Chapter 1712 — The Empress and the Demon Sovereign

That place was a thousand li of bare red earth, a thousand li of karma fire blazing, and in the heart of the karma fire dwelt a demon god, bound by chain upon chain.

The Empress walked into the karma fire, her heart surging. As she drew nearer to the demon god in the flames, her Dao heart wavered ever more violently — a thing most rare for her.

That demon god in the karma fire was her son.

After she attained the Dao, she had suddenly remembered her son, and a fierce urgency had risen in her heart, driving her to come and see him.

That urgency grew stronger and stronger — a feeling she had never known before.

Xie Wuqi had been ensnared by Heavenly Emperor Hao's plots, forced into rebellion, then suppressed by the ancient god Heavenly Emperor Taichu and cast into the Jade Lock Pass of the Ghost Capital, there to suffer the roasting of karma fire. In the past, though the Empress had thought of her son, the affection of an imperial house ended there; that longing between mother and son had never been so strong as to shake her Dao heart.

But now that she had attained the Dao, the bond between mother and son had abruptly become unbearably fierce!

At last she came before Xie Wuqi.

Xie Wuqi knelt upon the ground, his body wrapped in chains. He had eight arms, and the eight arms were drawn back by the chains as he knelt there.

The Empress's body trembled. She was about to step forward when a young man came to Xie Wuqi's side, tending him with care.

Xie Wuqi lifted his head and looked at him most gently.

The Empress was startled: this young man was none other than Crown Prince Mingya!

Heavenly Emperor Hao's son, Crown Prince Mingya!

The Empress's expression turned strange. That Crown Prince Mingya was Heavenly Emperor Hao's son was a thing nearly everyone among the Ten Lords knew — only Crown Prince Mingya himself did not.

Crown Prince Mingya had always believed himself the son of the ancient god Heavenly Emperor Taichu, believed himself Heavenly Emperor Hao's younger brother, and believed that Taichu had been murdered by Heavenly Emperor Hao. Thus, sharing Xie Wuqi's plight, he had entered the Ghost Capital to free Xie Wuqi.

Lord You had released them, and they had lived here ever since.

The Empress stepped forward. Crown Prince Mingya's heart gave a start, but he did not block her; silently he withdrew.

The Empress stroked Xie Wuqi's face, seared hideous by the karma fire, and could not keep back her tears. In those years she had felt so little of kinship; now that she had attained the Dao, she knew not why she had grown so tender and full of feeling, and the bond of mother and son burst from her in an emotion beyond all words.

Xie Wuqi raised his head and looked at her with savage eyes. After a moment the savagery softened, and a whimper rose in his throat; he rubbed his coarse face against her palm.

"My lady, Xie Wuqi has been burned by the karma fire for nearly a million years. His soul has been scorched to broken remnants, and so his mind is unclear."

Hearing that voice, the Empress turned abruptly — and saw Achou Tubo, a man of incomparable ugliness.

Achou Tubo was so ugly he scarcely seemed human, and yet he was truly of the human race. In those years Tubo had reincarnated as a man, not by the path of seizing a body, but by entering the womb of an ordinary woman and being born after ten months of gestation.

Yet Tubo's primordial spirit was so mighty that it had still reshaped his form, giving him the visage of Tubo.

"Tubo, Lord Mu did after all restore you to life."

The Empress said coolly, "But you suppressed my son in the Ghost Capital for nearly a million years, burned his soul to broken remnants, left his mind unclear — you harmed my son, and you dare to come before me?"

Achou shook his head. "It was Heavenly Emperor Hao who harmed your son. When Taichu cast him into the Jade Lock Pass of the Ghost Capital and suppressed him in the Forest of Karma-Fire Steles, it was Heavenly Emperor Hao who feared he might be set free, and so time and again brought Yin Tianzi down into the Ghost Capital, and had Yin Tianzi burn his soul with karma fire, and scorch him into this."

The Empress gave an angry snort.

Achou Tubo said, "My lady, Yin Tianzi is dead. You have only two foes left: Heavenly Emperor Hao and Taichu."

The Empress turned and looked at Xie Wuqi. "I mean to take him away. This Palace possesses the Dao of Reincarnation; I can send him through rebirth, and make whole his broken soul and shattered spirit."

Achou Tubo could not help saying, "My lady must know that even reborn, he will no longer be the same man. The Xie Wuqi who is reborn will no longer be your son."

The Empress said mockingly, "Was the Lord Xu raised by Taichu, then, your daughter? Tubo, you are far too wishful!"

She swept her hand, and the chains rang and snapped apart. Xie Wuqi showed alarm, and hastily groped for the chains to wrap them about himself again; for nearly a million years the chains had bound him, and suddenly without them he was as one without support.

The Empress's face showed tenderness. Her gaze fell upon Crown Prince Mingya again, and she said, "Crown Prince Mingya, I will take you away as well."

Achou Tubo hesitated.

The Empress sneered. "Achou Tubo, the reason you have come to such a pass is that your divinity is too weak and your humanity too much!"

Achou Tubo said no more.

The Empress flicked her sleeve, and Crown Prince Mingya found himself beside her against his will. The Empress led Crown Prince Mingya and Xie Wuqi out of that red waste of karma fire.

Achou Tubo did not stop them, but let them go.

The Empress passed by Taihuang Heaven and was about to cross beyond those heavens when she slowly halted her steps. Ahead, a tall figure stood with his back to her, as though he had waited for her a long while.

The figure still looked like a youth, yet his temples were grizzled — plainly he had passed through many trials and much tempering.

The Empress bade Xie Wuqi and Crown Prince Mingya halt, and went forward herself.

"Lord Mu, have you come to stop this Palace?"

The figure turned. It was Shen Mu. He smiled and said, "The Empress helped me break Heavenly Emperor Hao and break the Heavenly Court. Why would I stop you?"

The Empress said coolly, "Once one is of the Ten Lords, one is of the Ten Lords for life. This Palace will not ruin the Heavenly Court's greater scheme for the sake of family matters. This Palace's interests all lie within the Heavenly Court. That Heavenly Emperor Hao destroys Carefree Village and destroys Jingping is both his will and the will of the Ten Lords. If you mean to urge me to defect, you may spare your words."