Bi Yao sneered coldly. "Hong Lian, what a display of arrogance! You dare to proclaim yourself Empress in the Empress's presence. Do you have any regard for her at all?"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone present snapped back to reality. That's right, there was still an Empress in the Immortal Realm, Yao Xi, and she was the true sovereign.
Ten thousand years ago, she had quelled the chaos in the Immortal Realm before ascending to the throne.
Now, Bi Yao declaring herself Empress was nothing short of slapping Yao Xi in the face. Therefore, it was entirely reasonable for Yao Xi to send someone to demand an explanation.
However, Bi Yao and the Empress had long since fallen out. Thus, her ascension to the throne was also understandable. Sudan Novel Network.
At this moment, Bi Yao asked indifferently, "What do you want?"
Yun Fan found himself in a difficult position. He desperately wanted to warn Hong Lian against foolish actions, but if the two women truly clashed, he wouldn't know how to mediate.
Hong Lian spoke coldly, "It's simple. First, you relinquish your title as Empress and personally apologize to the Empress!"
"Second, hand him over to me. He is not a man you can have!"
This demand shocked everyone anew. The first point, while expected, didn't warrant much thought. It was merely a reprimand, after all. But the second point was utterly perplexing. Was Yun Fan that important?
After all, in their eyes, Yun Fan was just a young man at the Seventh Realm. For him to attract Hong Lian's attention…
Bi Yao stated, "I'm afraid I can do neither of those things. He is my husband!"
Hong Lian replied, "It's fine if you don't comply with the first point. The Empress will find you soon enough anyway. But I must take him today!"
"If you want to take him, you'll have to get past me!"
Bi Yao stood her ground, refusing to yield to Hong Lian.
However, Hong Lian had not come intending to fight. She immediately said to Bi Yao, "There's no point in us stalemating here. Why don't I ask him myself?"
"Ask away."
Bi Yao was confident that Yun Fan would not leave her or abandon her.
As expected, at this moment, Hong Lian asked Yun Fan, "Are you willing to come with me?"
"I'll pass for now! I'll come to find you later, but I can't go with you now!"
Yun Fan stated directly.
There was nothing inherently wrong with going with Hong Lian, but he feared Yao Xi's retribution. Hong Lian couldn't protect him.
Only Bi Yao could.
Given his conflict with Yao Xi, if he left, Yao Xi would surely kill him.
Seeing Yun Fan's hesitation, Hong Lian said, "The Empress won't kill you. Don't worry!"
"Still, I can't!"
Yun Fan refused. What a joke! If Yao Xi's words were to be believed, he wouldn't have "perished" ten thousand years ago.
He had absolutely no trust in anything Yao Xi said now.
Everyone was stunned. It seemed Yun Fan was also entangled with the legitimate Empress. How could a mere youth at the Seventh Realm possibly deserve such attention?
They and their companions were utterly bewildered.
Could it be simply because Yun Fan was handsome? But the Immortal Realm was filled with beings far more handsome and powerful than Yun Fan. It couldn't be this reason.
What they didn't know was that the true reason was that Yao Xi, Bi Yao, and even Hong Lian were all taught by Yun Fan.
Looking at the bigger picture, Yun Fan was their master.
Yun Fan spoke again, "Never mind, never mind. I won't go, but you can't make a move either. After all, today is a good day!"
"Hmph!"
Hong Lian snorted in anger. "Little man, I will definitely take you back sooner or later!"
Her words made everyone's jaws drop again. Even Hong Lian spoke to Yun Fan with such wistful resentment.
It seemed that Yun Fan was the true winner. The three most powerful women in the Immortal Realm, and indeed the most powerful beings, all had some connection to Yun Fan.
Such backing was immense.
But this was not the time to discuss backing.
Before leaving, Hong Lian told Bi Yao, "Be careful. The Empress will soon come to conquer you. I hope you won't regret it!"
"Regret?"
Bi Yao sneered. "In my eyes, there is no such thing as regret!"
With that, Hong Lian haughtily departed.
The two women didn't fight, and Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Indeed, after Bi Yao ascended the throne, she immediately went into seclusion.
During this time, Yun Fan finally had the opportunity to spend time with Yu Xin and Xuan Xuan.
Above the Nine Heavens, Bi Yao was undergoing a breakthrough. Yes, she was breaking through to the Ninth Realm.
Although she had obtained the origin of the Demonic Path, and merely needed to devour it to grow stronger, bypassing tribulations was impossible.
However, reaching the Ninth Realm without a tribulation was out of the question. Apart from Yun Fan, no one else could achieve this.
This naturally included Bi Yao.
At this moment, Bi Yao was struggling through her tribulation. Despite her immense power, she could not avoid this outcome.
However, with the power of the Demonic Path bolstering her, there was no possibility of failure in her tribulation.
In just a few days, Bi Yao successfully passed her tribulation.
