It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 504: Let’s Wrong the Jade Empress Together~p1

“Who are you, exactly? We’re here in the Heavenly Court with our spiritual senses, not our physical bodies, right?”

“How can you bring my spiritual sense into the Heavenly Court?”

The Princess stared intently at Mu Zhian, wanting the answers she sought.

Mu Zhian shook his head slightly. “I don’t quite understand the specifics myself. I obtained a ring from the First Demon Emperor, and since then, I’ve been able to bring my spiritual sense into the Heavenly Court for a certain period… and bring others along as well.”

“The First Demon Emperor?”

The Princess had obviously heard of the First Demon Emperor, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Then, she quickly remembered something important, a blush creeping up her cheeks. A hint of resentment flickered in her usually gentle gaze as she glanced at Mu Zhian, “Does that have anything to do with you… kissing me just now?”

Seemingly not used to saying the word, she hesitated for a while before asking softly.

Mu Zhian smiled, “To enter the Heavenly Court, even with just a wisp of spiritual sense, one’s body must contain some Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy… And this is the only way I can transfer it to you.”

“So that’s how it is. No wonder you were so bold earlier…”

At this moment, the Princess understood slightly and nodded silently.

However, along with her understanding came an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

She had been surprised and annoyed when this young cultivator kissed her earlier, but now, after hearing his explanation and understanding his motives, she felt a sense of loss.

Could it be that I was expecting something…? A thought that even she found utterly absurd surfaced in the Princess’s mind.

As one of the rulers of Cloud Province, a princess born connected to the Great Dao, the Princess hadn’t experienced any so-called ‘surprises’ since birth.

Because the Great Dao favored her, and she was blessed with luck, she knew from birth that she would definitely reach Dao Integration.

Some people were born striving for cultivation, their fate unknown.

And some people, from the moment they were born, were destined to become a Dao Integration Empress standing tall in the Nine Provinces.

The Princess was such a person of destiny.

Because of this, many had pursued her in the past, some coveting her beauty, some wanting to use her body to try and resonate with the Great Dao.

The Great Peng Emperor was one of them.

For this, the Great Peng Emperor had tried countless methods to please the Princess, but none had worked…

Since they were both at the Dao Integration Realm, the Great Peng Emperor didn’t dare to go too far, lest it cause conflict between them.

But who would have thought that after Mu Zhian’s kiss tonight, although the Princess felt some shame, it wasn’t that strong… Instead, a strange and complex feeling arose in her heart.

She couldn’t even understand her own thoughts anymore.

The Princess gently shook her head, dispelling her thoughts, but a sense of uncertainty lingered in her heart.

“Your Highness…?”

Just then, Mu Zhian called out to her tentatively, “Do you plan to explore the depths of the Heavenly Court?”

The Princess came back to her senses and smiled gently, “Then I’ll have to trouble Young Master Mu.”

Mu Zhian shook his head, “Since I’ve already promised Your Highness, I will naturally cooperate with you as much as possible.”

Then, he paused and said, “However, according to the rules of the Heavenly Court, to enter the Heavenly Court, there are some rather troublesome requirements…”

The Princess was stunned, looked at Mu Zhian, and asked, “What requirements?”

For some reason, looking at Mu Zhian’s sincere expression, a bad feeling arose in the Princess’s heart.

…

“Such a sacred place as the Heavenly Court, yet it has such indecent rules… Who exactly set these rules?”

After a while, the Princess removed her outer garment and veil, her silk-clad jade feet stepping onto the floor of the Heavenly Court, a faint blush appearing on her face.

Even the gentle and kind Princess couldn’t help but feel resentful towards the person who wrote the Heavenly Court’s rules.

The Heavenly Court, the lifelong pursuit of cultivators, its rules actually required people to wear dresses and stockings to enter…

And they couldn’t wear shoes!

“Are these rules real or fake? Why can you ignore them and enter?”

The Princess looked at the young man beside her and finally couldn’t help asking.

Mu Zhian shook his head and guessed, “Perhaps it’s because of the ring left by the First Demon Emperor?”

He couldn’t admit to being the one who wrote the Heavenly Court’s rules, not even if he were beaten to death… Even the gentlest beauty, if she knew the truth, would probably tear him apart.

Silence fell between the two. After an unknown amount of time, Mu Zhian suddenly asked, “How do you plan to use the Heavenly Court’s Spiritual Energy?”

The Princess didn’t answer, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question: “Young Master Mu, have you ever heard of the nine Forbidden Lands of the Nine Provinces?”

Mu Zhian was stunned for a moment and hesitated, “According to ancient texts, the Forbidden Lands haven’t appeared in the world for tens of thousands of years, right?”

