33: Lord of the North, the Mysterious Fox Spirit

Old Ancestor Chu Shanhe stroked his beard, deep in thought: “If she is not a True Immortal, we can control her with our current strength. But if she is a True Immortal and is hiding...”

He looked at Empress Ni Chang and the Witch Queen, “You two, can you suppress her?”

Empress Ni Chang snorted coldly, her Immortal Empress demeanor arrogant: “I have never feared contention among peers in the same realm. Besides, she might not be a True Immortal.”

A wisp of ethereal mist coiled around the Witch Queen’s fingertips, her smile mysterious: “Witchcraft is best at breaking through illusions and seeking the truth. I... am also very curious to see what kind of bearing this Fox Immortal Empress possesses.”

“It’s settled!”

Chu Ye stepped into the Northern Territory and immediately experienced the “dual discouragement of physics and Law.”

The cold wind carried ice shards that lashed his face, cold enough to make an ordinary Cultivator instantly perform the “flash-frozen human sculpture” act.

That was one thing, but there was also an omnipresent Will of Heaven and Earth, standing like an invisible barrier, emitting a clear “repulsion signal” towards all non-Yao Race beings.

Even if they forced their way through, their cultivation felt shackled, making movement sluggish.

“Good heavens,”

Chu Ye breathed out a puff of white air and rubbed his hands. “Not only is the weather terrible here, but even the ‘server’ has built-in racial recognition, discriminating against our Human Race IP.”

With a thought, the newly acquired [heavenly secret abacus] in his arms quietly activated. A clear, hazy light spread out, subtly pushing aside a corner of the omnipresent suppressive force field.

The three felt their bodies lighten, having restored their normal movement capabilities.

Empress Ni Chang and the Witch Queen exchanged a glance, a stern look in their eyes.

The two of them were beings who had ascended to the Immortal Realm, yet they still felt restricted here. The undercurrents hidden in this Northern Territory were deeper than anticipated.

The lack of information was the primary issue. The Northern Territory had been closed off for a long time, and even the Empress’s intelligence network was almost blank here.

After a brief discussion, the three decided to find a “local tyrant” to ask for directions. Their target was quickly locked: the Ice Dragon Clan.

According to the limited information Empress Ni Chang possessed, this clan was the undisputed overlord of the Northern Territory before the Fox Immortal rose to power.

After the Fox Immortal unified the region, they became the primary target of suppression. With their hatred maximized, they were theoretically the easiest to subvert.

In the next instant, the three figures appeared like phantoms atop the dome of the Ice Dragon Clan’s magnificent Imperial Palace.

Inside the hall, a woman with silver hair like a waterfall, crystalline Dragon horns on her head, and dressed in an ice-blue Imperial Robe, sat upon the throne, radiating awe-inspiring majesty. She was the contemporary Ice Dragon Empress.

The plan of action was simple and brutal: the two Immortal Empresses were responsible for “massacre,” and Chu Ye was responsible for “cackling.”

There was no need for further words.

The Witch Queen flicked her sleeve, and the Power of the Netherworld silently spread, completely isolating the entire space from the outside world.

When their figures emerged on the dome of the Ice Dragon Imperial Palace like an ink wash painting, the Dragon Clan Empress, with silver hair, icy eyes, and draped in an Imperial Robe, was seated on the throne.

Before the other party could notice, the Netherworld Domain had silently enveloped the hall, and the Immortal power pressure pressed down like an invisible hand.

In an instant, the Ice Dragon Empress’s Dragon prestige was extinguished before it could even rise, and she was completely locked in place by the Immortal power shackles.

From infiltration to suppression, the entire process was silent, like a pantomime.

The Ice Dragon Empress’s Dragon Qi erupted, and the Peak Emperor Realm pressure instinctively tried to soar into the sky, but it was pressed back into her body effortlessly, as if hitting an invisible barrier.

Her pupils contracted, and her heart was struck with awe: The only ones in this world who could suppress her so easily, besides the Fox Immortal, were... True Immortals!

She looked up. The two women beside Chu Ye had ethereal and elusive auras, their majesty surpassing that of the Fox Immortal. A hypothesis exploded in her mind, sending chills down her spine.

At this moment, Chu Ye stepped forward two paces, his smile as gentle as if he were discussing business: “Don’t be nervous, we came for the Fox Immortal.”

The Ice Dragon Empress steadied her mind and said coldly, “In the Northern Territory, the Fox Immortal is invincible. Why seek your own death?”

“Invincible?”

Chu Ye turned sideways, as if introducing his flagship product, “Allow me to introduce you. This one is Empress Ni Chang, the Empress of the Eastern Region; that one is Witch Empress Jiuyou, the Witch Queen of the Western Region. Genuine True Immortals, you must have heard of their fame across the continent.”

