It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 503: Your Highness, I Adore You! p2

Even a veteran like Mu Zhian couldn’t help but admire the Princess’s figure inwardly. Not only was her bosom impressive, but most importantly, her attire and temperament exuded the charm of a married woman. And her beautiful legs, covered in the translucent white silk stockings, added a touch of sacred inviolability.

“The Jade Empress is truly thoughtful. This dress design, paired with the Princess’s beauty, is simply perfect.”

A minister’s wife looked at this scene with envy and couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

As soon as these words were spoken, many other ministers also offered sincere praises, and the smile on the Great Peng Emperor’s face widened.

To this Cloud Province ruler, even though there was nothing between him and the Princess, in the eyes of the outside world, they were a perfect match.

Both were at the Dao Integration Realm, and his beloved consort’s beauty was unparalleled.

It was just a pity that after so many years, she was still so cold towards him in private.

If not, the Great Peng Emperor wouldn’t have been angered seeing the Princess chatting with a male cultivator under a pavilion earlier.

But the misunderstanding had already been cleared.

Mu Zhian’s Dao Companion was Fairy Yao Meng. With that fairy’s dominance and beauty, how could Mu Zhian dare have a secret affair with another woman behind her back?

Besides, his beloved consort wouldn’t possibly take a liking to him.

The music and dance were ongoing when the Princess’s gentle voice suddenly echoed through the hall: “I heard that while I was away from Cloud Province these past few days, many Sabbath envoys came to collect Luck… Have you sent anyone to confirm their movements?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the lively atmosphere seemed to quiet down slightly.

The ministers exchanged glances, seemingly seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.

Then, a minister cupped his hands and said, “In reply to Your Highness, the matter of the Sabbath is being handled by Wen Jun, but he’s feeling unwell today and didn’t attend the banquet…”

“A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator feeling unwell? Even if it’s an excuse, you should find a better one.”

The Princess’s voice was still soft and gentle, but her tone was colder.

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers fell silent.

Seeing this, the Great Peng Emperor couldn’t help but smile, “There’s no need for my beloved consort to worry so much. With you and I in Cloud Province, the Sabbath can’t cause any trouble.”

“As for the Sabbath envoys collecting Luck… A little bit of Luck doesn’t really matter to Cloud Province.”

The Princess was silent for a moment, then opened her red lips and said, “But since the beginning of this era, Cloud Province’s Luck has been declining. Haven’t you ever thought about the reason?”

“Your Highness, there’s truly no need to worry so much. Not to mention that my Cloud Province has two Dao Integration Realm experts, even setting that aside… Cloud Province also has the Heavenly Dao’s protection,” a minister below said.

“Indeed, with the Heavenly Dao’s protection, even if the Luck declines to a certain extent, it will rebound… After all, the Heavenly Dao will protect Cloud Province.”

For a moment, many ministers below nodded in agreement, seemingly having sufficient confidence in the Heavenly Dao.

It was no wonder. They were born and raised under the Heavenly Dao’s protection, even the Spiritual Energy they cultivated was directly supplied by the Heavenly Dao, much denser than other places.

It could be said that Cloud Province was a blessed land favored by the Heavenly Dao.

The Great Peng Emperor also said, “My beloved consort must be overthinking things. You’ve been busy with external affairs recently. Leave the matter of the Sabbath to me, just rest for a few days.”

The Princess didn’t say anything more.

If the Great Peng Emperor truly wanted to send people to secretly confirm the Sabbath envoys’ movements, he would have done it long ago, instead of waiting for her to bring it up.

“You all continue drinking. I’ve had some insights recently and will go back to enter secluded cultivation.”

She sighed softly inwardly, put down her wine cup, and after saying this, gestured to the maid beside her and instructed, “Take Young Master Mu to a vacant room to rest.”

Mu Zhian looked at the Princess’s departing figure, then scanned the ministers in the hall, a thoughtful look on his face.

He nodded slightly, stood up, and prepared to leave the hall, led by the maid.

Just then, an attendant suddenly rushed into the hall and said, “S-something terrible has happened!”

