Published at 12th of September 2026 7:16 am

Chapter 1953 The Four Direction Expedition II

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"What's Nie Rouxie's situation?"

"She's under house arrest," Rune Shadow revealed.

"Oh?"

"After the court's establishment, Long Aojing was under a lot of pressure, so I followed your order and revealed the information. He…"

"He what?"

"He was outraged, believing she had secretly betrayed him. So, he struck her and even tried to search her soul."

"So, the bastard finally revealed his true identity?" Wu Hong sneered. Men with a harem rarely see their wives as human; more like an object or trophy that accentuates their wealth, status, and power.

"Do you want me to eliminate him?"

Wu Hong was silent, tapping her fingers on the throne armrest. "With Grand Dao's return, Long Aojing's greatest asset has disappeared. And with the revival of the Emperor Dao Path, his status as this timeline's Child of Destiny is on the verge of collapse. However, Grand Dao probably hasn't completely abandoned him; after all, balance is written in her essence, so she probably still wants someone who can either replace or counter my power."

Rune Shadow remained half-kneeling, listening without speaking.

"It probably wouldn't cost much to kill him now, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Plus, it would be better if Nie Rouxie were the one who killed him; her Dao Heart can be perfected, and more importantly, his remaining destiny can serve as the best foundation for her future sanctification."

"Lord, do you wish for me to further fan the flame of their relationship? Long Aojing is currently unstable, so it's very easy to push him over the edge."

"No, you can't push my future apprentice too much, or she might break," Wu Hong said, shaking her head. "However, you can ruin Long Aojing's relationship with his other wives; it's time we start isolating him. By the way, how much of the Borderworld military do we currently control?"

"80%"

"He still controls a fifth? I guess he's not as useless as I thought."

"The Red Cloud has been quiet lately, which makes it harder for us to assassinate his supporters and make it look like an accident. Moreover, there are signs that he's allied with the True Qi Path Holy Land."

"An alliance of cornered beasts?" Wu Hong sneered. "However, a cornered beast can also be dangerous. Keep an eye on everything and don't make any mistakes."

"Yes, Lord."

Wu Hong dismissed Rune Shadow before calling for the first official meeting of the court since its establishment. All the officials with a position received the order and rushed over. A small smile hung at the corner of Wu Hong's mouth as she glanced at the ten people in front.

"Ten Quasi-Saints — not bad for such a short period."

"Your Majesty, thank you for the praise."

All seven Peak Masters became Quasi-Saints, followed by two people from the Xu Clan and the sect master of a top faction called the Divine Flower Valley. Before the court, there were only six public Quasi-Saints — three from each of the Holy Lands.

"At ease," Wu Hong said, waving her hand for them to stand up. The first meeting began immediately afterward and lasted only a few hours. While in seclusion, Wu Hong had to coordinate with officials to ensure the rule repairs appeared as quickly as possible, so the court's operation had no issues, even though she didn't show up directly. Today's meeting was just to double-check for any issues and resolve minor ones.

"I thought I would have to deal with way more corruption and politics," Wu Hong thought as she glanced at a report in her hand. Based on the conversation with Wang Wei, she remembered how much politics he had to deal with in the lower dimension. However, maybe because of the Red Cloud and the other three holy lands hanging above their heads, her court's officials were more honest. Of course, problems still existed, but given the benefits involved, these people kept themselves in check.

"Now that's over with, let's discuss the expedition. How are the preparations?"

Han Guo stepped forward. "Everything is ready. We just need your order, and we can deploy."

Wu Hong received her reports, followed by the Financial and Battle Peak Master's reports. "The cost is a bit higher than I calculated, but it's still within the acceptable range." The court had a lot to prepare in such a short window, and that was reflected in the war preparatory cost.

"Since everything is —"

"Your Majesty, should we try to negotiate first?"

Wu Hong looked at the speaker: the Divine Flower Sect Master. She wore a green dress that perfectly embodied her warm, motherly, and earth-like aura.

"Negotiate what? You think this holy land will accept surrender?"

"No, but we can use their rejection to our advantage. Spread the news of our benevolence, which should lessen the resistance after we conquer their territories."

"The True Qi Path Holy Land has too great a control over their territory, so this method won't work. However, the people in the Five Elements' territory have been panicking since losing their artifact, so this approach might work," the Xu Clan Grand Elder commented. He was an elderly man with a sage-like aura, which was quite artificial to anyone with discerning eyes. However, he didn't care; the best decision the Grand Elder had ever made was secretly siding with the holy land. And now, his only objective is to serve the Heavenly Empress; that's a path to success, and he won't care if people call him a hypocrite as long as he can succeed.

"This is indeed a safer approach; it could reduce our losses."

"But it will also increase the time needed for the expedition."

"A small price to pay; our Emperor Path has just revived — we should save as many people as possible."

Wu Hong raised her hand, and the room instantly quieted down. Her eyes then turned to the Divine Flower Sect Master: "Your idea would be worth entertaining if we were not running out of time."

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