Half a day later, within the Southern Domain.
The ice jiao carriage streaked across the sky, heading straight for the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range.
It left a faint trail of frost in its wake, strikingly visible against the clear blue firmament.
Although most of the biting cold Qi was contained by the carriage's own Formation.
The invisible pressure of an Immortal Ascension Realm powerhouse, along with the astonishing display of ice jiao pulling the carriage and Female Generals escorting it,
Still stirred up a thousand waves across the Southern Domain, like a giant boulder cast into a calm lake!
Above Luoxia City, on the border of the Southern Domain.
Several Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivators, riding flying Magical Artifacts, were traveling together, discussing where new Secret Realms had recently appeared.
Suddenly, a Soul-shaking chill descended without warning!
"What's going on?! It's suddenly so cold!"
"Look at the sky! What... what is that?!"
The few of them looked up in horror, only to see an ice-blue streak of light approaching from the northern sky at an unimaginable speed, reaching directly overhead in the blink of an eye.
It was a carriage pulled by a pair of winged ice jiao, its entire body seemingly carved from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
On either side of the carriage, ten Female General guards with terrifying Auras and clad in ice-blue armor had eyes as sharp as blades.
Just their gaze alone made these Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their bodies stiff, making it difficult even to control their Magical Artifacts.
The ice jiao carriage did not stop, but thundered away with an imposing Aura that seemed to crush everything in its path.
It left only a gradually dissipating trail of frost and a lingering chill in the air.
"Gulp..."
A Loose Cultivator swallowed with difficulty, his face pale,
"What... what kind of Yao Beast is pulling that carriage? It feels terrifying!"
"More than just the Yao Beast pulling the carriage! Those guards... each one's Aura makes it hard for me to breathe!"
Another person's voice trembled.
"By the direction... it looks like it's going to the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range?"
A slightly calmer Loose Cultivator mused.
"Myriad Absolute Mountain Range? Jade Pool Immortal Palace?!"
The Loose Cultivator who spoke first suddenly reacted, gasping in a cold breath,
"Could it be... could it be a big shot from another Domain, going to see the Yaochi Empress?!"
The few of them exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and lingering fear.
In a bustling small city in the central Southern Domain, inside a teahouse.
It was filled with Cultivators from all directions, and at this moment, almost everyone had stopped talking.
They gazed in awe at the rapidly disappearing ice-blue trail in the sky.
"Good heavens! What a display! Which family's Young Master is on an inspection tour now?"
A young Cultivator clicked his tongue.
"Inspection tour?"
"Which force in the Southern Domain do you think can use Undergoing Tribulation Stage ice jiao to pull a carriage when they go out?"
An old man with white hair beside him scoffed, his cloudy eyes filled with solemnity.
"Undergoing Tribulation Stage ice jiao?!"
A chorus of gasps immediately erupted in the teahouse.
"Old Liu, you're well-traveled, could you tell us about it? Who exactly is this divine being?"
Someone respectfully asked the old man.
The old man stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the sky, and slowly said:
"Ice jiao pulling the carriage, profound ice for the vehicle, Phoenix patterns as adornment, Female Generals as guards..."
"Such a distinct sign, in the entire Canglan Continent, there is only one person."
He paused, then uttered a name that instantly silenced the teahouse:
"The ruler of the Northern Domain, Empress Ling Shuang."
"Empress... Ling Shuang?!"
Someone cried out in alarm.
"That's right."
The old Cultivator nodded, his expression complex,
"An Immortal Ascension powerhouse, ruling the Northern Domain for tens of thousands of years, why would she suddenly come to our Southern Domain?"
"Why else?"
A quick-witted Cultivator lowered his voice,
"Don't we also have an 'Empress' in our Southern Domain now?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the teahouse immediately grew subtle.
"Hiss... you mean, Empress Ling Shuang is coming for the Yaochi Empress?"
"Most likely! How can the revered title of 'Empress' be easily bestowed?"
