CHAPTER 578: CHAPTER 222 YU YOUHAN: DUAL CULTIVATION TO BECOME STRONGER? CHEN MO’S BEST USAGE! _3

"It seems His Majesty is quite amiable, not as frightening as imagined."

"This position is not only easy but the monthly salary has increased fivefold, truly good luck... However, the personnel changes are too frequent, I must be careful and strive to stay..."

...

...

The horizon turned pale, the morning light dispelling the darkness.

Footsteps echoed along the corridor, palace attendants shuttled between the pavilions, the Imperial City that had been silent all night was gradually awakening.

Inside the Quiet Room of Frozen Sky Palace, Yu Youhan sat cross-legged, surrounded by an enigmatic aura.

Her eyes slightly closed, she slowly extended her slender hand.

Her fingertips sliced through space like a curtain being torn apart, revealing a deep, dark fissure.

Within that chaotic abyss, a cluster of cyan-colored material floated, constantly changing every second, defying any description of its specific shape.

Yu Youhan’s fingers plunged into the void, reaching for that azure mass.

However, though it appeared within reach, it was actually far beyond grasp, as if the entire universe separated them, no matter which direction she moved, the distance remained unchanged, unable to approach any closer.

"Hmph."

Yu Youhan snorted coldly, a faint glow emitting from her palm.

The space distorted and dissolved, forming a bottomless whirlpool resembling a black hole that slowly dragged the azure mass closer with immense suction.

As the distance narrowed, the void trembled violently, as though it might collapse entirely at any moment!

Yu Youhan disregarded it, forcibly reaching out toward the Source Material.

Yet, an invisible thick barrier seemed to surround the Source Material. As her fingertip just touched the edge, its speed slowed dramatically, time and space appeared to freeze.

She pushed her Dao Power to the limit, causing the barrier to crumble continuously.

Ultimately, she could only penetrate halfway and could proceed no further.

Seeing the space on the verge of collapse, Yu Youhan could only withdraw her hand, chaos surged once more, and the void fissure healed accordingly.

The room returned to tranquility, as if nothing had occurred.

"Still lacking something..."

"Relying solely on my cultivation, reaching this degree seems to be the limit..."

"To break the blockade completely and breakthrough the Source Wall, I must utilize higher-level powers; apart from Dragon Qi, I truly can’t think of another method..."

"But..."

Yu Youhan’s eyes darkened, her expression somewhat helpless.

She is confined to this deep palace precisely to vie for Da Yuan’s Destiny.

After years of painstaking efforts and countless machinations, the Dragon Qi gently fell upon Chen Mo.

If it were someone else, she would have long since acted to forcibly strip it away.

But facing Chen Mo, Yu Youhan was helpless; even without the red silk’s constraint, she still couldn’t bring herself to act...

"Now, there are two paths before me."

"Either win the party struggle, completely overthrow the Great Yuan regime, and ascend to the throne as a woman."

"Divine right of kings, destiny’s call, once adorned with the yellow robe, Dragon Qi will naturally infuse, and breaking through this final step will be a natural consequence."

This was Yu Youhan’s initial plan.

The so-called yellow robe adorning isn’t simply wearing the dragon robe or sitting on the dragon throne.

It means truly becoming the master of the country, worshipping heaven and earth on the altar of ascension, with civil and military officials bowing and congratulating, her name resounding throughout Jiu Zhou’s every land, only then can she be called "Emperor"!

To reach this point is as challenging as scaling the heavens!

But Yu Youhan’s determination to pursue the Dao is as steadfast as iron; aware of the impossibility, she nevertheless presses on, never retreating in the slightest.

"Apart from this, there is another way."

"Which is to engage in Dual Cultivation with the one who possesses Dragon Qi..."

Dragon Qi is essentially a form of "energy."

Since it’s energy, it can undergo Circulation.

Furthermore, after acquiring Geng Metal Qi, Chen Mo’s mastery over Dragon Qi has further improved, theoretically allowing him to transfer Dragon Qi into her through Dual Cultivation...

"However, to engage in Dual Cultivation, both parties’ realms must not differ too vastly, otherwise, it would simply result in draining him completely."

"At the very least, I must also reach Heavenly Human First Grade..."

"Given Chen Mo’s talent, advancing from Sixth Rank to Fourth Rank in just a few months, and entering the Heavenly Human Realm seems not to take long either... Clearly, this method is simpler and less effortful, I wouldn’t need to be trapped in this palace, I could simply wait for the results..."

Yu Youhan’s gaze narrowed briefly, plunging into contemplation.

After a moment, she abruptly realized, shaking her head forcefully.

