The world was silent. . .

As it should be in the presence of a true celestial.

A being whose physical form could transcend an entire dao layer with minimal effort.

Emperor Cloudcrest stood there, radiating a powerful, world-trembling aura.

The only other person who could move was Mu Lingxi.

“Cloudcrest…”

Her tone made it clear she wasn’t happy to see him, and the deep frown on her face was but a bonus.

“Hello, Lingxi…” Cloudcrest’s voice was calm and soothing, like the ocean at night.

Mu Lingxi walked toward him with bold steps.

Casually, Cloudcrest shrugged and said, “But I suppose ‘wife’ would be the more proper term, yes?”

As soon as Mu Lingxi came within reach of Cloudcrest, her hand shot out and she grabbed him by the neck, squeezing with enough force to crush a boulder.

“What are you doing here?”

Her anger was so intense that her Divine Spirit Phantom manifested behind her like an immovable tower──a huge, powerful Asura roaring at the top of its chaotic voice.

“ROOOOOOARR!!”

This terrifying being was an avatar created from the sheer intensity of Mu Lingxi’s spiritual aura. The aura of this Asura was so grand that it was already tearing ripples in the fabric of time, throwing everything out of sync!

If Cloudcrest hadn’t stopped time, everything would have aged to dust within seconds of Mu Lingxi unleashing her fury.

However, even with such a threatening presence before him, Cloudcrest remained calm, his gray, sometimes golden eyes staring coldly at the feisty woman before him.

“I ask again… what are you doing here?”

Mu Lingxi’s grip on his neck tightened.

Cloudcrest gently shook his head and patted her hand.

“There’s no need for violence, Lingxi…”

With ease, he grabbed Mu Lingxi by the wrist and pulled her hand off his neck, a smile on his face.

It was as though her physical strength was a joke compared to his, as if he could snap her wrist like a sun-dried twig.

“I most definitely plan to entertain your curiosity.”

Cloudcrest chuckled.

Mu Lingxi looked greatly surprised.

It’s not possible… it shouldn’t be possible. Ho-, how is he able to…

Her eyes went to her hand, which had been completely removed from its firm grip.

While it was no surprise that any true celestial could break her hold, it was shocking considering true celestials lose much of their physical dominance without their celestial star core. It should have been physically impossible for Cloudcrest to have done this. She couldn’t even break her hand free; his grip on her wrist was unbreakable.

“Just listen to me, be obedient, and make sure you don’t say a word while I’m speaking. I assure you, there will be no bloodshed. In fact, regardless of what happens, there won’t be, because this world will be gone in a flash──turned to dust, beyond recognition.”

Emperor Cloudcrest had no interest in wasting anymore time.

For Mu Lingxi, something was clearly different about the man before her.

Cloudcrest wasn’t acting like his usual self, who was more willing to talk on equal grounds with her. He was calm, but it was a chilling calmness, as if he had been emptied of all emotions. His smile was empty, his eyes were empty, even his aura had no intent.

“Hnnn…” Mu Lingxi mumbled.

It was safe to say she was scared at the moment.

“You’ve gotten your powers back, haven’t you?”

Cloudcrest gave a small nod, confirming her statement. His reluctance to speak much about how he had regained his powers made Mu Lingxi suspicious. She sensed there was something deeper tied to the fact that he’d regained his powers, but she didn’t have a clear idea of what it was.

“Did you really recover your powers, or are you just lying?”

Mu Lingxi folded her arms and gave an annoyed stare at Cloudcrest.

She didn’t appreciate his games and wanted a quick, straightforward answer.

Emperor Cloudcrest walked closer to Mu Lingxi and placed a hand on her cheek.

“You’re always so angry when you’re around me… if I’m being honest, it hurts quite a bit.”

Mu Lingxi slapped his hand away.

“Don’t ever touch me so casually again!”

The hatred in her eyes was as deep as the ocean.

“Just because you’ve recovered your powers doesn’t mean you have any right to act cocky. I don’t care how powerful a true celestial is… try nonsense with me again and you’ll regret it!”

Anyone else might have taken her threat seriously, but Cloudcrest found it a little cute.

He patted Mu Lingxi on the shoulder.

“Calm down. Anger doesn’t look attractive on a beautiful woman.”

He walked past her and held out his hand.

