Chapter 873: The Princess Lying in the Coffin
Qi Huang landed directly in the center of the concentrated Yin energy. She looked around and found herself in a vast imperial tomb. The owner of this place was quite tasteful, not only restoring most of the buildings but also planting many shade-loving vegetation, making the environment beautiful, at least for evil spirits. Qi Huang used her spiritual sense to scan the area and discovered that the Yin energy originated from the largest tomb in the center of the imperial tomb. The tombstone was inscribed with “Tomb of Princess Qin Xin of the Red Leaf Dynasty.”
“Princess Qin Xin? Is this a princess’s tomb?”
Qi Huang speculated. Her curiosity piqued, she controlled her spiritual sense to penetrate the tomb and the coffin, and then saw a young woman in her twenties, wearing a golden wide-sleeved flowing immortal dress, lying inside the coffin!
The woman’s body was semi-solid and semi-ethereal, with Yin energy swirling around her. She was clearly a powerful vengeful soul or evil ghost, but her appearance was extremely beautiful and dignified. Her figure was plump and alluring; lying there, she was like a mountain viewed from the front or side, exuding an aura of grace and nobility that perfectly matched the public’s impression of a princess.
Qi Huang was momentarily stunned, but quickly came back to herself, because the ghost princess’s condition was dire. For some reason, her spiritual body flickered, so weak that she couldn’t even absorb Yin energy. Yet, she was desperately trying to release the little remaining Yin energy protecting her body. At this rate, she would be depleted in a few days.
“What is she doing? Committing suicide?”
Qi Huang frowned as she watched. While she was pondering, she suddenly saw several zombie maids approaching the tomb.
“Greetings, Your Highness! Are you… alright?”
A beautiful maid in her thirties led the way, curtsying and asking with concern.
“Jian Yiren, do I look like someone who is alright?”
Princess Qin Xin, from within the tomb, tried to answer in a calm tone.
“That’s good.”
Jian Yiren breathed a sigh of relief.
“Do you need something from this palace?”
Princess Qin Xin immediately got to the point, clearly trying to hide her poor condition.
“Reporting to Your Highness, the owner of the Skeleton Ocean recently sent you an invitation to discuss how to deal with Zhong Zhen. You haven’t forgotten, have you? It’s time to depart!” Princess Qin Xin heard this, and a hint of helplessness appeared on her beautiful face. She gritted her teeth and said, “Jian Yiren, you go in my place.”
“What?”
Jian Yiren was stunned, then hurriedly knelt down, “Your Highness, this matter concerns the life and death of the Princess’s Tomb. This servant dares not overstep.”
“Go if I tell you to, stop with all the nonsense.”
Princess Qin Xin said impatiently.
“This servant is also willing to share Your Highness’s burdens. However, the participants of this conference are all owners of major fierce lands. If I, a mere servant, participate, will they think you are intentionally neglecting them?”
Jian Yiren reminded her worriedly.
“If I’m not afraid, why are you?” Princess Qin Xin responded. “This princess has important matters to attend to these days and simply has no time to chat with them.”
“Alright! This servant accepts the decree.”
Jian Yiren reluctantly agreed and left with a worried expression. She wasn’t worried about her inability to handle the task, but about the princess’s condition.
Qi Huang listened, utterly confused. She suddenly disappeared from her spot and instantly reappeared in front of the tomb, as silent and ethereal as a ghost, so much so that the guards of the evil nest within a hundred zhang radius didn’t notice.
Qi Huang cast a soundproofing talisman and then said to the ghost princess in the tomb, “Princess Qin Xin of the Red Leaf Dynasty, right? Would you like to come out and chat?”
“Who?”
Princess Qin Xin’s nerves immediately tensed. Forgetting to release Yin energy, her spiritual body pierced through the tomb and floated out. Then she saw Qi Huang standing before her brazenly.
“Who are you? How dare you trespass into this princess’s tomb!”
Princess Qin Xin said with bluster and bluff, outwardly fierce but inwardly timid. She wouldn’t underestimate the other party just because she was a young woman. The fact that she could appear here undetected already indicated many things.
“Your spiritual body is about to collapse, and you’re still threatening others.”
Qi Huang said teasingly.
Hearing this, Princess Qin Xin flushed with embarrassment and said angrily, “That’s none of your business. What do you want?”
“Have you heard of Zhong Zhen of the Lingxi Sect?”
Qi Huang asked casually.
“Of course, I’ve heard of her. So what?”
Princess Qin Xin asked vigilantly.
“This Zhong Zhen, less than a month after her descent, has already eradicated the top two fierce lands in the Cultivation World and vowed to eliminate all evil spirits on Kaiyuan Star. If she attacks, even in your prime, you won’t be able to resist, let alone in your current half-dead state.”
Qi Huang reminded her.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Princess Qin Xin gritted her teeth.
“Oh, wait, I might be overestimating you. In your current condition, any flying corpse or flying bone could easily devour your fierce land alive.”
Qi Huang continued to taunt.
“Enough! Did you come here just to mock me?”
Princess Qin Xin trembled with anger, even with her good temper.
“No, I came to help you, or rather, I came to help all the ghost tribes on Kaiyuan Star.”
Qi Huang stated her intention.
“Help me? We are not related by blood or by marriage. Why would you help me?”
Princess Qin Xin’s face showed doubt.