After her successful tribulation, she did not return to the Divine Palace. Instead, she headed directly to the Tai Xuan Divine Continent.
With her Ninth Realm cultivation, she could reach the Tai Xuan Divine Continent in a very short time, even without the aid of a teleportation array.
At this moment, her sole objective was to engage Yao Xi in a decisive battle.
As she descended upon the Tai Xuan Divine Continent, she unleashed her full aura, causing the entire continent to wail.
No one had expected Bi Yao to dare to charge them head-on, nor had they expected her to break through to the Ninth Realm.
The reason she was too impatient to even consolidate her realm wasn't overconfidence, but rather that Yun Fan had told her Yao Xi was pushing for the Tenth Realm.
Therefore, time was of the essence. If Yao Xi truly managed to break through to the Tenth Realm, she might transcend the limits of true immortals.
At that point, even she would be no match for Yao Xi. This was why she was so hurried and anxious.
Yao Xi naturally sensed Bi Yao's power and immediately ascended to the Nine Heavens to meet her.
"Bi Yao, how dare you! I haven't even come to find you yet, and you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep!"
Yao Xi's face was filled with fury.
Bi Yao smiled playfully. "Yao Xi, when you banished me, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
Frankly, she was grateful to Yao Xi. Had Yao Xi not banished her, she would likely have remained an insignificant subordinate, unable to change her destiny.
It was precisely Yao Xi's actions that allowed her to achieve her current strength. Of course, the most important person in this process was Yun Fan.
Without Yun Fan, she was nothing.
Yao Xi scoffed, "Do you really think breaking through to the Ninth Realm makes you my equal? I reached this realm ten thousand years ago!"
"And what if you did?"
Bi Yao sneered. "New talents always emerge. Just because you reached this realm doesn't mean others can't!"
"Today, we fight to the death!"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xi chuckled disdainfully. "Bi Yao, the only reason you've worked so hard, even sacrificing your body, to achieve this level of accomplishment is for revenge. I will fulfill your wish!"
"You are mistaken!"
Bi Yao stated directly. "I have never thought about revenge. I want to kill you. I am a unique existence!"
"Besides, the sacrifices I made were voluntary. As for you, don't be sour just because you can't have it!"
This remark infuriated Yao Xi. Although she didn't know what Bi Yao was implying, it was clear she was indeed jealous.
"You court death!"
With that, she lunged at Bi Yao.
Bi Yao also unleashed her full power. The two most powerful figures in the Immortal Realm engaged in a one-on-one duel.
Even before they made contact, their mere auras were enough to make the entire Immortal Realm tremble. At this moment, no one could witness their battle.
Their power far surpassed the original capabilities of the Immortal Realm. They could only sense the clash of two supreme energies.
Instantly, the heavens and earth changed color, and all living beings awaited the outcome of the battle.
In the center of the battlefield, Bi Yao sneered, "Yao Xi, it seems you are nothing special!"
"What right do you have to speak to me like that?"
Yao Xi retorted coldly. "If I were at my peak, what would you amount to?"
"So you are not at your peak!"
Bi Yao became even more triumphant. "Then today is your death day! There will be no room for luck!"
This was the best opportunity to kill Yao Xi, and she would not let it slip away.
Thus, the two women unleashed their peak combat power. The battle had reached a fever pitch.
At this moment, let alone others, even Hong Lian dared not approach the center of their battle, for even she could not withstand such immense power.
"You are merely my guard dog. What qualifications do you have to fight me!"
The next moment, Yao Xi struck Bi Yao with a palm.
"Pfft!"
Bi Yao was injured, but Yao Xi's injuries were even more severe. She could see that Yao Xi was still far from her peak.
Bi Yao sneered, "Still being stubborn at this point? I'll see how long you can last!"
Instantly, she attacked Yao Xi again, fighting desperately.
"Your Demonic Path power is not as pure as mine. You will surely die if we fight to the end!"
Bi Yao said triumphantly.
Because Yao Xi had never succeeded with Yun Fan, she did not possess the same pure Demonic Path power as Bi Yao.
"Even if it's not as pure as yours, so what?"
Yao Xi said coldly. "My talent is superior to yours. What are you?"
"Superior to you?"
Bi Yao scoffed. "I don't know what right you have to say such a thing!"
At this, she swiftly attacked Yao Xi. The two women engaged in a desperate struggle. But at this very moment, Yao Xi's weakness began to manifest.
Indeed, she was not Bi Yao's match. Firstly, she had not reached her peak. Secondly, the power provided by her Demonic Path was insufficient.
Therefore, after one exchange, she was knocked down from the Nine Heavens by Bi Yao, falling to the mortal realm.
Bi Yao did not hesitate and immediately followed her down from the Nine Heavens. Although she believed Yao Xi was surely dead, she dared not be careless. If Yao Xi was not completely killed, she could not securely hold the position of Empress.