“If my aura isn’t convincing enough, maybe this will be.”

With a wave of his hand, the entire Dragon Peak’s Mountain Range, which housed the Celestial Serpent Sect along with numerous minor clans, sects, and schools, turned into an ocean!

It was as if this was the new reality, with nothing existing around them but the endless water!

The hill they stood on now resembled an island in this vast ocean.

Mu Lingxi was instantly triggered. She turned abruptly to Cloudcrest. “What did you do? Bring everything back now!”

Emperor Cloudcrest laughed softly and snapped his fingers.

Everything was restored.

The previous reality unfolded as if pulling a letter from an envelope──trees, mountains, peaks, and everything else flashed back into existence.

Relief washed over Mu Lingxi.

For a moment, she had believed her entire family was gone. The only thing that stopped her from lashing out at Cloudcrest was the certainty that she would die in an instant. So, she chose to channel her anger into her words rather than actions, knowing she’d be fighting a losing battle.

Cloudcrest’s cold, golden eyes fixed on Mu Lingxi. “Now, you have no reason to doubt my words, right?”

Mu Lingxi was visibly sweating.

She looked anything but comfortable.

Her eyes contracted and vibrated, reflecting the height of her shock.

This was exactly what Cloudcrest wanted──to see her genuinely scared of him. If he couldn’t earn her respect through love and genuine feelings, then perhaps fear and an assertion of dominance would do the trick.

“H-how did you get your powers back?” Mu Lingxi asked.

Cloudcrest swished his wide sleeves back and tucked his hands behind his back. “That doesn’t matter, but I can say this… a certain beautiful woman had a hand in my return to power.”

Mu Lingxi raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you don’t need to be jealous. You’re still my number one woman. But not only were you unwilling to help me as I was then, but you also didn’t have the means. I got angry, but I realized anger wouldn’t solve anything. So what did I do?” Emperor Cloudcrest paused dramatically before continuing, “…I went to the original source for help.”

Mu Lingxi found Cloudcrest’s words cryptic and unclear. This wasn’t like him. She hadn’t known him for long, but she was convinced he wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. Now, she suspected he was enjoying the suspense he was putting her through. Moreover, she sensed he knew something critical that was deeply connected to her.

“Can you just get straight to the point? What do you mean by ‘original source’?” Mu Lingxi asked firmly.

Emperor Cloudcrest turned to face her, holding up an index finger. “After the Heavenly Court failed to carry out divine judgment on the Azure Tree, I was infuriated… So, I──”

Mu Lingxi’s eyebrows shot up. “So you were the one behind it!”

The emperor shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh please, don’t be foolish. You had to have known I was behind it from the start. Unless your father didn’t tell you…”

“Tell me what?” Mu Lingxi fired back another question, keeping her voice sharp and antagonistic. Talking was the only thing keeping her anger in check, and the way her fists were clenched tightly, was like she was trying to focus all her frustrations there.

“It’s quite simple. I issued a divine decree: if he didn’t hand you over to me in three months, I would pass judgment upon this world. And the fool ignored it.”

“Don’t you dare call my father a fool!” Mu Lingxi stepped forward, looking like she might attack him if he continued. One could also say she held herself back──any wise cultivator would the moment they recall the difference in power between them.

“Oh, but he is… He’s a fool. What kind of person would sacrifice the lives of countless billions to save one? Illogical. Stupid. All traits your failure of a father has displayed.”

Each word was a needle stabbing Mu Lingxi in the chest.

She wanted to rip out his tongue for speaking so poorly of her father.

“Grrr…” she growled in frustration.

Wiggling a finger as if to warn her, the emperor added, “If I’m being honest, Suyin has always been the smarter one of your parents. She’s going to be one of the few chosen who’ll rival the Heavenly Kings someday.”

“Too bad that witch is dead then…” Mu Lingxi spoke with expected satisfaction.

“Oho?”

Emperor Cloudcrest found this amusing.

“So… it seems you don’t know your mother’s still alive.”

“Wait──?! What did you just… say?”

“Your mother… she’s a powerful cultivator in the Middle Regions. She’s the one who helped me recover my powers.”

Perhaps. . . this was the greatest shock Mu Lingxi could ever experience.

Word that her mother──a woman who caused her and the entire Mashyan World unbearable pain. . . still lived.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep