Chapter 42: The Wrath of Ji Qingyou

The newcomer was none other than Ji Qingyou!

Viewed from afar, the God-Devil Puppet was colossal, an ancient relic left over from the primeval primordial era. It was pitch black all over, yet surging with monstrous demonic energy! Amidst the void, it was laced with a profound and lingering resentment!

The moment it descended, terrifying divine and demonic energies erupted, instantly sending the Crown Prince’s Immortal-Treading Army below flying from the sheer force of the powerful shockwave!

Simultaneously, another wave of divine and demonic energy enveloped the Eldest Princess's Manor and its inhabitants, who had been on the brink of despair just a moment prior!

"The Eldest Princess!"

"It's the Eldest Princess!"

Upon seeing the sudden appearance of the God-Devil Puppet, the members of the Eldest Princess's Manor cried out in joyous surprise. Among them, the aged Grand Preceptor, whose breathing was ragged, wept tears of joy.

"Heaven has eyes!"

At this moment, tears streamed down his weathered face. Having lived for so many years, he had never witnessed such a magnificent and terrifying spectacle!

Below, the Crown Prince’s Immortal-Treading Army, battered by the terrifying divine and demonic shockwave, was thrown into utter chaos. They attempted to resist, but facing the invincible posture of the God-Devil Puppet, they could not even form a proper battle formation.

Showing no mercy whatsoever, Ji Qingyou, seated within the core of the God-Devil Puppet, manipulated the giant entity with an expression of absolute coldness, directly crushing these men beneath its colossal feet!

"Quickly, go report to the Crown Prince!"

In the blink of an eye, the Immortal-Treading Army collapsed into a rout, fleeing in panic.

Ji Qingyou made no move to pursue them, knowing full well that these men were merely cannon fodder, not the core forces.

"Greetings, Eldest Princess!"

As Ji Qingyou controlled the God-Devil Puppet to approach, the members of the manor bowed tearfully with joy.

Swish!

With a flick of her finger, Ji Qingyou sent a medicinal pill flying into the Grand Preceptor's mouth. The old man's complexion immediately improved significantly.

"How is the palace?" Seated inside the God-Devil Puppet, Ji Qingyou's powerful divine voice rang out.

Hearing this inquiry, the Grand Preceptor's old tears fell anew. He dropped to his knees, pouring out his grievances with a heart full of anguish.

"You've finally returned, Eldest Princess! The Crown Prince has gone completely mad. He gathered a massive force of the Immortal-Treading Army in the imperial city, imprisoned the aged Emperor, and arbitrarily purged dissidents in a forced ascension to the throne! Many loyal officials who served the former Emperor have been murdered by him, and even the Prime Minister has been imprisoned within the imperial court. Eldest Princess, you must seek justice for us!"

The Grand Preceptor wept bitterly. Those who had not experienced it could not understand his heartbreak over the collapse of decorum and order in the Great Yan dynasty.

"I know. All of you, return to the manor first." With a calm expression, Ji Qingyou used a surge of divine and demonic energy to send the Grand Preceptor and the others back, simultaneously setting up a protective array around them.

Meanwhile, within the Great Yan imperial court,

The Crown Prince of Great Yan, dressed in full imperial robes, sat high and aloof upon the dragon throne.

He ordered several young eunuchs to brutally beat a group of bruised and battered elderly men right in front of the civil and military officials.

After a long while, the Crown Prince finally motioned for a eunuch to stop. A trace of madness flickered in his eyes as he asked,

"Prime Minister, do you consent to my ascension?"

"The late Emperor has not yet passed away. For the Crown Prince to act thusly violates all rules of propriety." The elderly official, beaten black and blue, maintained a completely calm expression.

"Very well, very well, very well! Since that is your choice, you may go and accompany the late Emperor!"

Ji Hao completely lost his patience and abruptly drew his long sword.

"Reporting to the Crown Prince! Something terrible has happened!"

At that very moment, a panicked voice pierced the hall. Everyone looked toward the entrance to see a terrified general of the Immortal-Treading Army staggering inside.

"The Eldest Princess... she has returned!" The general had been utterly terrified out of his wits by Ji Qingyou's God-Devil Puppet moments ago, and his voice trembled violently as he spoke.

"So she returned. With a hundred thousand of my Immortal-Treading Army standing by, should I fear her? What on earth are you panicking about?"

The Crown Prince looked at him in bewilderment, walking forward with his sword in hand.

"Your subordinate, your subordinate..." The general instantly froze in sheer terror.

Splat!

Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of sword light swept across his neck. A mist of blood spewed forth as the general collapsed to the ground, struggling in his final moments.

"Remember this in your next life: I do not feed you so that you can cower in fear of others."