The Princess gently shook her head: “Besides Yu State and the Northern Frontier, the other Forbidden Lands have been in seclusion for far longer than tens of thousands of years.”

“The reason the Forbidden Lands are called forbidden isn’t because of the ancient Dao Integration Realm beings residing within, but because the rules of heaven and earth in each Forbidden Land are completely different, and all controlled by the ancient beings within.”

“The Heavenly Dao allows these forbidden beings to rewrite the rules of heaven and earth it set?” Mu Zhian asked in surprise.

“Why don’t you guess why the Forbidden Land of Life is expanding outwards for no reason?” The Princess asked a question that made Mu Zhian fall into deep thought.

Indeed, the Forbidden Land of Life had always been at peace with Cloud Province, why would it suddenly expand outwards…?

Wasn’t it afraid of being too conspicuous and being punished by the Heavenly Dao?

“Your Highness means… this is tacitly permitted by the Heavenly Dao?” Mu Zhian understood the Princess’s implication.

“Only Transcendence Realm Human Emperors can rewrite the rules of heaven and earth. The beings in the Forbidden Lands are also at Dao Integration, but the rules of heaven and earth in their Forbidden Lands are completely different from the outside world, a world of their own.”

A dark glint appeared in the Princess’s eyes.

“I secretly investigated in the past. Initially, the range of activity of each Forbidden Land in the Nine Provinces was extremely wide, even several provinces were controlled by Forbidden Lands.”

Mu Zhian was stunned. This couldn’t be ignored… The Forbidden Lands once controlled entire provinces, but why did they later shrink their territories and choose to create worlds of their own?

“Although I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, the beings in the Forbidden Lands are all injured. Perhaps there was a great battle in the past, and someone suppressed the nine Forbidden Lands,” seeing Mu Zhian’s silence, the Princess knew what he was thinking and added.

“How is that possible?” Mu Zhian almost blurted out.

This was too absurd. Unrestricted by the heavenly rules, Dao Integration Realm experts could exert the power of the Transcendence Realm… Could someone suppress nine Forbidden Lands?

The Princess slowly shook her head and said softly, “I didn’t believe it at first either, but when I later set foot in the Forbidden Land of Life, I discovered that the beings within were indeed injured.”

“If the beings in the Forbidden Lands truly are at Dao Integration Realm, then the ones rewriting the rules of heaven and earth probably aren’t them, but someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes…”

Mu Zhian pondered for a long time, his eyes changing slightly, “The Heavenly Dao…?”

Even the Heavenly Dao itself couldn’t completely change the rules of heaven and earth… But it could change a part of them, then use the forbidden beings as mediums to expand that small part of the rules of heaven and earth.

Its purpose in doing so was to gain greater power.

“So, the Heavenly Dao eroding Cloud Province might be related to the previous expansion of the Forbidden Land of Life?”

Hearing this, the Princess secretly praised Mu Zhian’s intelligence: “That’s what I think too, which is why I want to use Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy to resist the Heavenly Dao’s erosion.”

“What do you plan to do?” Mu Zhian asked.

A charming and gentle smile appeared on the Princess’s face, “I’m innately connected to the Great Dao. If I’m willing, I can replicate anything I see. Although it can’t compare to the Heavenly Court’s own rules and Spiritual Energy, it’s enough to resist the Heavenly Dao’s erosion of Cloud Province and make the Forbidden Land of Life retreat.”

“As for the expansion of the Forbidden Land of Life during this time… Although the Great Peng Emperor hasn’t been paying much attention to Cloud Province these years, he wouldn’t tolerate the Forbidden Land gradually encroaching on his territory. Delaying it for two or three days, he should be able to do that.”

“Will he risk resisting the Forbidden Land of Life’s rule erosion?” Mu Zhian couldn’t help asking.

“No, but he’ll try his best… At least, he’ll put on a show of trying his best.”

The Princess’s tone remained gentle, but her eyes held a hint of coldness: “With so many eyes watching in Cloud Province, if he retreats easily, the cultivators will be disappointed in him, and the power of faith will collapse… So he will try his best to create the impression that he has done everything he can.”

Mu Zhian couldn’t help but be stunned: “You really understand him.”

“Understand?”

The Princess pursed her sexy red lips, a hint of sarcasm in her tone, “He’s always been like this, I naturally know what he’ll do.”

Although there were two rulers of Cloud Province, since the beginning of this era, it was practically the Princess alone handling all matters, big and small, both internal and external… The Great Peng Emperor, since thousands of years ago, had been focusing all his energy on seeking the path of Transcendence.

Cloud Province had been thriving all these years… Little did they know how much the Princess had contributed behind the scenes.

Mu Zhian fell silent, looking at the beautiful woman with a hint of emotion in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Seemingly uncomfortable being stared at, the Princess couldn’t help but ask softly.