"Strange, why would I have such thoughts?"

"Relying on Dual Cultivation with a man to break through the barrier, that feels excessively despicable..."

Chen Mo’s handsome face flashed in her mind, her jade cheeks flushed slightly, muttering under her breath: "I certainly won’t do Dual Cultivation with him; it’s better to consider how to ascend the throne..."

Thump thump thump—

At this moment, the door was knocked.

From outside came Xu Qingyi’s voice: "Empress, this servant has something to report."

Yu Youhan frowned slightly.

Unless it was something urgent, Xu Qingyi would never disturb her quiet cultivation at this time.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Xu Qingyi walked in briskly, getting straight to the point: "Empress, Mr. Chen is in trouble!"

Yu Youhan: ?

...

...

The morning sunlight filtered through the window lattice into the room.

Behind the embroidered silk curtain with golden phoenix spreading its wings, two figures lay in an embrace.

The Empress was dressed in scarlet undergarments, her alabaster jade-like skin glowing with a radiant sheen, a faint blush still on her charming oval face, her lips slightly moving, murmuring dream talks like "naughty little thief" and "I’ll bite you to death".

"..."

Chen Mo stared at the ceiling with wide-open eyes.

He had been awake since early morning; to be precise, he had not slept all night.

After expelling the poison from Lin Jingzhu last night, it was already close to the hour of Yin, and after finally sending her away, the Empress started throwing a tantrum, insisting on going to the Lin Residence to demand an explanation from Jinyun...

In the end, Chen Mo used all his wits, even deploying the Meteor Departing Fire, to finally placate the Empress...

Yet he himself was unable to fall asleep...

"Mm~"

At this moment, the Empress’s eyelashes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Little thief, you’re awake?"

"Good morning, Your Highness."

Chen Mo forced a smile.

The Empress looked up at him, her initially confused eyes gradually becoming clear.

Remembering the absurd events of last night, her face flushed instantly. She had originally intended to teach this little thief a lesson, but in the end, Chen Mo took charge, almost exhausting her...

"You scoundrel, how dare you smile? This consort hasn’t settled accounts with you yet!" The Empress’s delicate face was tinged with anger, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "You promised this consort to keep your distance from Zhu’er. Is this how you keep it?!"

Chen Mo’s mouth twitched.

Last night was indeed quite outrageous, kissing while talking... He cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, Lady Jin Yun and Lin Catcher just came to the Chen Mansion to express their gratitude, nothing more."

The Empress responded coldly, "Then why did Zhu’er say the two of you were caught in bed?"

Chen Mo explained, "That was when I was helping her expel the Chill Toxin."

What he said was all true, though he only spoke half of it...

"Even so, why did you have that kind of reaction last night?" The Empress blushed and asked, she was also overwhelmed with anger at the time, doing such absurd things.

Chen Mo said with a wry smile, "I am also a normal man, with a living, fragrant beauty in my bed, and... ahem, some uncontrollable Qi-Blood is inevitable."

Hearing the words "beauty," the Empress’s face turned even redder.

Yet there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes, "Are you sure it’s because of this consort, not because of Zhu’er?"

Chen Mo held her slender waist and said seriously, "This, haven’t I already proven?"

"Keep your hands to yourself, this consort hasn’t forgiven you yet."

The Empress pushed him, but the gesture was soft, as if she was acting coy.

Chen Mo raised her chin with his hand, looking at those cherry-like lips, he softly said, "Your Highness, considering how hard I worked last night, it’s not too much to ask for a good morning kiss, is it?"

"How dare you say that? You bullied this consort so much, almost... dying of shame!"

The Empress glared at him playfully.

But seeing Chen Mo’s pitiful look, she felt a bit softened, turned her head away with a sigh, and said, "Why are you asking this consort about such things? Even if you, you insist on kissing, this consort can’t help it..."

The Empress was as consistent in being verbally harsh but physically compliant...

Chen Mo’s lips curled up as he was about to approach, when suddenly there was a rapid knocking on the door.

Immediately following was Sun Senior Palace Lady’s voice from outside: "Mr. Chen, are you up?"

?!

The two exchanged glances, their expressions a bit tense.

Fortunately, last night he had put the Concealing Ring on the Empress, so nothing unusual should be discovered... Chen Mo steadied his mind and responded, "Just woke up, Sun Senior Palace Lady, is there something you need me for?"

Sun Senior Palace Lady said, "Consort Yu is here, waiting in the inner hall, and no one knows where Your Highness is, we can’t find you anywhere..."

"What are you saying?"

"The Empress came?!"

Chen Mo’s expression froze completely.

This time, he was really going to be caught red-handed!