Dressed in a female official’s robe, wearing a wingless black hat, a plum blossom embroidered on her brow, exuding cool elegance, the extremely androgynous "Big Ice Block" witnessed the two walking out.

Her gaze first fell on the Empress’s skirt, relieved to see it was not disheveled.

Then, turning to the clownish Zhao Douan, she felt an inexplicable sense of frustration:

"Your Majesty... peace be upon you."