CH 214

Villainous Emperor (14)

Song Xu Yi found herself in a drowsy state, having a dream.

She dreamt about the experiences she had in every little world she had traveled through.

She didn’t know if it was her hallucination or actual events, but suddenly her mind was filled with memories that didn’t exist before – she seemed to have encountered someone she felt deeply attracted to and liked in certain worlds.

The person in the dream was unclear, but Song Xu Yi always felt that they were the same person…

And at the end of the dream, Song Xu Yi seemed to hear the cheering voices of many people –

“Great! She’s waking up!”

……

Who is waking up?

Immediately, Song Xu Yi felt herself plummeting rapidly, feeling dizzy and once again falling into a state of unconsciousness, and all the memories from before faded away like receding tides…

Accompanied by the relieved voice of the system saying, “Finally repaired,” Song Xu Yi opened her eyes.

“You’re awake!” The face that greeted her eyes was the original owner’s father’s handsome face, even though he had lived for thousands of years, he didn’t appear old at all, rather more like Song Xu Yi’s older brother.

“A millennium has long passed. I told you to return to the mountain early, but you didn’t listen, greedy for the meager offerings of the Mortal Realm. In the end, you brought yourself in as well.” The man’s tone softened as he sighed, “It’s also your father’s fault for letting you descend to the Mortal Realm back then. You were still young and didn’t understand the intricacies of the human world, so you suffered this calamity.”

“I have caused father to worry during this period of time. It’s the daughter’s unfilial piety.” Song Xu Yi, unaware of the current situation, instinctively apologized in a soft voice, observing the weariness in the man’s eyes.

“As long as my child is safe, that’s all that matters. Rest well for now! After waking up this time, focus on cultivating at home and don’t get involved in the troubles of the Mortal Realm anymore…”

The man continued to ramble, advising Song Xu Yi to rest properly. Song Xu Yi had always had a good relationship with elders, so she didn’t know how to respond and could only remain silent. However, unlike the original body, she didn’t refute the man out loud. Upon seeing Song Xu Yi’s expression, the man praised her with satisfaction several times, saying, “My child has finally become sensible!” before leaving the room.

“System, what exactly happened?” As soon as the man left the room, Song Xu Yi began to inquire the system, “In my memory, Ruoyu was possessed by an evil god, and then I was attacked by the evil god and lost consciousness. What is the current situation?”

It took a while for the system to reply to Song Xu Yi.

The system has been trying to awaken Song Xu Yi all these years, but without success. However, witnessing the father of the original body’s determined efforts to awaken Song Xu Yi, and seeing Song Xu Yi’s continuous improvement over the past few years, the system finally let go of its worries and resumed its previous mission – to continue contacting the Lord God.

However, the system made numerous attempts to contact the Lord God but failed every time. In fact, there was even a recent fluctuation in the entire system, causing all of Song Xu Yi’s sealed memories to resurface…

The system was terrified and felt that this was the consequence of its improper attempts to contact the Lord God over the years. It had been working tirelessly to repair the system during these days, and it was only recently that the system was fully restored.

Therefore, at this moment, when facing Song Xu Yi, the system still felt somewhat guilty. After Song Xu Yi asked her question, the system took a while to carefully respond –

“Xu Yi, you have been asleep for eight years.”

“I am not aware of the situation in the Mortal Realm because I have been trapped here with you. I have been trying to awaken you all these years. Fortunately, after a certain world, I reinforced the system, so the divine beings didn’t detect me, and that’s how I managed to hold on until now…”

Then the system recounted what happened in the Divine Testing Cave back then. Song Xu Yi didn’t expect that a momentary lapse of judgment would lead to Jiang Ruoyu and the Divine Attractor forming a ten-year agreement.

Combining it with the original plot summary, Song Xu Yi suddenly remembered more: in the original plot, Jiang Ruoyu roamed the universe with the celestial sword, causing chaos in the Three Realms. It’s estimated that she also made an agreement with the Divine Attractor…

But in the original plot, Jiang Ruoyu didn’t leave the palace. How did she manage to contact the Divine Attractor?

