Chapter 48: The Dragon Emperor

Shen Changan did not rush to examine the three gate visualization techniques. After all, this was not something that could be mastered in a short time, and reading it prematurely would only stir up restless anticipation.

"Lady Jiang, do you happen to know why Bao Yi and Xue Lie were so intent on abducting you?"

"I can guess a fair bit of it," Jiang Yunyi replied.

Shen Changan asked with curiosity, "Would you mind sharing it with me?"

Jiang Yunyi gave a faint smile and continued, "It is nothing of great consequence. They likely wanted to use me as a bargaining chip to secure support from the Dragon Clan."

"The Dragon Clan?" Shen Changan’s expression tightened, and he quickly asked, "I was already quite surprised by your identity earlier, but does the Dragon Clan truly still exist in this world?"

Jiang Yunyi nodded slightly. "Although true dragons are no longer seen, the Dragon Clan still exists. In fact, the Great Qian Dynasty sometimes even commissions members of the Dragon Clan to summon wind and rain to alleviate droughts."

Shen Changan was deeply shocked. He then pressed on, "This Dragon Empress, is she truly..."

"Yes. While the Dragon Empress is not a pure-blooded dragon, she possesses over half dragon blood. Given her strength, I doubt anyone would dare deny her claim, even if she called herself a pure-blooded dragon."

Shen Changan fell silent. He had not expected the Dragon Empress to be a genuine dragon. Even if she were not of pure blood, it was still a staggering realization.

"Then, are the people of the Yu family also of the Dragon Clan?" he could not help but ask.

Jiang Yunyi looked at him with a hint of bewilderment. "Do you truly know nothing about the affairs of the Great Qian, Daoist Shen?"

Embarrassed, Shen Changan scratched his head. "I have lived in the mountains and wilds all my life. I have only just entered the world to cultivate, so I am quite ignorant of worldly matters."

Jiang Yunyi nodded, indifferent to the veracity of his claim, and continued, "The Dragon Empress is not from the Yu family. She was the wife of the previous head of the Yu family. Under her leadership, the Yu family usurped the throne; she ascended to the position of Empress through her own cunning and formidable strength."

Shen Changan’s mind reeled. A female emperor? He could not help but ask, "Was the Yu family not the imperial clan before that?"

Jiang Yunyi nodded. "The first emperor of the Yu family was the Dragon Empress herself. Later, she devoted herself to cultivation and passed the throne to her son, the current Jade Emperor. Yet, even so, the Dragon Empress remains the supreme authority in the Great Qian."

"And what of her husband?"

"He died, naturally. The Dragon Empress merely used his connections to seize control of the Yu family. Once she had the family fully under her thumb, her husband had no further utility. Officially, it was said he died of illness, but how could a Heaven-Man realm cultivator fall ill?"

"From then on, anyone in the Yu family who refused to submit to her was executed, leaving only those who were loyal to her. The Dragon Empress employed infinite methods to lead the Yu family to rise, eventually succeeding in usurping the throne. On the day of her coronation, heads rolled like wheat; no one knows how many who opposed her were sent to the guillotine."

Shen Changan felt a chill run down his spine. Not only was the Dragon Empress powerful, but her methods were also ruthless. To kill her own bedfellow without hesitation—coupled with her immense strength—it was no wonder she had ascended to the throne.

"After that, the Yu family became the imperial family. The Dragon Empress had no intention of fostering her own original kin. Her origins were not particularly distinguished, and there was no one in her own family worth mentioning, so she simply abandoned them and poured her efforts into cultivating the Yu family instead."

Shen Changan sighed. "A general’s success is built upon ten thousand bones... But if the Dragon Empress’s methods are so formidable, why is the Great Qian in its current state?"

In his previous life, in an era where spiritual energy was withered, he could understand such a decline. A rise marked by such cruelty would inevitably breed resistance, and once natural disasters or administrative failures occurred, the nation would easily collapse. But in this era, the Dragon Empress was a powerhouse who could sweep across the world. Her influence was all-encompassing; rebellion under her nose should have been entirely futile. What use was capturing a few cities or counties? If the Dragon Empress were to cast a single glance, the upper echelons of one’s army would be wiped out. No amount of troops could withstand her divine might. Under such circumstances, such rebellion should not exist.

Jiang Yunyi spoke softly, "The reason for this situation is, naturally, that the Dragon Empress suffered heavy injuries."

"The Dragon Empress? Severely injured?" Shen Changan was stunned.

"Yes. No one knows exactly how she was wounded, but most surmise that an Earth Immortal attempted to assassinate her. Although that Earth Immortal likely perished, the Dragon Empress was indeed severely wounded and has been unable to attend to the affairs of the Great Qian."

An Earth Immortal—a terrestrial deity! Once a Heaven-Man realm cultivator progresses further, they develop miraculous abilities, turning the mundane into the extraordinary, and are then known as Earth Immortals. Such beings are no longer mortal; they are akin to true gods, often possessing unfathomable powers. The Dragon Empress was clearly an Earth Immortal herself, or else no one of that caliber would have dared to challenge her.

Shen Changan could not imagine what a battle between such experts would look like. At that level, determining a winner was simple, but deciding life and death was far from easy. The fact that the Dragon Empress had killed an Earth Immortal, despite sustaining heavy injuries herself, only proved she was even more formidable than most.

"How many Earth Immortals are there in the world today?" Shen Changan asked curiously.

Jiang Yunyi shook her head. "I do not know... but to my knowledge, including the Dragon Empress, there are no more than three."

Three? That seemed impossible. It was more likely that the Earth Immortals were simply lying in wait, hidden away. After all, in the current world, there was little worth their attachment.

"If the Dragon Empress is severely wounded, isn't this the perfect time to kill her? Why hasn't another Earth Immortal attempted an assassination?"

Jiang Yunyi smiled. "To an Earth Immortal, even if the entire world were to perish, it would have little impact on them. The previous Earth Immortal was only involved because he was part of the former royal line; otherwise, they would never concern themselves with what the Dragon Empress does. Now that she has proven her strength by killing an Earth Immortal, who could guarantee that she wouldn't drag another one down with her in her final struggle? Risking one's life for this mundane world, to which they have no attachment, is simply not something an Earth Immortal would do."

Shen Changan sighed. The cultivators of this world, even those who had mastered only a few minor spells, looked down upon mortals as if they were gods—let alone these Earth Immortals. To expect them to act for the sake of the common people was nothing more than a pipe dream.