Chapter Thirty-Four: Empress Yuechan

"So devious, to even come up with a trick like that! Luckily, I have sharp eyes and recognized at once that you’re someone extraordinary—otherwise, I’d have been utterly humiliated…” The more Fufeng thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Sometimes, you just had to admire this fellow—his ability to imagine things was truly formidable.

Meanwhile, the battle raging across the Great Wilderness was drawing to its end. The white-robed Sword Immortal, alone against eighteen demon gods, held his ground without faltering—a spectacle of immense grandeur.

As the fight threatened to spill toward them, Ye Qiu began to panic and shouted, "Cao Zei, quickly, open the mechanism!"

"Understood!"

Cao He didn’t hesitate; he activated the sword array at once. The others were thoroughly puzzled and asked in curiosity, “Senior, with your cultivation, why bother with such trifles? Wouldn’t it be easier to step outside and crush them yourself?”

“Easy?” Easy, my foot! If I had that kind of power, why would I be hiding in here? Ye Qiu explained helplessly, “You’ve really misunderstood me; I’m just an ordinary person! I can’t beat them…”

At these words, everyone rolled their eyes. Who would believe that?

The Sky-swallowing Sparrow nearly burst out swearing. “Master, I beg you, stop pretending! You make me look useless—what about my dignity?”

Good grief. You call yourself ordinary? Then what am I? You, with one ordinary attack, finished me off—an ancient and mighty beast—in an instant? For heaven’s sake, act like a human, will you? There’s not a single thing you do that’s remotely normal.

“I’m not pretending. I really am just an ordinary person!” Ye Qiu looked completely baffled. Why wouldn’t anyone believe the truth?

Unbelievable—not only did they not believe him, they thought he was showing off.

“Stop pretending, senior. Let’s go, let’s go…” Fufeng couldn’t take it anymore. He moved aside, ready to watch the show. In any case, with Ye Qiu present, there would be no danger. Let him act as he pleases.

Lines of exasperation creased Ye Qiu’s brow as he looked at everyone’s reaction. Suddenly, he didn’t know how to explain any further.

Forget it. No matter what I say, you’ll all think I’m putting on airs. Suit yourselves. There’s nothing more I can do.

At that moment, Yang Xuan stepped forward with a sly grin. "Heh heh, senior! They may not understand you, but I do…”

Ye Qiu: “???”

Oh? So someone finally understands me! Wonderful, finally, heaven has seen fit to grant me understanding in this world.

Ye Qiu felt deeply moved, not knowing that Yang Xuan’s next words would only add to his frustration.

Yang Xuan said, “Senior, I know—all masters keep a low profile. They love to pretend to be ordinary mortals just to mess with others. It must be so satisfying, right?”

“Satisfying, my foot! Get lost…” Ye Qiu cursed. Yang Xuan slunk away, muttering resentfully.

“It’s obvious, and he still won’t admit it? Hmph, hypocrite…”

“Pfft…” Even Fuyao couldn’t help but laugh. She bowed her head and whispered, “Senior brother, why bother provoking him? How could you hope to fathom a master’s mind? If you ever truly understood him, he wouldn’t be a master at all…”

Everyone instantly understood, sighing, “So that’s how it is. The rumors are true—such masters are impossible to read…”

While they were discussing this, a blade of energy came crashing down on the tavern. Fortunately, the sword array above had already been activated and instantly reflected the attack.

“They’re here!” Ye Qiu’s face changed as he gazed toward the horizon. The white-robed Sword Immortal was being relentlessly pursued by the eighteen demon gods, their bodies wreathed in black mist.

He’d started out dominating, but after prolonged fighting, he was clearly beginning to tire.

“Wait… Why does this man look so familiar?” Ye Qiu stared at the Sword Immortal in the sky, the face growing ever more familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he’d seen him before.

With the battle shifting, more and more people gathered—among them, the Tianfeng clan and three from the Wang family. Many others whom Ye Qiu had never seen also arrived, making the scene increasingly tense.

In the sky, Wang Yuan watched the distant battle, his face clouded with uncertainty. “Who would’ve thought that Liu Jianchen, in just a few short years, would have grown this powerful? What on earth has he been through? How could he progress so quickly? Could he have acquired some rare and precious treasure?”

It wasn’t just Wang Yuan who couldn’t understand—so too the two from the Tianfeng family. The battle was fierce, but none offered Liu Jianchen any help. No one knew what they were thinking.

These old foxes had no sense of righteousness, nor any fear of the world’s end. In their eyes, only profit mattered! Compared to those eighteen demon gods, they considered Liu Jianchen the far greater threat.

The fight intensified. Liu Jianchen, expression calm, continued to fight and withdraw in turn—still undefeated against the eighteen demon gods. Yet if this stalemate continued, he would surely fall; it was only a matter of time.

Suddenly, from the horizon, a green lotus struck down, cleaving the battlefield and isolating one demon god. Beneath its sacred light, a goddess descended from the abyss…

Her beauty was breathtaking, her exquisite features unmatched. Even Fuyao lowered her head, feeling eclipsed.

This was a true peerless beauty—her icy aura, white flowing robes, and ethereal bearing, feet poised on a celestial lotus, and those flawless jade toes revealed for all to see, left everyone utterly stunned.

“Hiss… The main heroine has arrived?” Ye Qiu was inwardly alarmed. That face, that bearing—unquestionably the female lead!

Just one look, and even Ye Qiu almost lost his composure. Only by sheer will did he keep calm; otherwise, he’d have made a complete fool of himself.

“Don’t stare, don’t stare! That’s clearly the main character’s wife—you can’t look, or you’ll get your head smacked by the protagonist…”

At her arrival, the whole place erupted.

“Heavens, it’s the master of Sky City, the Empress Yuechan…”

In an instant, the crowd was in uproar. No one expected that the first to help Liu Jianchen would be this legendary empress.

She was said to be as cold as a thousand-mile mountain, the aloof and unapproachable Empress Coldmountain! That she would help someone—unbelievable.

“Why is she here?” At the sight of Empress Yuechan, Fufeng rose to his feet, trembling with excitement.

“Come on, old man, at your age…” Ye Qiu shot him a contemptuous glance. Could this old fellow have taken a fancy to her?

But really, who wouldn’t be smitten by such a beautiful ice goddess? Ye Qiu liked her too! Anyone who claimed otherwise was either a fraud or…

Well, there isn’t much difference between the two, is there? Oh, whatever!

What man doesn’t love women, especially beautiful ones? Ye Qiu was no exception. The only problem was, she belonged to the protagonist—would you dare make a move? Just try…

The more Ye Qiu watched, the more familiar the plot seemed. Wasn’t this exactly how the novels went? The heroine saves the hero, they join forces to defeat the demon gods, and from then on live shamelessly ever after?

Too familiar—he could recite it from memory. What a pity, though: why couldn’t such a stunning girl be his? If she were his, he’d play for a hundred years—no, a thousand.