……

Song Xu Yi had countless questions in her mind, but the most important thing now was to contact Jiang Ruoyu first and help her escape from the control of the Divine Attractor.

Song Xu Yi closed her eyes.

The entire Jiang Kingdom worshipped Song Xu Yi. Previously, as long as she used her divine consciousness, she could observe the surroundings through the eyes of the divine statues. Worried about any changes, this time Song Xu Yi decided not to enter the palace of Jiang Kingdom. Instead, she searched for the divine statues in the capital region surrounding the palace. However, this time, Song Xu Yi’s divine consciousness swept through most of the city, but she couldn’t find her divine statue anywhere…

What had happened?

An ominous premonition surged within her, but just after awakening, Song Xu Yi’s divine power was extremely weak. After using her divine consciousness for a while, she began to feel drained. Song Xu Yi had no choice but to stop and meditate, cultivating her divine consciousness.

When Song Xu Yi woke up from her meditation, she realized that it was already late at night in the Mortal Realm.

Not wanting to give up, Song Xu Yi continued her attempts, and finally, she discovered a divine statue.

She quickly infused her divine consciousness into it and opened her eyes –

It was a beautifully decorated and spacious room. It didn’t appear to be within a temple but rather resembled someone’s personal living quarters. Layers of black veils covered the area in front of Song Xu Yi’s divine statue, making it impossible to see the full extent of the room.

Could it be… Is this household secretly worshipping me?

Song Xu Yi hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help but look through the black veils with her divine consciousness, observing the surroundings –

Faint mist emanated from a bathtub, and within it, Song Xu Yi caught a glimpse of a pair of delicate, snow-white shoulders, as smooth as condensed fat. The woman had long, flowing black hair cascading down her back. Her slender neck and arms were exquisitely crafted, as if painted by a skilled brushstroke…

She was an incredibly beautiful creature.

Song Xu Yi didn’t expect such a coincidence – she happened to encounter someone bathing.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Song Xu Yi dared not look any longer and quickly averted her gaze, lowering her eyes. She intended to return to her divine statue when, unexpectedly, her gaze caught sight of something else: next to the woman’s bathtub lay a set of clothing, with its bright yellow color resembling the dragon robe worn only by emperors…

Who is this woman?!

A strange sensation surged within Song Xu Yi, and she tried to convince herself that it was a misunderstanding. However, the more she looked, the more familiar the person in the bathtub seemed…

In front Song Xu Yi’s widened eyes, the person in the bathtub made a movement –

She slowly rose from the bathtub, revealing delicate collarbones as if preparing to spread her wings like a butterfly. Her slender waist…

The woman appeared to be turning around…

In that instant, Song Xu Yi sensed an imperceptible but undeniable danger. Following her instincts, she involuntarily took a step back –

And indeed, a pitch-black aura emerged in the spot where Song Xu Yi had stood before. If she had been a moment slower, the aura would have consumed her completely!

With wide eyes, Song Xu Yi exerted almost all of her strength to drive her divine consciousness back into the divine statue.

The malevolent aura pursued her relentlessly, but it seemed to hesitate near the divine statue, unwilling to approach it. After lingering for a moment, it gradually dissipated…

Song Xu Yi bit her lip, her instinct telling her that she should immediately use her divine consciousness to leave: that malevolent aura seemed extremely dangerous.

However, Song Xu Yi didn’t know what mindset she held as she anxiously concealed her divine consciousness within the divine statue. She suppressed her breath entirely and continued to observe the person in the bathtub through the eyes of the divine statue.

After all, the divine statue was one of the countless physical forms of the deity in the Mortal Realm, carrying the aura of the divine. For the deity, it was the best hiding place. As long as the divine statue remained intact, not even the Divine Attractor would detect the presence of Song Xu Yi’s divine consciousness.