The Crown Prince wiped his hands with an expression of utter disgust. A wisp of soul-light flashed across the blade of the sword in his hand, making the weapon look even more eerie and demonic.

"Since she has come, it saves me the trouble of hunting her down."

The Crown Prince smiled coldly, turning back to cast a mocking glance at the civil and military officials. "Haven't you all been waiting? Today, I will let you witness what true power as an emperor means!"

"Pass down my order! The entire Immortal-Treading Army, prepare for battle! Hunt down and execute the Eldest Princess, Ji Qingyou!"

"Understood!"

The figure of a messenger officer vanished in a flash.

Just then, a chilling voice suddenly echoed through the air.

"There is no need. I am already here."

Boom!

A colossal God-Devil Puppet, wreathed in billowing demonic and divine vapors, descended abruptly.

As it stepped into the imperial palace, the terrifying pressure it radiated instantly caused several surrounding palace halls to collapse into ruins!

Outside the grand hall, the tens of thousands of Immortal-Treading Army soldiers gathered by the Crown Prince had not yet had time to form a battle array before they were completely scattered by the charge of Ji Qingyou's puppet!

Although every single one of them was at the Golden Core stage, against the virtually invincible God-Devil Puppet, they were simply insignificant!

Whoosh!

As Ji Qingyou approached the main hall, the entire roof of the palace was blasted away by the surge of divine and demonic energy, exposing everything within to the open air.

Beneath the immense, towering God-Devil Puppet, the Crown Prince in his imperial robe looked like a mere ant.

"Audacious! Ji Qingyou! Do you have any idea what you are doing?!" Finding that the proud Immortal-Treading Army had been dispersed in a single instant, the Crown Prince's face turned ashen with rage, yet relying on his status, he roared furiously.

"Who gave you the gall to murder my master?"

Enclosed within the God-Devil Puppet, Ji Qingyou looked down upon the ant-like figures below from her lofty vantage point. Though attacks from the scattered Immortal-Treading Army rained down from behind her, they felt no more tickling than a gentle breeze.

Hearing this question, the Crown Prince's expression shifted drastically.

"Where is my younger sister?" he demanded harshly.

"Dead." Ji Qingyou looked down at him expressionlessly, a terrifying killing intent flashing in her eyes. "If you cannot give me a satisfactory explanation today, you shall follow her in death."

"Insolent!" The Crown Prince flew into a rage! "Ji Qingyou! Do you really think I am afraid of you?!"

Ji Hao suddenly snapped, driven into a frenzy like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.

"Whether you fear me or not is irrelevant. The crucial point is that no one is permitted to harm my master." Expressionless, Ji Qingyou could no longer be bothered to waste words. She raised her foot, intending to crush him into paste with a single stomp!

"Nine Dragons Grand Array!" Perhaps driven by some genuine, deep-seated bond with the little princess, Crown Prince Ji Hao roared with bloodshot eyes. A golden dragon of national fortune suddenly materialized before him, blocking Ji Qingyou's fatal blow.

Rumble!

Simultaneously, the ground within the imperial palace fractured violently, and several golden dragons of national fortune surged into the sky! Each radiated the powerful aura of the Apotheosis realm, and when combined, their might rivaled even that of the Fusion realm!

Despite the massive size of the God-Devil Puppet, Ji Qingyou's control of it was slightly sluggish, and in an instant, she was tightly bound by these golden fortune dragons, unable to break free no matter how she struggled.

Trapped in a desperate situation, Ji Qingyou remained remarkably calm. She looked at the divine dragons binding her, then shifted her gaze to the immensely smug Crown Prince below.

"Why was I never informed of this grand array hidden within the imperial palace?"

"Hahaha." The Crown Prince laughed triumphantly upon hearing this. "You are merely a woman. Is this something you are qualified to know?"

"Ji Qingyou!" The Crown Prince leaped onto the body of the God-Devil Puppet, staring at the formidable divine and demonic corpse with eyes full of greedy fervor.

"Don't blame me for being a ruthless elder brother. If you want to blame someone, blame your own poor timing for being born in the same era as me. Hahaha..."

"To have such a powerful God-Devil Puppet fall into your hands is a terrible waste. Once I completely grasp the sovereign power of Great Yan and have such a puppet to aid me, why should I fear a mere Great Dao Sect? Hahaha..."

"When I unite all the immortal sects of the Southern Heavens, the entire Southern Heaven Territory shall become the territory of Great Yan!"

"By then, I shall be an emperor eternal, and I will remember you, Ji Qingyou. Hahaha!"

The Crown Prince laughed uproariously toward the heavens, his eyes flashing with a long-suppressed madness.

"Is that so?"

Ji Qingyou's frigid voice rang out. The divine will controlling the God-Devil Puppet suddenly triggered the deep resentment locked within the divine-demonic corpse!