Hong Lian hadn't expected Yun Fan to bring the Empress here.
Yun Fan was nearly scared to death upon hearing this. He had schemed and calculated countless times, but never anticipated that the other party was Yao Xi.
Now, any regret was useless.
It was impossible for Yun Fan not to feel miserable at this moment.
Yao Xi smiled and said, "Big Brother, why do you seem afraid of me!"
This question, though seemingly innocent, felt brimming with mockery to Yun Fan.
"No, I'm wearing the jade pendant, she shouldn't know!"
Yun Fan clung to a sliver of hope in his heart.
"No, how could I be afraid of you!"
Yun Fan forced a smile that looked worse than a cry. "No matter what your identity is, in my eyes, you are still that innocent little girl I once saved!"
However, Yao Xi let out a cold laugh, "Master, stop pretending!"
"What?"
Yun Fan asked in shock, "You recognized my identity?"
"That's right!"
Yao Xi said disdainfully, "I have already broken through to the Ninth Realm. Your so-called methods are nothing before me!"
Once these words were spoken, things took a turn for the worse.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "How did you become like you were before?"
Yao Xi replied, "Because the circumstances forced me to become that way!"
"I see, you were injured in the previous rebellion!"
Hong Lian stated directly.
She had wondered why the Empress hadn't made a move, and now she knew the Empress was here. Her heart chilled considerably at this realization.
Yao Xi chuckled disdainfully, "You underestimate me too much. Those few traitors were nothing, they were hardly qualified to injure me. I deliberately underwent a cycle of reincarnation just to break through to the Tenth Realm!"
"Holy hell!"
Yun Fan was on the verge of collapse. With such power, how could they fight? They might as well surrender.
But Yao Xi might not give them the chance to surrender.
At this moment, Yao Xi ignored Hong Lian and addressed Yun Fan directly, "Master, I never imagined we would meet like this after ten thousand years!"
"Hmph!"
Yun Fan snorted coldly, "Rebellious disciple, you still have the nerve to say that! If you hadn't schemed against me ten thousand years ago, how would I have ended up in this state today!"
However, Yao Xi said, "You only see the surface. But there's no point in saying all this now, as you wouldn't understand anyway!"
"But my dear Master, you truly are foolishly cute, coming to me willingly!"
Yao Xi looked at Yun Fan with amusement.
"Hmph!"
Yun Fan cursed, "If I had known that little girl was you back then, I would have killed you with my own hands!"
"Because you didn't, you no longer have that opportunity!"
Yao Xi stated, "I have almost fully recovered to the Ninth Realm. You are now nothing more than prey in my eyes, unable to resist at all!"
Her words were incredibly arrogant, yet Yun Fan had to accept this reality.
At once, Hong Lian bowed and said, "Empress, I beg you to spare his life. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today!"
"As long as you spare him, you can do whatever you wish with me!"
However, Yao Xi replied, "It's as if I couldn't deal with you even if I didn't spare him!"
With those words, Hong Lian realized the gravity of the situation.
Yun Fan then said, "No need to beg her, we don't need to be afraid of her!"
"Is that so?"
Yao Xi sneered, "Master, I'll deal with you first!"
With that, she attacked Yun Fan directly.
In that instant, the pressure of the Ninth Realm descended, making Yun Fan feel as though he was about to collapse. It was truly terrifying.
Seeing this, Hong Lian immediately pulled Yun Fan onto a teleportation array.
"Go quickly!"
"What about you?"
Yun Fan didn't want to abandon Hong Lian.
"I'll hold her off!"
Hong Lian stated directly, "Don't avenge me!"
With that, she activated the teleportation array and sent Yun Fan away.
"Stop!"
For Yao Xi, even a teleportation array could be destroyed from a distance. This was the manifestation of her invincible and immense power.
"Impossible!"
Hong Lian directly intervened, confronting the Empress.
"Bang!"
After a single exchange, their strengths clashed violently, but undoubtedly, Hong Lian was no match for Yao Xi.
After all, a single realm difference was like the difference between an ant and an emperor; incomparable.
In that moment, they engaged in a fierce battle, with Hong Lian intervening solely to give Yun Fan a chance to escape.
After being heavily injured multiple times by the Empress, her wounds worsened. Of course, even at her peak, she was no match for the Empress.
Therefore, at this critical juncture, Hong Lian unleashed a low-tier version of the Demonic Path's origin, resisting the Empress.
When Yao Xi witnessed this, she became enraged.
"Master, you'd rather fulfill their wishes than mine! You are so biased, so biased!"
Undoubtedly, Yao Xi had lost all reason at this point.
