The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1177 - 635: Zhang Yan Yi: I Want You to Help Me Cultivate..._2
The female sorcerer wearing a dark golden face mask snorted coldly, "How should I know?" ๐ป๐ณโฏโฏ๐คโฏ๐ท๐ฏโด๐โฏ๐ญ.๐โด๐
Zhao Douan felt frustrated and couldnโt help but complain about why Xu had set up so many obstacles. What secrets were being hidden so elaborately?
Suddenly, an inspiration struck him as he recalled Zhang Yan Yi mentioning that the Mubei Forest was extremely dangerous, and even he couldnโt enter it.
In other words, this generationโs four Heavenly HumansโXuan Yin, the Empress, Wu Xiankuiโcouldnโt enter the Mubei Forest either.
If the Mubei Forest is understood as an ultimate dungeon, then to enter, one must meet certain conditions... only then does it make sense.
But...
"Iโm not familiar with the Eastern Sea Thousand Islands, but I remember Ji Yueโs hometown is there, right? Itโs remote, letโs not talk about it for now. But can you enter the land of the Liao Clan just like that? If Iโm not mistaken, whether a magician or a martial artist, once they go to these dangerous places, their cultivation will be suppressed, right?" Zhao Douan said gravely.
The Empress responded with a "Hmm," explaining, "Take the Southwest Territory for example, which is the domain of the Evil God Great La Ba. Due to the generations-long tributes of the Liao Clan, Great La Ba is not comparable to those evil gods within Yu Country. So, once a magician steps there, the god they mainly cultivate will also be interfered with by Great La Ba, leading to a drop in cultivation. The deeper you go, the more severe the drop. Martial artists fare slightly better, but they too will be suppressed by the domainโs evil gods. Overall, these external lands are very perilous. If itโs merely simple exploration, the danger isnโt great, but going deep can be very dangerous even for those in the Worldly Realm."
Zhao Douan felt a headache hearing this.
Although he possesses the Dragon Essence, itโs not something to use casually.
After all, the Dragon Essence is not a true Divine being, lacking faith in the world, so after using it last time, who knows how long it will take to use it again.
Moreover, it can only be used for a short while before causing extreme fatigue...
The Liao people are entrenched, and given the current situation, it also shattered his plan to lead an army and charge into the Great Territory.
He certainly couldnโt let the Empress go and find the key, could he? Having used a Puppet Substitute once before, would Xuan Yin fall for it again?
Furthermore, with the great enemy at hand now, if the Empress were to get trapped in these dangerous places, it would be disastrous...
"Letโs retreat first and think about what to do next," Xu Zhenguan also realized the difficulty and suggested.
There was nothing else here, and the door couldnโt be opened, so they had to leave for now.
Zhao Douan looked towards Pei Niannu, who seemed uninterested and turned into scattered red strings with a "puff," burrowing into his Sea of Consciousness and returning to the Six Chapters Scripture.
The Emperor and minister explored the surroundings a bit more, confirmed there was nothing missed, and then turned back to the Grand Temple.
...
Walking out of the Grand Temple, the Emperor and minister seemed burdened with worries.
They hoped to unravel some mysteries but found instead that the mysteries only grew.
"I have a premonition," the Empress suddenly said while walking in the Grand Temple, "perhaps the Grand Ancestor Emperor is guiding us by having us discover these three doors at this particular time."
More accurately, guiding me... Zhao Douan thought, "But more importantly now is the Western Regionsโ invasion; solving mysteries can wait, right?"
As they spoke, the Emperor and minister left under the admiring gazes of the imperial guards.
As they walked towards Yangxin Hall, a breathless female official suddenly came rushing over, followed by a priest.
"Your Majesty! Heavenly Master Zhang sent someone saying there is an urgent matter, and requests Your Majesty and Mr. Zhao to come immediately," said the female official.
Zhang Yan Yi is looking for us?
The Empress looked at the priest, who respectfully saluted and said, "Heavenly Master just used the Heavenly Book to comprehend celestial phenomena and had some insights, urgently sending me to invite you both."
The Emperor and minister exchanged a glance, feeling an inexplicable heaviness.
"In that case, I shall go immediately," the Empress said without hesitation, grabbing Zhao Douan and disappearing into golden light.
...
Deep in the Heavenly Master Mansion, in a small courtyard.
After landing, the Empress and Zhao Douan saw Heavenly Master Zhang sitting in a rattan chair under a lush banyan tree, staring at the open Heavenly Book Jade Scroll.
As they arrived, Zhang Yan Yi looked up, motioning for them to take a seat.
"No need to sit; for what reason did Heavenly Master call me here?" Xu Zhenguan had no mood for small talk.
Zhang Yan Yi sighed lightly, "Very well, since Your Majesty is eager to know, thereโs no need for pretense. Just now, I felt an anomaly in the Heavenly Dao, so I performed a great divination and learned of two major events."
"First, thereโs an anomaly south of Yunfu, indicating a military disaster. If Iโm not mistaken, the Liao people might be mobilizing northward."
Xu Zhenguan was momentarily stunned, her delicate jade hand clenching tightly beneath her sleeve!
Zhao Douan was also startled, remembering Zhenbao expressing concern about the Liao people not long ago.
"Though the Liao Clan has had friction along the border, itโs been hundreds of years since the last large-scale war; even during the Eight Princesโ Rebellion, there was no upheaval. Why have they suddenly shown their claws?" Xu Zhenguan frowned.
The court stationed Zhao Shixiong in Yunfu with the dual purpose of defending against alien races, but usually, it was more about dealing with the excessive mountain bandits there.
Most of the time was spent suppressing bandits.
But now the Liao people have truly stirred up trouble; as such, Zhao Shixiong will be tied up in Yunfu and likely unable to be mobilized to Xiping Road.
At this moment, the Empress even considered:
Could it be that Zhao Shixiong had again betrayed them, colluding with the Liao people while nurturing bandits for his own gain, to avoid participating in the battle on Xiping Road?
But upon further thought, Zhao Shixiongโs only daughter is still in the courtโs hands, and with the current conclusion of the Eight Princesโ Rebellion, such actions seem unnecessary.
Nonetheless, it was a very bad piece of news.
The Southwest Border Army was unable to participate in the battle, and with remnants of rebel forces on Jiancheng Road possibly also taking advantage of the Liao peopleโs uprising to cause trouble, even if the court could withdraw some troops from the south to support Xiping, they would still need to leave a portion of the elite to protect the frontier.
