Chapter Two: The Empress's Defeat

In an instant, the space surrounding Bai Yujing seemed to be crushed and reshaped by an invisible giant hand.

The profound night sky immediately replaced the bright heavens, swallowing him whole.

Looking around, there was nothing but darkness and silent death, as if he had truly fallen into a boundless cosmic abyss.

The faint light of 365 stars flickered in the distant horizon, sparse and remote, emphasizing the vastness and coldness of this array space.

Nangong Lin’s soft voice echoed within the constructed array world. “My specialty is array formation. The Celestial Star Array is my proud creation. To die within this array is no dishonor to your status as Emperor of the Great Han.”

Outside the array, Nangong Lin’s expression was indifferent, her jade-like fingers lightly flicking as if plucking a flower.

Within the array, a star originally far on the horizon suddenly erupted violently.

It was no longer a gentle point of light but transformed into a silver-white pillar of light, refined to the extreme, tearing through the void as it roared toward Bai Yujing.

The light pillar expanded rapidly, filling his entire field of vision, as if the entire starry sky was collapsing down to crush the tiny figure beneath.

Bai Yujing punched out fiercely without any flashy moves.

Boom.

A heavy, thunderous explosion shattered the void.

The vast and majestic starry torrent was forcibly halted, and spiderweb-like cracks visibly fractured across the surface of the light pillar.

Under the terrifying impact force, Bai Yujing’s figure swayed slightly and slid back half a step.

Outside the array, Nangong Lin narrowed her eyes. Each beam of starlight within the array contained the full power of a Great Ascension cultivator’s strike.

That Bai Yujing could withstand it meant his physical body possessed the toughness of a Great Ascension stage.

But it was still not enough.

She no longer hesitated. With a sudden sweep of her fair hand through the void, all 365 stars simultaneously erupted with blinding silver-white light.

The next moment, 365 terrifying pillars of light, like spears of divine punishment, locked onto Bai Yujing from all directions, weaving a net of destruction as they thundered forward.

Bai Yujing’s fists and feet moved so fast they became blurred shadows, furiously striking the incoming pillars of light from all sides.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Endless muffled impacts converged into a roar of death.

The combined planetary-level impact forces fiercely compressed and collided, forming at Bai Yujing’s position an extremely compressed “white hole” composed purely of destructive energy.

The dazzling silver-white light swallowed everything; even the space twisted and groaned violently under the raging energy.

Yet, at the center of that pure white destruction, a tiny black shadow stubbornly persisted, refusing to be annihilated.

“Impossible?!”

For the first time, an unmasked shock appeared on Nangong Lin’s breathtakingly beautiful face.

She clearly sensed her attack had struck Bai Yujing solidly and even achieved absolute suppression.

But that body bore not even the slightest scratch.

“Haha!”

A bold and joyful laugh pierced through the roar of energy, bursting from the pure white center.

“Refreshing! It’s the first time someone has managed to suppress me in this state. Truly worthy of a Great Ascension cultivator.

Then let me show you my first form after removing my restraints.”

As his words fell, a profound azure radiance suddenly exploded from Bai Yujing’s body.

When the light faded, the tall figure was gone.

In its place stood a ten-meter-tall giant.

His head resembled a fierce shark, covered in deep blue hard skin with the texture of the finest alloy.

His thick forearms and thigh muscles were rugged, coated in matte black chitin, exuding explosive power.

On his shoulders, chest center, and broad hips were embedded eerie blue energy spheres, like eyes of the abyss, pulsing with a chilling glow.

Sharp, sword-like spikes protruded menacingly from the outer limbs, radiating a terrifyingly keen aura.

What shocked Nangong Lin even more was that this form of Bai Yujing emitted an unfathomable and overwhelming pressure.

It instantly reminded her of the extraterritorial demons that had devastated the divine land of Shenzhou, stirring a profound sense of helplessness deep within her soul.

In his demonic god form, Bai Yujing’s massive shark-like head lifted slightly, and with a casual breath from his maw full of razor-sharp teeth—

Boom!