“Nothing, I’m just thinking, Empress Luo Tan at least has several close aides to help share the burden, but it seems you’ve been silently handling all these troublesome matters alone in Cloud Province all this time…”

Mu Zhian smiled, “As expected, Your Highness is just as I imagined, seemingly gentle, but actually very strong inside.”

The Princess hummed softly in agreement.

She had heard this kind of flattery countless times and naturally wasn’t moved.

Mu Zhian looked around at the vast scenery of the Heavenly Court and continued, “But you can also try sharing your troubles with others, like today… Perhaps the problem will be resolved quickly.”

“This time was just an accident… If Young Master Mu didn’t happen to possess the Innate Celestial Furnace, and the technique to bring his spiritual sense into the Heavenly Court, even if I told you, it would be useless.”

“It might even cause you more trouble.”

The Princess gently shook her head. She didn’t want to burden others with her troubles, but this time, she had no other choice. Although she hesitated for a long time, she ultimately asked Mu Zhian for help.

“What if I don’t mind?” Mu Zhian asked.

The Princess was slightly stunned, looking at Mu Zhian incredulously.

“There are people who don’t mind being troubled…?”

Mu Zhian couldn’t help but chuckle softly: “Of course, no one likes being troubled.”

He gazed into the Princess’s gentle, autumn-water-like eyes and said softly, “But if it’s you… I don’t mind.”

Thump! Thump!

At this moment, the Princess’s eyes widened slightly, Mu Zhian’s figure reflected within. Her mind was in turmoil.

She had heard countless confessions before.

As a princess born connected to the Great Dao, the quickest and easiest way to connect with the Great Dao was to become her Dao Companion.

Using her as a medium, being intimate with her… one could naturally communicate with the Great Dao.

Because of this, the Princess had never cared about other people’s confessions.

They were either coveting her body or the Great Dao behind her.

But Mu Zhian was just a little cultivator at Nascent Soul Realm, he couldn’t possibly be thinking that much…

Perhaps he did crave her body, but it was because he liked her, not the Great Dao behind her.

Moreover, his confession just now wasn’t sweet talk, but more like stating a fact.

And it was precisely this calm statement of fact that was most moving.

However, before the Princess could recover, Mu Zhian’s eyes dimmed slightly, and he lowered his head sadly, saying softly, “But rest assured, Your Highness, no matter what, in the eyes of the Cloud Province cultivators, you are still the Great Peng Emperor’s wife. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

“I just hope that many years later, you will still remember that there was once a little cultivator who secretly admired you.” He looked up, a sunny and well-behaved smile on his face.

“Although I am his wife, there’s actually nothing between us…” The Princess didn’t know why she was explaining this, but she just blurted it out.

Mu Zhian was first surprised, then sighed softly, “You’ve silently contributed so much to Cloud Province in the past, yet the Great Peng Emperor took almost all the credit. That’s a bit much.”

“If you were my Dao Companion, I would cherish and protect you, not argue with you like these past two days, or even leave all the matters of Cloud Province, big and small, for you to handle.”

The Princess remained silent.

Mu Zhian smiled wryly, “Sorry… This is ultimately a family matter between you and the Great Peng Emperor. It seems inappropriate for me, an outsider, to comment.”

“…It’s fine, you’re someone Luo Tan trusts, practically one of us. There’s no need to be so polite.”

The Princess’s heart was already filled with complex emotions. Hearing Mu Zhian’s words now, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth.

The frustration she felt due to the inaction of the Cloud Province ministers also dissipated somewhat.

Mu Zhian’s words were like a warm current flowing through her body, bringing comfort to her heart.

If this person weren’t the Jade Empress’s Dao Companion, perhaps I really would have become close to him, the Princess suddenly thought.

After all, Mu Zhian was the only man who understood her so far.

His personality was also gentle, and he was quite handsome…

And… the wonder of Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy, after experiencing it once, made one want to experience it again.

Mu Zhian looked at the dazed Princess, took two steps forward, and gently pulled the beautiful and sexy woman into his embrace.

The warm embrace made the Princess’s eyes glaze over slightly. Only when she felt an unfamiliar hand around her waist did she suddenly snap out of it and gently push Mu Zhian away.

She tried to maintain her composure, but seeing Mu Zhian’s uncertain expression, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

“Let’s… let’s go inside first. No matter what, it’s better to discuss things after resolving the Heavenly Dao’s erosion.”

Mu Zhian looked at her with a complicated expression, forcing a smile, “Mmm… You’re right, the matters of Cloud Province are more important. Come, I’ll take you to the depths of the Heavenly Court.”

The Princess bit her lip lightly, her gaze complex as she looked at the young man’s slightly lonely and desolate back, but she remained silent.

…