“Why are you so panicked, have some composure!” a minister scolded.

The Great Peng Emperor’s gaze fixed on him: “What happened?”

“The living beings in a certain area in the north of Cloud Province have inexplicably aged. We received a report that the Forbidden Land of Life seems to be expanding outwards from the north,” the attendant said hurriedly.

“Forbidden Land of Life? We’ve always been at peace with it, why would…”

For a moment, the ministers attending the banquet were stunned.

“There’s no need to worry, everyone. I’ll personally go take a look,” the Great Peng Emperor reassured them, saying with a smile, “It’s not like this Seat hasn’t been to the Forbidden Land of Life before.”

Or rather, the Immortal Medicine he obtained was from the Forbidden Land of Life.

“Since it wants to expand, this Seat will personally go to the Forbidden Land of Life and suppress it!”

…

That night.

The Princess returned to her courtyard, sat on a cushion, and closed her eyes slightly, trying to calm her mind.

However, thinking of the events of the past thousand years, she couldn’t help but sigh softly.

When the Great Peng Emperor wasn’t a Dao Integration Realm expert yet, he had also focused on governing Cloud Province.

The Great Peng Emperor at that time didn’t believe in the Heavenly Dao, only in himself.

However, since the beginning of this golden age in the Nine Provinces, the Heavenly Dao’s Spiritual Energy began to gradually erode Cloud Province’s original Spiritual Energy, and Cloud Province became increasingly prosperous. Almost every cultivator’s cauldron was filled with abundant Spiritual Energy.

And it was also at this time that the Great Peng Emperor gradually became complacent, starting to focus all his energy on ‘Transcendence and ascension’.

Since the beginning of this new era in the Nine Provinces, the Great Peng Emperor had devoted a large amount of manpower and resources to exploring the Forbidden Land of Life, seeking Immortal Medicine.

Even with the Sabbath’s descent, he didn’t stop his exploration. Because of this, many Cloud Province cultivators died in the Forbidden Land of Life.

However, every time, the Princess filled the gaps behind the scenes, so everything had been peaceful.

She went to see Luo Tan a few days ago, partly wanting to know Luo Tan’s current thoughts on Cloud Province, and partly wanting to see her close friend.

And another reason was to see if the Great Peng Emperor would properly handle Cloud Province’s affairs while she was away.

Yet he neglected even the matter of the Sabbath, not even bothering to send someone to secretly track the Sabbath envoys.

This was a sign of arrogance, and also a sign that he didn’t care about Cloud Province’s affairs.

The Great Peng Emperor’s current focus was entirely on the Immortal Medicine he obtained.

He didn’t even notice the Heavenly Dao becoming increasingly ‘rampant’ these years, almost assimilating the entire Cloud Province.

Indeed, the Heavenly Dao was currently protecting Cloud Province, because everyone in Cloud Province believed in it.

But what if one day, more cultivators in Cloud Province started believing in the Earth Dao or the Human Dao?

The Princess sighed softly.

Although she had long known the Great Peng Emperor’s personality, she was still disappointed by his inaction.

She didn’t have any good solutions now, she could only continue maintaining order in Cloud Province… until she found the location of the Heavenly Court, then use the Heavenly Court’s Spiritual Energy to resist the Heavenly Dao’s erosion.

Knock, knock…

Just as the Princess thought of this, she suddenly heard a soft knock on the door.

“Your Highness, is it convenient to come in now?”

Mu Zhian, why is he here…?

Despite her thoughts, the Princess still granted Mu Zhian permission to enter.

“Mmm… Come in.”

Mu Zhian pushed open the door and saw the plump and beautiful Princess sitting cross-legged on a cushion, her eyes closed slightly, a touch of crimson adorning her forehead, accentuating the charming allure of a married woman.

“I’ve decided to accept your previous proposal and help you reach the Heavenly Court,” Mu Zhian said in a low voice.

The Princess abruptly opened her eyes, staring at him with burning eyes.

Surprise and delight flickered in her beautiful eyes, her heart pounding, almost unable to contain her joy.