An indescribably terrifying hurricane surged forth, carrying destructive power.

Where the wild wind passed, the “cosmic” space formed by the array cried out under the unbearable strain, and huge spatial cracks spread instantly like shattered mirrors.

Nangong Lin’s pupils contracted sharply; reacting swiftly, she flicked her jade fingers and instantly withdrew the Celestial Star Array before the array flags could be destroyed by the apocalyptic force.

With the array’s restraint gone, the hurricane formed by the demon god’s breath unleashed itself without hindrance, rampaging wildly in all directions.

The thick sea of clouds below was swept away in an instant, revealing the vast land beneath.

The raging cloud flow, centered on Bai Yujing’s location, transformed into a visible ring-shaped shockwave, rushing toward the horizon across the entire globe.

At this moment, the entire sky dome of Blue Star played out an unprecedented spectacle.

No matter day or night, every cloud layer surged and rolled like a furious sea driven by an invisible giant hand, moving at speeds beyond natural laws.

Those in the nighttime regions saw brilliant stars swallowed completely by surging black clouds, only for those clouds to be torn apart and swept away by even more violent forces—

Endlessly repeating, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

“Ah.”

The demon god form Bai Yujing gently patted his shark-like head with sharp claws, a trace of human frustration in the gesture.

“Looks like I got a bit carried away.”

Sunlight poured over his immense demonic figure, the deep blue and matte black lines outlining the pure silhouette of a killing and war machine, every edge reflecting cold light.

Nangong Lin silently gathered the 365 array flags, looking at the demon god before her who seemed capable of tearing heaven and earth apart, realizing she had lost.

Before such power, overthrowing the Great Han Empire was nothing but a fool’s dream.

Her exquisitely beautiful face returned to its usual indifferent expression, her voice soft.

“The situation has come to this. Do as you will—kill or maim, it’s all up to you.”

The enormous demonic figure instantly contracted, the azure light flashing, and Bai Yujing returned to his original human form, standing at one meter eighty-five tall, smiling.

“Don’t be nervous. Come, let’s go have some tea downstairs and talk slowly.

I’m quite interested in Shenzhou and those extraterritorial demons you mentioned.”

His tone bore no malice, even a hint of warmth.

But Nangong Lin did not believe him.

The reason was simple: when she dealt with traitors in the past, she had been just as calm and casual, deciding life or death with a smile.

Yet, she still chose to follow Bai Yujing.

She did not fear death, nor did she flee Shenzhou out of mere survival instinct; her goal was to accumulate strength to fight the demons and build an ideal realm.

Now that path was cut off; she had no choice but to hope this unfathomable emperor could stand against the extraterritorial demons.

…

Since the Great Han Empire entered a stable phase and perfected its systems, Bai Yujing, as the founding emperor, had shed the burdensome daily affairs and only set the empire’s grand policies.

The specific execution was left to the carefully selected cabinet members.

Therefore, he rarely resided in the imperial palace.

Throughout the year, he spent most of his time traveling among the empire’s mountains and rivers, understanding the people’s conditions, punishing greedy and corrupt local officials, and dealing with criminals abusing their supernatural powers.

Wherever he went, he casually arranged a place to stay.

Lu River City was naturally no exception.

Bai Yujing walked straight to the kitchen area and said, “You should know what drinks our world has. Just say what you want to drink.

Don’t hesitate; I have everything here.”

As the emperor of the Great Han Empire, Bai Yujing received no salary.

Because he simply did not need one.

Within the empire, all his food, clothing, and necessities were of the highest standards and completely free.

“Anything is fine.”

“Then let’s try Wu Mountain’s Da Hong Pao.”

Bai Yujing skillfully took out the tea set as he smiled.

“This is my favorite tea. The annual yield is so limited it’s reserved exclusively for the emperor.

Unless I bestow it or entertain honored guests, no one else can taste it.”

Warm spring water poured into the purple clay teapot, and the aroma of tea began to waft.