The black veils obstructed most of the view from the divine statue, and Song Xu Yi could only see the woman stepping out of the bathtub. However, she didn’t put on the dragon robe lying on the floor. She wore an undershirt, with her hair cascading down, and slowly walked towards the divine statue –

Song Xu Yi lowered her eyes and saw the woman’s bare feet beneath the black veils.

Even though she knew that the woman couldn’t possibly perceive her presence, Song Xu Yi still felt extremely nervous.

The black veils fell.

Song Xu Yi saw a face.

This face was both familiar and unfamiliar to Song Xu Yi. It still possessed the same unparalleled elegance, but it appeared more refined and mature compared to when they were fourteen years old. The woman seemed to have grown taller, and her figure was more alluring. Perhaps due to being possessed by the Divine Attractor, although Jiang Ruoyu’s beauty was breathtaking, it carried a hint of danger. Especially the small mole at the corner of her eye, which used to give Jiang Ruoyu a playful and adorable appearance. However, at this moment, it inexplicably reminded Song Xu Yi of blood splattered in the snow…

It felt as if in an instant, the little girl she had watched grow up had transformed from an innocent teenager into a captivating and mysterious woman.

As Song Xu Yi observed Jiang Ruoyu, Jiang Ruoyu was also observing the divine statue.

Her eyes were pitch-black, seemingly bottomless. Her gaze wandered inch by inch over the divine statue. Song Xu Yi only realized now, in the rush of the moment, that this divine statue was the one previously located in the palace of Jiang Kingdom.

Jiang Ruoyu had actually moved the divine statue from the palace to her own chamber?

“Was it just my imagination?” Jiang Ruoyu suddenly muttered, furrowing her brow. After surveying the surroundings, she slipped on a pair of wooden clogs and walked out of the room.

However, Song Xu Yi didn’t dare to make any rash movements. Jiang Ruoyu was extremely intelligent, and there was a possibility that she would sense something was amiss and strike back.

Sure enough, not long after, numerous small black auras seeped into the room through the cracks of the doors. After inspecting the room, they retreated back through the same cracks.

And then, accompanied by a creaking sound, the door opened again, only to close once more.

Jiang Ruoyu entered the room, carrying a jug of wine.

“Xu Yi, come and advise me not to drink.”

Jiang Ruoyu’s gaze swept over the divine statue, and Song Xu Yi even suspected that Jiang Ruoyu had already discovered her presence. Then, with a wave of Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, the jade statue suddenly moved, mechanically stepping down from the pedestal and walking to Jiang Ruoyu’s side. When it spoke, it had Song Xu Yi’s voice –

“Ruoyu, you mustn’t drink!”

Song Xu Yi was startled. The voice and tone emanating from the divine statue were almost identical to her own!

However, Jiang Ruoyu seemed accustomed to the divine statue’s admonishments and continued to drink, instructing the statue on how to act. “You should say it again: Drinking harms the body. You may be young now, but if you continue drinking excessively, you will age quickly and then take away my wine jug…”

Following Jiang Ruoyu’s instructions, the divine statue spoke again and then took away Jiang Ruoyu’s wine jug.

……

However, Jiang Ruoyu snatched back the wine jug once again!

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes seemed slightly red. She took a few more sips from the jug and suddenly became angry for some reason.

“You’re not her after all! If you were her, I definitely wouldn’t dare to take things from her! I really want to see her…”

Jiang Ruoyu fell silent, staring blankly out the window. No one knew what was going through her mind.

The rigid divine statue stood beside her, accentuating her sense of desolation.

After an unknown amount of time, a knocking sound came from outside. Jiang Ruoyu’s expression instantly changed, adopting the cold indifference she had when possessed by the Divine Attractor.

“Jiang Xin has committed suicide! The ministers are all kneeling and pleading for you to ascend the throne,” a Eunuch happily announced to Jiang Ruoyu.

Jiang Ruoyu responded with a cold “Hmm” and then walked out of the room.

Song Xu Yi quickly seized the opportunity to retract her divine consciousness. Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes –

She had never expected Jiang Ruoyu to miss her this much!

Was this how Jiang Ruoyu had spent these eight years?