The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 669 Reporting to Your Majesty, the expedition to the East Sea has been a great success.

On the vast and boundless sea.

The massive explosion nearly shattered the thick clouds in the sky, and when the light from the explosion faded, the drizzling cold rain turned red.

On the sea, broken limbs floated. Zhao Du'an stood in the rain of blood and silently raised his hand to grab them.

In the seawater, the dragon soul, which had become much more illusory and dim, burst out of the water with a "bang".

It circled around him twice, then finally disappeared back into his dantian, and as if exhausted, quickly coiled up and fell into a deep sleep.

Clearly, this "personal involvement" was a significant drain on Long Po, and Zhao Du'an's aura began to decline, quickly returning him to the initial stage of half-step Celestial Being.

Even more remarkably, perhaps because the body of a celestial being sank to the bottom of the sea, it was considered to some extent a form of 'sacrifice'.

Therefore, the majesty originating from the sea god began to rapidly shrink towards the silent sea.

Zhao Du'an looked up and clearly saw the thick clouds in the distance dissipating, the raging wind and rain subsiding, and the sea quickly returning to calm.

As the clouds parted and sunlight shone through, the East China Sea returned to calm, just as it had after a downpour.

Poseidon has returned!
"Crash-"

At that moment, Zhao Du'an heard the sound of a boat breaking through the water behind him.

He turned around and saw the familiar sailboat, with Zhang Yanyi, Ji Yue and others on board.

"My lord..." Seeing that Zhao Du'an was unharmed, Ji Yue visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then the socially awkward sorceress cautiously looked around:

"Where is Wu Xiankui? Did he run away?"

Zhao Du'an walked across the sea and reached the deck in a few steps. Only then did he come to his senses, and he said in a complicated tone:

"died."

? !
Upon hearing this casual remark, the minds of Island Master Hongshan and the others momentarily went blank, then they stared at Zhao Du'an in horror, finding it hard to believe.

The Green Mountain Sect Leader, the only pure Celestial Martial Artist in the world, and the de facto ruler behind the Thousand Islands, Wu Xiankui, has died just like that.

At this moment, even Zhang Yan was stunned. The old celestial master's divine sense swept over and quickly confirmed the news of Wu Xiankui's death. Immediately, the old celestial master's gaze towards Zhao Du'an changed.

It was a gaze that finally regarded him as a "peer".

As for Wu Xiankui's death... to outsiders, it might seem too sudden. But to those in the know, it was actually not unexpected.

Wu Xiankui was already severely injured and had lost an arm. After fighting Zhang Yan for a long time, he was then attacked by Zhao Du'an, a "celestial-level" warrior, who lacked any martial ethics and resorted to a "self-destructive" attack...

Add to that the Sea God's suppression... even the toughest person couldn't resist it.

It could be said that Wu Xiankui's death was somewhat aggrieved.

It is truly lamentable that a grandmaster would end his life in such a way.

However, in doing so, Zhao Du'an and the Empress's enemies from the Fengshan battle that day were almost entirely wiped out, leaving only Xuan Yin.

"It seems you've made quite a gain in the Silent Sea," Zhang Yan exclaimed, looking at Zhao Du'an.
"A half-step Celestial being of such a young age is a rare find, perhaps only once every few hundred years."

But he still couldn't break through Zhenbao's defenses... Zhao Du'an added in his mind, and smiled:

"I'm surprised too."

Zhang Yan asked, "Then the 'key'..."

Zhao Du'an patted his belly with a smile: "Got it."

That's right, the key hidden in the East China Sea is the Dragon Soul.

To be precise, it was Old Xu who left a part of the Dragon Soul in the East Sea back then, and Zhao Du'an retrieved it, thus obtaining the "key".

Although there were many twists and turns in the process, it went relatively smoothly overall.

In terms of time, the entire operation was even faster than that of DJI in Southwest China.

With a weight lifted from Zhang Yan's heart, he opened his mouth to ask about the details of the Silent Sea.

Suddenly, several splashes of water erupted on the sea not far away, and then heads popped out of the water.

"Master!"

The first head clearly belonged to Li Wushangdao, this "female demon" with a grinning face, followed by about twenty female sorcerers.

"Owner."

Not far away, Tuoba Weizhi also emerged, his hair still wet. He scanned the sea with his dark eyes and visibly relaxed when he saw Zhao Du'an.

As for the last one to rise to the surface, it was undoubtedly a golden tablet.

Compared to the ease with which others emerged, Jin Jian struggled immensely to get out. His little head bobbed up and down on the surface of the sea, and he was forced to swallow seawater every now and then, as if something heavy was weighing him down.

Zhang Yan was taken aback when he saw this. Overwhelmed with affection for his disciple, he reached out and grabbed the golden tablet from a distance.

"Crash-"

As the tide receded, everyone saw that Jin Jian's petite frame was tightly clutching a huge cloth bag, bulging with "treasures" that the young priestess had searched for on the island.

Seeing this, Li Wushang helplessly put his hands on his hips and complained:
"If I hadn't sensed the sea god's return and forcibly dragged my junior sister out, she would have wanted to carry all the coral trees back from there..."

Zhao Du'an sighed and rubbed his forehead, thinking to himself, "As expected of you."

Zhang Yanyi, his face darkening, tossed the money-grubbing Jin Jian onto the deck, sighing wearily as he pointed at her.

At this moment, the Red Coral Island Master and the others on the deck, having just recovered from the news of Wu Xiankui's death, looked in astonishment at the sorcerers trembling on the sea:
"It's you?! Weren't you captured by that female demon?"

The sorcerers: "..."

"..." Li Wushang had just climbed onto the deck when he heard this, he turned his head and threw a flirtatious wink at the beautiful woman:
"Are we misunderstanding something? They all volunteered."

The island lords of Hongshan Island were stunned for a moment, and then their expressions all froze.

Zhao Du'an thought to himself, "Goodness, so you guys are only just realizing it now..."

"What exactly happened? Also, when I was fighting with Wu Xiankui just now, I saw nine people from Qiandao also infiltrate the Silent Sea..."

Zhang Yan glared at Li Wushang, but being concerned about his reputation, he naturally wouldn't criticize his own ignorant disciple in front of outsiders. Instead, he forcibly changed the subject and asked a question.

Li Wushang said "Oh," and then said:
“Those people from Tianyuan Island have all been killed by Zhao Shijun.”

As she spoke, she said happily:
"I heard he also killed Aoki? So, all ten elders of Chishima are dead."

What is a true master villain?
That's it.

The lords of Tianyuan Island are dead... All ten island lords are dead... They were all killed by Zhao Du'an...

When this news reached Shui Bei and the others, it was like another thunderbolt. Moreover, compared to Wu Xiankui's death, these locals were more concerned about this latter matter.

Shuibei looked blankly at the woman beside her:

"Island Lord, the elders are all dead..."

Island Master Hongshan was also momentarily confused, but as expected of someone who could be an island master, after a brief moment of astonishment, she quickly regained her senses, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly grasped Shui Bei's hand, her lips trembling as she said:
"The history of the Thousand Islands is about to be rewritten. We, Red Coral Island, will no longer be bullied..."

Even though Red Coral Island is still the weakest among the remaining islands...

but……

Once today's events spread, it will be obvious that the Great Yu court, represented by Zhao Du'an, will become the de facto ruling force of the Thousand Islands.

Because of this pledge of allegiance and the connection with Jiyue, Hongshan Island is bound to become the spokesperson for the imperial court.

Thinking of this, the group looked at Ji Yue, their thoughts complicated. They never expected that this clansman who had defected a few years ago would bring about such earth-shattering changes...

At this moment, Ji Yue had no such thoughts in her mind. She was just listening to the news that all ten elders had died. She stood blankly on the deck, tears welling up in her white eyes.

Great revenge.

Her own father actually helped her kill all her enemies from back then.

Meanwhile, Li Wushangdao was also chattering away, telling Zhang Yanyi about the existence of the island in the sea. The old celestial master was amazed and wanted to go down into the sea to take a look, but he quickly gave up: "Forget it, now that the sea god has returned to the silent sea and is sleeping again, I'm afraid we can't get into that island."

Li Wushang asked in surprise, "The Sea God is asleep? Why?"

Zhao Du'an said calmly, "Because a person was sacrificed."

"Who?"

"Martial Immortal King".

"?!!"

Zhao Du'an ignored the female demon, turned to look at Island Master Hongshan and the others, and said indifferently:
"I have important matters to attend to and must leave now."

The group paused for a moment before realizing what was happening and that it was time to disembark and part ways.

Suppressing his excitement, the Lord of Red Coral Island bowed respectfully.

"If you have any free time in the future, you are welcome to visit Thousand Islands. We will certainly prepare a banquet for you..."

Zhao Du'an waved his hand and said:
"Will have the opportunity next time."

He was still very curious about the vast East China Sea, thinking he would come back to explore more of its secrets in the future.

However, all he wants right now is to return to Beijing.

"Jiyue, do you want to stay?" Zhao Du'an asked Jiyue.

Ji Yue snapped back to her senses, but resolutely took a step forward and followed him without saying a word, just watching him.

Zhao Du'an smiled and said, "Fine, I'll follow you then."

On the other side, Li Wushang was standing by the ship's railing, his appearance poignant, bidding a tearful farewell to the twenty or so sorcerers below.
"I cannot disobey my master's orders. I will miss you all..."

The warlocks' eyes reddened: "My lord, we've been waiting for you to return!"

Zhang Yan nearly fainted, and with a flick of his sleeve, he said:

"gone!"

With sails billowing, the ship sped away, heading west.

Before long, the people of Qiandao had turned into tiny dots. As for how these people would clean up the mess, that was no longer Zhao Du'an's concern.

After the sea god fell asleep, the entire sea became much calmer.

The group quickly left the island area and headed towards the "gate".

This time, given the circumstances, Zhao Du'an planned to go back through the door, which would be faster.

Several hours later, as the sun was setting, the ship finally arrived at an empty sea area.

Why are we stopping here?

Li Wushang asked curiously.

Zhao Du'an ignored her and instead made another hand seal. Soon, a huge portal slowly appeared on the sea.

"You all go first," Zhao Du'an said calmly, wanting to maintain the gate's existence.

Li Wushang was greatly surprised. He turned his head and saw that Jin Jian had already carried the huge package, impatiently flew up, crashed into the door, and disappeared.

"Let's go."

Zhang Yan glanced at the traitorous disciple, reached out and pulled Li Wushang up, then slipped through the gate and put the boat back into his sleeve.

Then there are Tuoba Weizhi and Jiyue.

After everyone had left, Zhao Du'an turned his head to take one last look at the setting sun that was slowly sinking into the sea, and then stepped in!
……

……

The Imperial Ancestral Temple in the capital city.

The group emerged from the secret passage, pushed open the door of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and saw the evening scenery of the capital.

The colorful sunset glowed on the deep red palace walls, and straight wisps of smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys beyond.

"came back!"

Zhao Du'an let out a deep breath, briefly dazed, and smiled:
"Looks like we're in luck."

This time, not only did they quickly retrieve the key, but they also took the opportunity to eliminate their enemy, Wu Xiankui. In this way, they no longer had to worry about this escaped Celestial causing trouble in the rear.

Li Wushang stared blankly at her surroundings, rubbing her cheeks hard, and muttered:
"You're back in the capital already? Master, even if you travel at full speed, you couldn't compare to this one hair..."

"..." Zhang Yan said expressionlessly, "Slap yourself!"

Li Wushang was startled and quickly reached out to lightly slap himself across the face. Then, he chuckled and tugged at the old Celestial Master's sleeve, acting coquettishly.

"Master, I was wrong..."

Zhao Du'an watched in amazement, thinking to himself, "Old Deng, could it be that you and your disciple have something going on..."

Cough cough, just kidding. He just wanted to laugh when he saw Old Zhang's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Zhang Yan looked at Zhao Du'an:
"I also suffered some injuries in the battle with Wu Xiankui, so I'll head back to recuperate first. As for that last string of codes..."

Zhao Du'an said, "I'll take care of this."

He had long suspected that the final key to unlocking the golden gate was hidden in the painting "The World".

So, he planned to wait for Zhenbao to return so that the two of them could retrieve the password together.

After that, it's time to head to the Northern Forest and uncover all the secrets.

All secrets.

Zhao Du'an was momentarily dazed and even a little nervous. He knew that it would involve his own "origins".

Zhang Yan nodded, grabbed Li Wushangdao and Jin Jian, and rode away on a blue cloud.

Zhao Du'an looked at Tuoba Weizhi and Jiyue and smiled:

"Let's go too."

The three of them did not use any magic, but swaggered out, startling the imperial guards protecting the ancestral temple.

However, upon seeing that it was Zhao Du'an, he suppressed all his doubts, even though he had countless questions in his mind.

By this time, the sun had already sunk below the horizon. Zhao Du'an thought for a moment, then took out his waist token and handed it to Ji Yue, asking her to take Tuoba Weizhi back to the Imperial Household Department to rest and have a meal.

Then, he went to the Martial Arts Hall alone.

After greeting Grandpa Hai, he went up to the fourth floor of the old building, pushed open the door, and the oil lamp inside was lit, as were the lanterns on the eaves.

Zhao Du'an glanced at the "Xu Zhenguan" sitting cross-legged at the foot of the stone wall, a mischievous thought popped into his head, and he walked over and reached out to pinch her cheek...

The battle in the East China Sea was so big that he wasn't sure if the Empress could sense it, but even if she couldn't, she should still come back from time to time to check on the situation.

However, just as Zhao Du'an reached out and was about to pinch Xu Zhenguan's "puppet body" face.

Suddenly, the puppet, which had been in a deep sleep, fluttered its eyelashes and opened its eyes.

Zhao Du'an: "...Your Majesty, you're back early? Have you eaten?"

Xu Zhenguan: "Hehe."

With a dangerous glint in her eyes, Empress Yu watched Zhao Du'an as he withdrew his hand with a forced smile. She gave a cold snort, stood up, her skirts fluttering, and said indifferently:
"I've been back for quite some time now, and I've been waiting for you to come back."

Are you sure you're not trying to scare me on purpose?
Zhao Du'an inwardly complained, then became serious and said earnestly:

"Your Majesty, I am here to report to you that the expedition to the East Sea has been a great success."

(End of this chapter)