“We are not unrelated. We are both from the Ghost Tribe, so it is natural for me to help you.”
Qi Huang lied with her eyes open.
“You say you are from the Ghost Tribe?”
Princess Qin Xin was stunned again, then burst into laughter, “Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? Where do you look like you’re from the Ghost Tribe? You look more like a cultivator.”
Qi Huang wasted no more words. The boundless demonic hair behind her head immediately floated up, with visible strands of Yin energy swirling within.
“Are you really an evil spirit?”
Princess Qin Xin was completely shocked, then murmured, “This is impossible. Why do you look exactly like a living person?”
“Your Highness, as a master of the demonic realm, don’t you know that the ultimate goal of cultivating for the Ghost Tribe is resurrection? The higher the cultivation, the more like a living person one will appear.”
Qi Huang explained logically.
“That makes sense.”
A look of realization appeared on Princess Qin Xin’s face. Then she said, “Alright, even if you are an evil spirit, we are still not related. Why do you want to help me? I don’t believe you are some kind saint who cares about the world. To be honest, I need some ghost tribes to help me grow ghost tomatoes.”
“I need some ghost tribes to help me grow ghost tomatoes,” Qi Huang said concisely.
“Ghost tomatoes? What do you need those for?”
Princess Qin Xin asked in confusion.
“That’s none of your business. Just tell me if you want to live or not?”
Qi Huang retorted.
“Of course, I want to. If you can guarantee my safety and the safety of all the evil spirits in this Princess’s Tomb, I am willing to lead everyone to help you grow ghost tomatoes. But the question is, how will you help us? Will you kill that Zhong Zhen? Do you have that strength?”
Princess Qin Xin pondered for a long time and then asked.
“There’s no need to kill her. We just need to leave Kaiyuan Star and go somewhere she can’t find us.”
Qi Huang shook her head, thinking to herself that she couldn’t kill herself or her wife.
“Leave Kaiyuan Star? Where to? Are you sure this is easier than killing her?”
Princess Qin Xin asked in shock, clearly aware of the difficulty of leaving Kaiyuan Star.
Qi Huang still said nothing. She casually drew a large opening in the space with a strand of her boundless demonic hair and then said, “Do you think I can do it?”
“Hiss!”
Princess Qin Xin gasped at this sight. After a moment, she decisively said, “Okay, I agree to your terms. As long as you can guarantee the safety of all the ghost tribes in our Princess’s Tomb, we are willing to go with you to grow ghost tomatoes.”
“Very good!”
Qi Huang nodded with satisfaction and then began to ask Princess Qin Xin what had happened.
“It’s like this. Since I awakened, I’ve been staying in the Princess’s Tomb, living a relatively leisurely life. The only thing I had to consider was buying Heaven-Concealing Water from the Immortal Alliance Leader every now and then to mask my aura and avoid the Heavenly Tribulation. But a month ago, Wei Zhuo was turned into a zombie by that foreign evil spirit. Since then, the supply of Heaven-Concealing Water has been cut off. Because I couldn’t buy it for a long time, I suffered a Heavenly Tribulation a few days ago. Although I managed to survive, my spiritual body was severely damaged.”
Princess Qin Xin recounted the story.
“I see.”
Qi Huang nodded in understanding and then asked, “Then why are you continuously releasing Yin energy when you’re like this? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“I don’t know who leaked the news about me being struck by the Heavenly Tribulation, so the rumors outside say I’ve turned to ashes. If I don’t continuously release Yin energy, this Princess’s Tomb will definitely be invaded, and all my servants will die.”
Princess Qin Xin said helplessly.
“Alas, being a princess is truly arduous.”
Qi Huang said sympathetically.
Princess Qin Xin then introduced herself in more detail. She was the last eldest princess of the Red Leaf Dynasty, her full name was Ye Xiuyun, and Qin Xin was her honorific title.
“By the way, Princess Qin Xin, I think I heard your maid say that the owner of the Skeleton Ocean invited you to discuss how to deal with Zhong Zhen?”
Qi Huang got to the point.
“Yes, he not only invited me but also the sources of Yin energy from all the major fierce lands on Kaiyuan Star.”
Ye Xiuyun confirmed.
“You didn’t go because you’re afraid they’ll see you in your current state?”
Qi Huang inferred.
“Of course. Didn’t you say it yourself? In my current condition, any flying corpse or flying bone could easily devour the Princess’s Tomb?”
Ye Xiuyun smiled self-deprecatingly.
Qi Huang pondered for a moment and then said, “How about I go on your behalf?”
“Why would you do that?”
Ye Xiuyun was even more confused.
“Didn’t I just say? I want to save all the evil spirits on Kaiyuan Star to plant vegetables. I’m too lazy to visit them one by one, so I might as well go to the conference and discuss it with them directly.”
Qi Huang reiterated her purpose.
“Then you could have just gone to discuss it with them yourself. Why do you have to represent me?”
Ye Xiuyun asked blankly. She was very weak now and really didn’t want to go on an adventure with someone she had just met.
“If I go by myself? Then I want to ask you, in your current condition, even if you reach a new shelter, can you guarantee that those evil spirits won’t attack you? Or can you ensure that you can hide until your strength recovers?”
Qi Huang countered.
“This…”
Ye Xiuyun was speechless.
“If I go on your behalf, it will represent the Princess’s Tomb. This way, in the new territory, they will behave themselves.”
Qi Huang explained.