The Ice Dragon Empress’s breath hitched. With her conjecture confirmed, her shock intensified. She remained silent for a moment, then warned, “Even if you are Immortals... what exactly do you want to do? Flatten the Northern Territory? Slaughter the Yao Race?”

“Those who submit shall live, those who refuse shall die.” Empress Ni Chang spoke, her voice like cold jade dropping to the ground. Immortal prestige naturally flowed out, captivating hearts without effort. Her very presence was a declaration of rules.

“Hey, speak nicely,”

Chu Ye immediately smoothed things over, playing the role of the moderate faction. “We aren't here for extinction. As long as the Yao Race cooperates, everything is negotiable.”

His tone was sincere, but his eyes clearly read, “You better cooperate.”

The Witch Queen, who had been silent, added softly at the right moment, though her words sent a chill down the heart: “I happen to possess a ‘Soul Tracing Witch Curse’ that can peruse memories.”

“It's just that after the spell is cast, Divine Sense is inevitably damaged, and cultivation is completely wasted.”

Her lips curved slightly, as if discussing the weather. “If Your Majesty is unwilling to speak, we can try it.”

Coercion, inducement, and all routes of retreat sealed.

The Ice Dragon Empress’s gaze swept over the three people before her: one smiling sweetly while holding a hidden dagger (playing the white face), and two crushing with sheer power (playing the red face). Their coordination was flawless.

She took a deep breath. The humiliation accumulated over a thousand years, coupled with her profound hatred for the Fox Immortal, finally overcame her last hesitation.

“...I will speak.” A trace of determination flashed in her ice-blue eyes. “But you must promise that if you genuinely manage to overthrow her, you must not harm the Foundation of my Ice Dragon Clan.”

Chu Ye’s smile deepened: “Of course, we like making friends with sensible people the most.”

Faced with the simple truth that “circumstances are stronger than man, and a wise person knows the times,” the Ice Dragon Empress straightforwardly revealed everything.

“That Fox Immortal, her background is very sinister.”

Her Majesty the Empress’s tone was complex, like discussing a sudden, divinely sent industry leader. “She is said to be the last Bloodline of the long-extinct Heavenly Moon Spirit Fox, and she even underwent an Ancestral Return Talent Awakening.”

“She rose from obscurity, her strength is ridiculously immense, and her cunning is bottomless.”

“Back then, the Northern Territory was still divided and governed by the Nine Great Yao Emperors, balancing each other out. And her?”

Her Majesty the Empress spoke with sarcasm, “Her first stop was the territory of the Skyfire Phoenix Emperor. Rumor has it that the Phoenix Emperor, seeing her peerless beauty and exceptional talent, even wanted to take her as his Empress.”

“And the result? Not long after, the Phoenix Emperor ‘accidentally’ dropped dead, completely and utterly.”

“The strange thing is,”

The Empress’s Dragon tail unconsciously swept across the cold ground. “A Peak Yao Emperor suddenly died, yet his Domain didn't fall into chaos.”

“Even his own son didn't cause trouble. Instead, they orderly... elected the Fox Immortal to take the position. No one investigated, or rather, no one dared or was able to investigate.”

Chu Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: “What a masterful move: ‘Boss’s Wife becomes the Boss.’”

“That was just the beginning.”

The Ice Dragon Empress continued, “Afterward, she became even more outrageous. Without shedding blood, she made three other Yao Emperors ‘voluntarily’ abdicate, surrendering their territories. Her methods were unfathomable, remaining an unsolved mystery to this day.”

The remaining Yao Emperors finally couldn't sit still and organized a resistance group. “It was in that final battle that she truly showed her fangs.”

A trace of fear flashed in Her Majesty the Empress’s eyes. “She displayed power that surpassed the Emperor Realm and touched the Immortal Dao, suppressing the allied forces single-handedly. The name ‘Fox Immortal’ was established then. The Nine Regions were unified, and the structure was set.”

She mocked herself, “My Ice Dragon Clan was the strongest in the Nine Regions before, and our resistance was the fiercest, which is why we are the most severely targeted now.”

“But she wasn't completely unscathed,”

The Empress revealed crucial information. “After that battle, she has been in perennial seclusion, her whereabouts a mystery, only appearing at major Yao Race events. Furthermore...”

She paused, “No one has ever seen her true face. When she appears, her face is always obscured by hazy Immortal Qi, making her very mysterious.”

“You came at an opportune time, or rather... you timed your visit perfectly.” The Ice Dragon Empress looked at the three. “In three days, it will be the centennial Yao Race Sacred Festival Grand Competition. Clans will be ranked based on combat strength, directly determining the resource allocation for the next hundred years. For glory and tangible benefits, every clan will fight desperately.”

“And as the ruler of the northern territory,” she said, word by word, “the Fox Immortal will definitely appear.”

Chu Ye exchanged a look with the two Immortal Empresses.