Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister

Chapter 419: The Sovereign of Imperial Authority

Lin Fengmian suppressed his excitement and pretended to be intrigued. “The Sword Dao Sovereign? Could you elaborate on that, fairy?”

Huang Zishan didn’t hold back and began to explain in detail while Lin Fengmian listened intently, occasionally guiding the conversation.

According to Huang Zishan, the Imperial Sword Sect was currently the top sword sect in the Divine Prefecture.

The sect not only had the Sword Dao Sovereign, but also three saints and tens of thousands of sword cultivators.

Thanks to the presence of the Sovereign, the Imperial Sword Sect was immensely powerful, and most of the sects in the Divine Prefecture had to bow down to them.

When Lin Fengmian asked about the Sovereign’s title, Huang Zishan politely told him that the Sovereign’s name was not to be spoken lightly, but they were referred to by the sect’s name.

Lin Fengmian understood immediately.

The Sovereign of Imperial Authority!

This newly ascended Sword Dao Sovereign was shrouded in mystery. No one knew their gender, age, or even their appearance.

In the past few hundred years, they had only made one public move, and the records of that move were vague and incomplete.

Lin Fengmian frowned and asked, “Fairy Huang, have you ever heard of the name ‘Qionghua Sovereign’?”

Huang Zishan thought for a moment and replied, “Wasn’t that the former Sword Dao Sovereign?”

Lin Fengmian nodded, feigning curiosity. “I wonder if there’s any connection between the Qionghua Sovereign and the Imperial Sword Sect?”

Huang Zishan hesitated, then cautiously said, “Rumors say-just rumors-that the Imperial Sword Sect was once subordinate to that sovereign.”

Lin Fengmian understood her caution and didn’t push any further. After a few more indirect inquiries, he got up to leave.

As they parted, Huang Zishan handed him a few bottles of fine wine and several bags of nuts.

“Take these bags of Three Squirrels Creamy Macadamia Nuts to your wife. I think she’ll like them.”

Lin Fengmian politely declined, “That’s too kind. I’ll just buy some myself.”

Huang Zishan smiled warmly. “Don’t be so modest. I bought them during the Tmall New Year’s sale to give to friends.”

“These macadamia nuts are freshly harvested and plump. You won’t find such high quality nuts at such a good price anywhere else.”

Lin Fengmian, preoccupied with his thoughts, didn’t insist any further.

“Then I’ll thank you, Fairy Zishan.”

When he returned to the room, Shangguan Qiong had woken up and was visibly annoyed. “Where did you go?”

Lin Fengmian casually replied, “I went to thank the ship owner and asked her to keep your presence a secret.”

Shangguan Qiong snorted coldly. “You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you? Even with that face of yours, you still manage to attract attention!”

Lin Fengmian grinned. “Thank you for the compliment, Sect Leader. It’s my inner beauty that shines through. My looks are just the icing on the cake!”

Shangguan Qiong, weak and pale, rolled her eyes at him. “You’re not allowed to leave without my permission. Concentrate on improving your cultivation!”

Lin Fengmian nodded and walked over to the side, taking out two Core Formation Pills. He held them in his hands and began to absorb their energy.

Although he was eager to share what he had learned with Luo Xue, the Twin Fish Pendant was still charging, so he had no choice but to focus on his cultivation.

In fact, after absorbing the energy from the Core Formation Pills along the way, he was already on the verge of breaking through to the fourth level of the Foundation Realm. He was only one step away.

Now was the perfect time to make that breakthrough and stop Shangguan Qiong from nagging him like a broken record.

Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these two days, Lin Fengmian successfully broke through to the fourth level of the foundation realm and stabilized his cultivation.

Since Shangguan Qiong had strictly forbidden him from causing any trouble, he spent his days in the hut watching her struggle and scream in agony.

The curse of the dead soul in Shangguan Qiong’s body would flare up several times a day, causing her unbearable pain every time.

Lin Fengmian sat nearby, munching on nuts and watching with great interest as Shangguan Qiong clawed at her body, tearing her clothes to shreds and revealing glimpses of her skin.