She unleashed her immense power and defeated Hong Lian in just a few rounds.
Hong Lian, in turn, calmly sat on the ground, resigned to her fate, too weary to resist.
"Don't you want to resist?"
Yao Xi asked Hong Lian coldly.
Hong Lian replied, "Since I'm no match for you, and I killed the Four Great Princes, it's only right that I give you my life. Make your move!"
However, Yao Xi did not strike. Instead, she sealed Hong Lian's power.
"Why don't you kill me?"
Hong Lian asked, confused.
Yao Xi sneered, "I can't bear to kill you. After all, I need to keep you as bait for my Master!"
With these words, Hong Lian realized the seriousness of the situation.
"You're dreaming!"
"I am very clear-headed!"
Yao Xi chuckled, "He is my Master. No one understands him better than I do!"
"Then why did you kill him ten thousand years ago?"
Facing Hong Lian's interrogation, Yao Xi showed no remorse. "Even he doesn't know, so how could you?" Su Dan Novels.
"Now, you will obediently be my prisoner!"
With that, she picked up Hong Lian and left the death trap.
...
After escaping, Yun Fan was almost driven mad. He never imagined such an outcome.
Ten thousand years ago, he had made a mistake. Now, after ten thousand years, he had made another. Inadvertently, he had saved Yao Xi once again.
This time, he had also harmed Hong Lian. Although, based on his analysis, Yao Xi might not kill Hong Lian. After all, if Yao Xi killed Hong Lian, she would have no one useful by her side.
Moreover, given Hong Lian's loyalty to Yao Xi, it strongly suggested that Yao Xi wouldn't kill her.
But the tragedy was that Yao Xi should have died unexpectedly, yet he had prolonged her life.
He now wished he could slap himself twice.
But it was too late to say anything now. Even attempting to rectify the situation might not offer many opportunities.
It seemed he could no longer return to the Divine Realm, as Yao Xi had targeted him. Furthermore, he couldn't return on his own strength.
With no other option, Yun Fan could only refine the power of Zhen Dong Wang first.
After refining Zhen Dong Wang's power, he successfully broke through to the Sixth Realm, as he had hoped.
This realm was the starting point for the powerful, but Yun Fan knew that with this meager strength, he was far from being able to contend with Empress Yao Xi.
He wasn't even enough to give Empress Yao Xi a mouthful of teeth.
Therefore, at this time, he could only seek help.
Though the Immortal Realm was vast, few could contend with Empress Yao Xi. Bi Yao was one such individual. Hong Lian, though also considered, would absolutely not oppose Empress Yao Xi.
If it weren't for helping him escape, Hong Lian wouldn't have intervened.
Furthermore, with Hong Lian now a prisoner of Yao Xi, it was even more impossible.
Thus, at this moment, Yun Fan could only rely on Bi Yao.
That's right, as long as he stood on the same side as Bi Yao, he would still have hope. Regardless of whether he could defeat Yao Xi, he had to rescue Hong Lian.
...
Empress's Imperial Chamber.
"Hong Lian, how dare you! Look at what you've done!"
Yao Xi cursed furiously. She had only been in seclusion for a short while, and unexpectedly, such a thing had happened. Now, Tai Xuan Divine Continent was ruined.
Hong Lian said aggrievedly, "I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress. I was merely seeking revenge!"
"Hmph!"
The Empress stated, "If it weren't for the lack of capable people around me, I would have you executed by beating immediately!"
"Please punish me, Empress!"
Hong Lian respectfully admitted her fault.
At this moment, Yao Xi asked, "Let me ask you, what is going on between you and Yun Fan?"
"Nothing is going on!"
Hong Lian had just denied it when Yao Xi slapped her across the face. She felt incredibly wronged.
Yao Xi then said, "You are no longer a virgin!"
Seeing that the matter could no longer be hidden, Hong Lian finally said, "He and I have already..."
"Hmph!"
Yao Xi already understood what she meant and asked her, "How many times?"
"I've lost count, maybe dozens of times!"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xi's face instantly darkened. She wished she could slap Hong Lian to death right now; it was too infuriating.
"And Bi Yao, whom I banished!"
Yao Xi asked coldly.
Hong Lian quickly replied, "That's right, but she seemed to have been involved even earlier!"
"Damn it!"
Yao Xi cursed, "I wish I could tear my Master apart limb by limb right now!"
Then she said, "That ant Bi Yao truly believes she can contend with me, how naive!"
"She will soon realize that everything she has done is in vain!"
Then Yao Xi muttered to herself, "Master, you thought you could nurture someone to oppose me, you are even more naive!"