"Empress Qing Xuan of the Eastern Domain, Empress Ling Shuang of the Northern Domain, what kind of existences are they?"
"Now that the Southern Domain suddenly has one more, can they just stand by and do nothing?"
"Empress Qing Xuan hasn't made a move yet, but this Empress Ling Shuang, judging by her posture, isn't here with good intentions!"
"More than just not good intentions! Haven't you heard? Empress Ling Shuang and Empress Qing Xuan have always been at odds, openly and secretly contending."
"Now with another Empress, how could Empress Ling Shuang be comfortable?"
"It's over, it's over. If the two Empresses start fighting in our Southern Domain..."
A more timid Cultivator's face turned pale.
"Fighting? If Immortal Ascension powerhouses truly clashed, it's feared that thousands of miles of mountains and rivers would collapse!"
The old man sighed,
"It all depends on how the Yaochi Empress responds. Can this newly appointed Empress hold her ground?"
The teahouse was abuzz with discussions, a mix of worry, curiosity, excitement, and fear.
On a certain Peak of a first-rate Sect.
The Sect Leader and several Elders gathered there, solemnly watching the ice-blue trail disappear into the horizon.
"That is Empress Ling Shuang of the Northern Domain."
The Sect Leader's voice was dry,
"She went towards the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range."
"Sect Leader, should we... do something? For example, send a message to Jade Pool Immortal Palace?"
An Elder hesitated.
"Send a message? Say what? Say Empress Ling Shuang is here, and tell the Yaochi Empress to be careful?"
Another Elder gave a bitter smile,
"In a game of this level, we don't even have the qualifications to interfere. Rashly sending a message might just bring trouble upon ourselves."
"But the Yaochi Empress is, after all, from our Southern Domain..."
A younger Elder felt a pang of reluctance.
The Sect Leader raised a hand to stop the argument, letting out a long sigh:
"Let's wait and see. All we can do now is restrain our Disciples and not let them approach the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range recently."
"And pray that the two Empresses don't start fighting!"
Everyone fell silent.
An Immortal Ascension battle, overturning mountains and rivers, was not just an empty threat.
The Southern Domain had finally produced its own Peak powerhouse, and if she were to perish due to a dispute over a title.
Or if the two were to erupt into a major battle, it would be an unbearable catastrophe for the entire Southern Domain.
The outside world's commotion did not affect Empress Ling Shuang inside the flying carriage in the slightest.
Her Divine Sense swiftly swept over the mountains and terrain of the Southern Domain below, finally locking onto the depths of the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range.
"Jade Pool Immortal Palace... is it inside?"
Empress Ling Shuang's clear, cold voice rang out.
"Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress, according to the compiled intelligence from all sides, Jade Pool Immortal Palace is indeed built in the core region of the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range."
A Female General commander respectfully replied.
Empress Ling Shuang nodded slightly, a sharp glint flashing in her ice-blue eyes.
"The concealment methods are good. Even after a cursory sweep with this Empress's Divine Sense, I couldn't immediately detect any abnormalities."
"It seems this Gu Han is quite extraordinary in the Dao of Formations."
She paused, her fingertip gently tapping the ice crystal table.
"Give the order: upon reaching a hundred li outside Jade Pool Immortal Palace, descend the cloud and formally announce our arrival according to etiquette."
"Yes!"
The Female General received the order, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes,
"Your Majesty, if we directly..."
"Directly barge in?"
Empress Ling Shuang's lips curved into a cold arc,
"Since that woman Qing Xuan sent Luo Shui, if this Empress were too overbearing, it would seem rather inferior."
"Besides, this Empress also wants to see what is so extraordinary about this Yaochi Empress."
Empress Ling Shuang's voice was clear and cold, carrying an undeniable authority.
The ice jiao carriage maintained its speed, continuing to race towards the depths of the Myriad Absolute Mountain Range.
"Your Majesty, we have reached a hundred li ahead."
The Female General received the order and lowered the cloud, the ice jiao carriage stopping steadily in mid-air.
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