This provided Lin Fengmian with quite a spectacle, making the nuts in his mouth taste even better. Shangguan Qiong, on the other hand, was so furious that she wished she could beat him to a pulp.

That day, Lin Fengmian took out the classics he had secretly taken from the Star Canopy Pavilion and began flipping through the pages one by one.

He wanted to find out why Jun Yunshang had become Jun Fengyao and whether the fall of the Qionghua Sect was truly connected to her.

However, most of these official histories were filled with praise for Empress Fengyao, with very few records of her personal life.

“You seem to be very interested in Empress Fengyao?”

Shangguan Qiong’s hoarse yet cold voice startled Lin Fengmian, nearly causing him to drop the book in his hands.

It turned out that Shangguan Qiong had woken up at some point and was now staring at him intently with her beautiful eyes.

Lin Fengmian quickly composed himself and forced an awkward smile on his face. “Sect leader, you’re awake? I was just a little curious, that’s all.”

“Oh? Is that all?” Shangguan Qiong’s gaze was filled with suspicion.

“What else could it be?” Lin Fengmian countered.

Shangguan Qiong couldn’t think of any other explanation, but she still couldn’t shake off the strange expression Lin Fengmian had been wearing earlier.

“Then why did you have that sad look on your face, as if you were a deeply devoted lover?”

Embarrassed, Lin Fengmian scratched his head. “Sect Leader, you might not understand. It’s called empathy. By putting myself in someone else’s shoes, I can better understand the text.”

“Just now, I imagined myself as someone closest to the Empress, reading this magnificent story, feeling the pain and sorrow inside…”

“That’s called fantasizing!” Shangguan Qiong interrupted bluntly.

“Sect Leader, you hit the nail on the head. You really are sharp,” Lin Fengmian chuckled.

“If the Empress knew that you were having such thoughts about her, you wouldn’t have enough lives to spare,” Shangguan Qiong sneered.

Lin Fengmian laughed awkwardly. “No matter how powerful the Empress is, she can’t possibly know what’s going on in my mind, right?”

Shangguan Qiong scoffed. “The Empress is omniscient and never makes a miscalculation. She has repeatedly eliminated threats before they even materialized.”

Lin Fengmian was speechless. Wasn’t that all thanks to the history books I gave her? Otherwise, no matter how talented she was, she wouldn’t have been able to pull that off.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Shangguan Qiong, recalling Jun Wuxie’s special status, decided to warn him.

“I’m warning you, don’t let the Empress see this look on your face. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t even know how you died.”

If this lecherous devil were to let his thoughts slip in front of the empress, he’d most likely be executed on the spot.

Lin Fengmian replied confusedly, “Sect leader, how would I even have the chance to meet the empress? Don’t worry.”

Shangguan Qiong then remembered that Jun Wuxie had been favored by Empress Fengyao, and this fact had never been revealed to Lin Fengmian.

After some thought, she decided to tell him to avoid any future mishaps where he might offend the empress without even realizing it.

“Jun Wuxie is someone the empress holds in high esteem. That’s why he’s been able to thrive so effortlessly in the Heavenly Grace Dynasty.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengmian was stunned. Jun Yunshang actually admired that face so similar to mine?

Does she still have feelings for me?

Or is it just nostalgia?

At this moment, Lin Fengmian couldn’t help but suspect that Jun Wuxie’s resemblance to him might not be a coincidence.

After all, he had made a thousand year promise to Jun Yunshang, and she had seen his true face.

Could it be that the King of Heavenly Grace used Jun Wuxie to deceive Jun Yunshang?

Whether it was for personal or public reasons, Lin Fengmian now felt compelled to assume the identity of Jun Wuxie.

As Jun Wuxie, he could get close to Jun Yunshang and, in turn, have the opportunity to uncover the truth about what happened a thousand years ago.

If impersonating Jun Wuxie had been a forced decision before, now Lin Fengmian really wanted to reclaim that identity.

After all, the face that Jun Yunshang admired was truly his own!