“You… why did you suddenly agree?”

The Princess tried her best to maintain her composure, wanting to know Mu Zhian’s purpose.

“I saw your conversation with the Great Peng Emperor in the hall earlier, and thinking about your contributions to Cloud Province all these years, I couldn’t bear it,” Mu Zhian smiled.

“Is this pity?” The Princess chuckled self-deprecatingly. She never imagined that she, a dignified Dao Integration Realm expert, would be pitied by a little cultivator.

“Not pity, but respect.”

However, Mu Zhian’s next words were unexpected.

“The Great Peng Emperor is wholeheartedly focused on Transcendence, and the ministers are all complacent under the Heavenly Dao’s protection. Only you are silently supporting the entire Cloud Province.”

Mu Zhian gazed at the woman’s veiled, beautiful face and said softly, “So I respect you very much.”

The Princess’s eyes flickered, momentarily speechless.

She didn’t expect a little cultivator who had just met her to understand and support her…

“Besides that… perhaps I also have some admiration for you.”

Mu Zhian chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I know Your Highness might find these words disdainful, but a woman supporting the entire Cloud Province… Such grace, any man would probably feel some admiration.”

The Princess was stunned, staring at Mu Zhian incredulously.

She didn’t expect this young man to be so bold, daring to confess his love to her when he already had the Jade Empress as his Dao Companion, and even had a secret relationship with Luo Tan.

Wasn’t this a blatant playboy?!

Yet she couldn’t sense any falsehood in Mu Zhian’s eyes or tone. It was a truly pure and sincere admiration.

Even from her fiancé, the Great Peng Emperor, she had never felt such sincere admiration.

Because the Great Peng Emperor pursued her simply for her body, and to use her body to try and communicate with the Great Dao.

At this moment, various emotions intertwined within the Princess’s heart. She originally wanted to scold Mu Zhian for his boldness and promiscuity, but for some reason, she didn’t feel any anger.

Instead, she felt somewhat flustered.

But as one of the rulers of Cloud Province, the Princess quickly calmed herself, looked up, and was about to speak.

Just then, Mu Zhian placed a finger against her lips, a warm and sunny smile on his face, and said, “You don’t need to give me an answer so soon, because before that, I will help you reach the Heavenly Court.”

“However, I might have to be a bit disrespectful.”

Before the Princess could recover from Mu Zhian’s bold confession, she asked dazedly, “Disrespectful how—”

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Zhian took two steps forward, and suddenly covered her eyes with one hand.

Then, through the veil, in the dim light, Mu Zhian captured the Princess’s rosy and delicate lips.

The Princess’s eyes were somewhat dazed, as if she hadn’t reacted yet.

Only after feeling the young man’s warm breath did she snap out of it, immediately pushing Mu Zhian’s hand away and staring at him, both embarrassed and angry.

“Mu Zhian, you—”

Then, before the Princess could speak, she found that her surroundings were no longer the same room.

This world was filled with incredibly dense Spiritual Energy.

“Where… where is this…?” The Princess looked around incredulously, finding that even with her Dao Integration Realm spiritual sense, she couldn’t determine their location.

“Since Your Highness has guessed where my Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy comes from, haven’t you ever wondered if I myself can enter the Heavenly Court?”

Just then, Mu Zhian’s voice suddenly came from behind, pulling the Princess back to reality.

She turned and saw the young man standing behind her at some unknown time.

At this moment, thoughts flashed through her mind like fleeting shadows.

Then, as if realizing something, the Princess’s heart suddenly raced.

“Is this the Heavenly Court?”

There was no mistaking it. The Spiritual Energy in this world was countless times denser than the Nine Provinces, and it was exactly the same as the Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy she sensed in Cloud Province before.

Undoubtedly, this was the Heavenly Court.

But the question was, why was she here?

The scene of Mu Zhian kissing her through her veil in the bedchamber earlier flashed through the Princess’s mind, and her face flushed slightly.

She gazed at Mu Zhian, lowered her voice, and asked softly, “…Who are you, exactly?”