Chapter 505 - 303: Not the Demoness, but Mu Xue, the Empress’s Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

She seemed to remember something and quickly said to Lu Mingyuan,

"Oh, right. When my consciousness was stripped away, I inexplicably found myself near the dungeon. I suspect this Heart Demon might be inextricably linked to the Great Nether Empress. Your Majesty, perhaps you should go investigate the Demoness’s condition."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan said in a low voice, "Something like that happened?"

"It seems the rapid growth of your Heart Demon is most likely connected to the Great Nether Empress."

He looked at Sui Yuqing and asked, "Do you remember when you first started losing consciousness?"

"In other words, when did the Heart Demon invade your Flesh Body?"

Sui Yuqing thought back carefully and said, "There were signs ever since that time in the Golden Crow Country, when Your Majesty helped me suppress the Karmic Fire. I originally thought it was just my Heart Spirit being restless. It wasn’t until I returned to the Imperial Capital that I realized a Heart Demon had taken over my Flesh Body. By then, it was already too late."

Lu Mingyuan nodded lightly. "Fairy, I have something to attend to. If you are tired, you should rest for a while. I’m going to the dungeon to take a look."

"Alright."

Sui Yuqing nodded in agreement.

* * *

Lu Mingyuan left the bedchamber and made his way to the dungeon where the Great Nether Empress was imprisoned.

Along the way, he encountered many Palace Guards, including a Great Yan Tributor, all of whom bowed to him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Lu Mingyuan merely gave a faint nod and walked past them.

’The most pressing matter is to figure out what the hell Witch Palace Language is up to.’

’Capturing her and locking her in the dungeon so easily was strange from the start.’

’It’s even possible she did it on purpose.’

’What does she plan to do with the Heart Demon in Sui Yuqing?’

He arrived once again at the damp, cold dungeon.

A flame condensed from Primordial Qi appeared in Lu Mingyuan’s palm, illuminating the area.

He stood before the cold iron gate in the depths of the dungeon and saw that there was still someone inside.

Witch Palace Language had not escaped.

She was sitting silently in the center, her body still bound by chains, completely unable to move.

However, her condition was not good.

Her head was lowered, and she was in a deep slumber.

It was as if she were asleep.

’Wait... something’s not right!’

’The last time I came, Witch Palace Language was never sleeping.’

’With her level of Cultivation and Dao Practice, even suppressed by so many custom-made Dragon Locks, she should have reached the state of Refining Grain and Filling Spirit, where she wouldn’t need to sleep for months. This is a basic requirement for one whose Flesh Body and spirit have reached this level of Cultivation.’

"Guards! Open this lock!"

At Lu Mingyuan’s command, the person in charge of the dungeon was summoned.

Seeing the Holy Emperor’s harsh tone and expression, the old man serving as the warden broke out in a sweat.

’It’s as if I’ve done something wrong.’

But he racked his brain and couldn’t recall any mishaps in the dungeon recently, nor had any prisoners escaped.

’However, for the Holy Emperor to be this grave, something major must have happened.’

"Your Majesty, this Demoness is likely dangerous..."

"Are you questioning my strength?"

Lu Mingyuan’s gaze was cold and sharp as he looked at the warden, his aura flaring to its full, domineering extent.

A wave of pressure belonging to the Late Stage Celestial Human Realm swept over them.

’When I was in the Eleventh Realm, I could barely fight the Demoness to a draw. Now that I’m in the Twelfth Realm, what is there to fear?’

Even the elderly warden, whose Cultivation was not low, was frightened into collapsing on the ground. He hastily ordered a nearby Prison Guard, "Hurry up and open the lock!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Prison Guard opened the cell door.

Lu Mingyuan stepped inside and used his Primordial Consciousness to carefully inspect the woman’s aura.

He found that she was indeed still alive.

Her aura was stable.

She had merely fallen unconscious.

’But why won’t she wake up?’

A vague, ominous premonition rose in Lu Mingyuan’s heart.

He circulated the Primordial Qi throughout his body and infused it into the woman before him, intending to forcibly wake her.

"WHOOSH!"

The surging, magnificent red Primordial Qi, as brilliant as the sun, illuminated the entire dungeon and attracted the attention of many prisoners.

It seemed a world-class expert had arrived in the dungeon.

Such powerful individuals rarely appeared down here.

They all kept their heads down, afraid of being noticed by this expert.

However, one white-haired old man, dressed in a sackcloth prison uniform and shackled at his hands and feet, leaned against the ice-cold wall and muttered with a humorless smirk,

"As I see it, she’s probably suffering the aftereffects of a Divine Soul disturbance. I’m afraid this Demoness has already flown the coop."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan glanced back at the cell where this man was imprisoned.

He confirmed that this man was also a major criminal.

"It’s you."

Lu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes, recognizing the man.

That was right.

This old man was indeed an old acquaintance.

He was the former Imperial Tutor who had followed Emperor Yong’an for a full thirty years.

The former Chief Minister of the Cabinet, the renowned Yuan Xuangang.

Back when Lu Mingyuan took the Emperor’s Throne, all the old ministers and officials of the former court were imprisoned, awaiting execution the following autumn.

Yuan Xuangang was no exception.

This once-glorious Chief Minister of the nation had been reduced to such a state.

The current Yuan Xuangang seemed to have found some amusement in his misery. He laughed heartily and said, "HAHAHA! Compared to your Father Emperor, you’re still far too green. To be played like a fiddle by a mere Demoness!"

"What did I tell you? You cannot stand against the Wilderness World and the Holy Netherworld. Great Yan will be destroyed at your hands!"

Unfortunately for him, Lu Mingyuan did not seem to be provoked. Instead, he said coolly, "You’re not afraid of death?"

Yuan Xuangang sneered, "Afraid of death? If I were, I never would have helped His Majesty support Great Yan in the first place."

The "Your Majesty" he spoke of was clearly Emperor Yong’an.