Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 408 Strange Phenomenon Shocks All Four Directions

While Lin Chen was fighting with the ancient demon corpse.

The Northern Northern Court.

The old emperor lay on his sickbed, barely breathing, his face ashen.

A row of princes knelt by the bedside, ostensibly attending to the sick man, serving him soup and water, wiping his sweat and covering him with blankets, putting on a show of filial piety.

But everyone was secretly wondering – when will the old man pass away?

The eldest brother glanced at the second brother.

The second brother glanced at the third brother.

The third brother's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

The atmosphere was tense when suddenly a terrifying aura pressed down from the south, causing the entire royal court to tremble.

The princes were pale-faced and lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

The old emperor suddenly opened his eyes.

A flicker of fear flashed in those cloudy old eyes.

Just then, the door to the main hall was pushed open.

An old man walked in.

He was broad-shouldered and burly, with a full head of white hair, but he was still very energetic, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

He was dressed in coarse linen clothes and straw sandals, looking like an old farmer from the countryside.

Ba Tuo Jinlie – the true ancestor of the Northern Shuo Royal Court, a half-step terrestrial immortal.

When the princes saw him, their heads went blank.

"Ancestor...?"

Ba Tuo Jinlie ignored them and walked straight to the window, looking at the golden pillar of light in the southern sky with a solemn expression.

The old emperor struggled to sit up: "Ancestor..."

"Don't move." Ba Tuo Jinlie didn't even turn his head. "You lie down and listen."

The old emperor obediently lay back down.

Ba Tuo Jinlie remained silent for a long time, so long that the princes thought he had turned into a statue.

Then he spoke, "The world is about to undergo a great change; chaos is coming."

The voice wasn't loud, but every word struck the hearts of everyone present like a hammer blow.

The old emperor's expression changed.

The princes looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ba Tuojinlie turned around, looked at them, and said, word by word:

"We must do everything we can to befriend Lin Chen, the Prince of the Northern Region of Dayan, and gain his protection."

He paused, then said with a serious expression, "Otherwise, the Northern Shuo clan will be in danger of extermination."

The hall was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

The old emperor opened his mouth as if to say something, but said nothing.

Her hand went limp, and she fainted again.

"Father! Father!"

Several princes rushed forward, pinching his philtrum and slapping his face, creating a chaotic scene.

But the second prince did not move.

He knelt on the spot, his eyes darting around, his mind racing with calculations.

Befriend Lin Chen?

How to make friends?

Giving gifts? Do they need something from you?

Sending money? Is the King of Dayuan Town in the North short of money?

Giving away land? I doubt they'd even want it.

The second prince's eyes suddenly lit up.

He remembered his newly widowed sister, Ba Tuo Mingzhu, whom he had sent to Dayan.

And I've heard that Lin Chen has a fondness for...

The second prince's gaze drifted towards the direction of the inner palace.

Among my father's concubines, there were a few who were quite beautiful.

Especially that newly taken concubine, Consort Liu, with her figure and face...

The second prince's lips curled up slightly.

Anyway, Father is already like this, so there's no need for him anymore.

Rather than...

He made up his mind and had already started drafting a plan in his head.

I need to write to Ba Tuo Mingzhu as soon as possible, urging her to hurry up and win Lin Chen's favor.

If all else fails, send one of the emperor's concubines there; if necessary, one's own princess is also an option.

I've heard that Lin Chen welcomes all comers.

As the second prince thought about it, he actually became a little excited.

He could almost see himself sitting on the throne, with Lin Chen supporting him from the sidelines.

Ba Tuojinlie stood still, looking at the southern sky.

The golden beam of light is still there.

The dark red demonic energy is still there.

The two forces collided in the sky, like two giant dragons fighting.

Ba Tuo Jinlie murmured, "Is this... the true strength of the Great Yan Zhenbei King?"

His voice carried a hint of bitterness, as if he had wasted the last few centuries of his life.

-

The capital city of Dayan, the imperial palace.

The Empress stood by the window of the Imperial Study, looking at the golden pillar of light in the northern sky.

Her face was calm, but the fingers gripping the window frame were slightly white.

Qingluan stood behind her, not daring to breathe.

The entire imperial study was so quiet that the crackling of the candlelight could be heard.

After a long while, the Empress suddenly spoke: "Qingluan, tell me, what is Lin Chen doing right now?"

Qingluan hesitated for a moment: "This servant...doesn't know."

"I don't know either," the Empress sighed, but her eyes shone brightly.

"But I know that he is risking his life for me and for the Great Yan."

Qingluan remained silent.

At times like this, nothing you say is appropriate.

The Empress turned around, walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and wrote a single character on a blank imperial edict.

"reward."

After she finished writing, she put down her pen, looked at the character, and suddenly smiled.

Then, she gently raised her hand and touched her lower abdomen.

The movements were light and natural, as if unintentional.

But Qingluan saw it, and her eyes widened suddenly; she almost cried out.

The Empress glanced at her, then put a finger to her lips and said, "Shh."

Qingluan quickly covered her mouth, but the shock in her eyes was impossible to hide.

The empress said nothing more and turned to look at the sky outside the window.

The golden beam of light was still there, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

-

Xiaosongshan.

Bai Mei was drinking tea in the courtyard.

The moonlight was bright, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the tea on the small stove was bubbling away.

It's quite pleasant.

Then a terrifying aura came from the north.

The teacup in Bai Mei's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into several pieces.

He didn't even feel the scalding hot tea splash onto his foot.

He stood up, looking at the golden pillar of light and the surging black mist in the northern sky, his face so solemn it could be wrung out of ink.

"The Ancient Demonic Corpse..."

He murmured, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

"Celestial Immortal...Peak..."

Monk Liaochen came out of the house and also looked north.

His face was expressionless, but the hand holding the prayer beads was trembling slightly.

Jian Wusheng appeared on the rooftop, holding his sword, looking at the golden pillar of light.

His fingers tapped lightly on the scabbard, the rhythm quickening.

His eyes were complex—there was shock, solemnity, and a hint of inexplicable...fear.

Zhou Lie rushed out of the house, barefoot on the stone slabs, without even putting on shoes.

"This...this is..."

His face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and he could barely speak.

Yun Yao followed behind him, her expression also not good, but she was much calmer than Zhou Lie.

She looked at the golden pillar of light and suddenly said, "It's Lin Chen."

Bai Mei turned and glanced at her: "How did you know?"

Yun Yao paused for a moment: "Intuition."

Bai Mei didn't ask any more questions and continued to look north.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse:

"Ancient demonic corpse... how could it appear so quickly?"

The monk Liaochen said in a low voice, "The seal should be loosened now."

"I know it's loosened," White Eyebrows said somewhat urgently, "but didn't it loosen a little too quickly?"

Jian Wusheng jumped down from the roof, hugged his sword, and leaned against a pillar:

"This is not the time to discuss this. Look at that golden light—it's the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm! How could there be a peak Celestial Immortal realm expert in the Eastern Region?"

All four of them fell silent.

A celestial being at the peak of immortality.

That's not like cabbage; it's not something you can just come across.

There are no experts of this level in the entire Central Continent.

Now one has suddenly appeared in the Eastern Region?

Zhou Lie swallowed hard: "Could it be... that Lin Chen used some kind of secret technique?"

"Even secret techniques couldn't possibly raise someone to the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm," Bai Mei shook his head. "There's a whole major realm difference in that."

Monk Liaochen chanted a Buddhist prayer: "No matter what, the Primordial Demon Corpse has been forced back."

"It's only temporary," Jian Wusheng said coldly. "The seal won't last long."

Bai Mei took a deep breath and turned to look at them.

"We must send a message back to Zhongzhou as soon as possible."

Monk Liaochen raised an eyebrow: "Are you afraid the seal over there might also loosen?"

"It's not fear," White Eyebrows said, "it's definitely relief."

He paused, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "There's more than just this one ancient demonic corpse. In the Central Plains... there are even more troublesome things."

Jian Wusheng's fingers paused for a moment.

Yun Yao suddenly spoke up: "Do you think Lin Chen knows any of this?"

Bai Mei was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed, a helpless laugh.

"That kid? He doesn't know anything."

"But he still went."

"A hothead."

After saying that, he looked at the golden light in the north that was gradually fading away and remained silent for a long time.

"What kind of trump card does this kid have?"

-

Side hall of the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

Yuan Tiangang stood by the window, looking at the golden pillar of light in the northern sky, his face expressionless.

Li Bai leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and held a wine pot in his hand.

He took a sip, wiped his mouth, and chuckled.

"Our lord has... lost his temper."

Yuan Tiangang said calmly, "They must have run into trouble."

Li Bai put down his wine pot and stood up: "Shall we go take a look?"

"Need not."

"Really not going to?"

"Need not."

Yuan Tiangang watched the golden light gradually dissipate. "Our lord can handle this, but we can't help you right now."

Li Bai nodded and sat down again.

He took a swig of wine and suddenly asked, "Tell me, what is our lord doing right now?"

Yuan Tiangang thought for a moment: "She should be panting."

Li Bai nearly choked to death.

-

Tianji Academy.

Tianjizi was deducing celestial secrets when suddenly his face turned deathly pale, he coughed up blood, opened his eyes, looked north, and muttered to himself:

"Ancient Demon Corpse... Peak Celestial Immortal..."

"Lin Chen... if this is all you're capable of, it's not enough..."