After dealing with the five major powers, the Divine Dragon Empress’s tasks were largely complete.
The next steps involved pursuing the remaining members of those forces and, simultaneously, collecting their resources.
Once her people gathered all the resources from the five major powers, Ye Wushuang’s cultivation materials would be secured.
Initially, Ye Wushuang was unaware of all this.
However, the awe-inspiring display of the Divine Dragon Empress’s power had not escaped his eyes.
Instantly, Ye Wushuang realized what the Divine Dragon Empress had done, leaving him utterly shocked.
“You… you annihilated the people of the five major forces… for me??”
“Not entirely for you. They… they had also provoked our Divine Dragon Empire before!”
When she was taking action, the Divine Dragon Empress hadn’t felt any awkwardness.
But when Ye Wushuang asked about it, she suddenly felt a touch of shyness.
Her face flushed slightly, and her voice grew a bit softer.
This state was a stark contrast to her earlier, domineering self who had just decimated five major powers.
Even the Divine Dragon Empress herself didn’t wish for this contrast to appear, yet upon seeing Ye Wushuang, it happened involuntarily.
Seeing her like this, Ye Wushuang couldn’t help but sigh.
“Actually, you didn’t need to go that far. Doing that was too risky; it could have invited unforeseen trouble!”
“It’s fine. They were just some minor powers. Eliminating them is no big deal, it won’t have much impact!”
“Besides, this is undoubtedly the fastest way to obtain resources. What we need right now is time and resources!”
To the outside world, the Divine Dragon Empress had always been supremely confident. Annihilating five major powers on a whim was something she didn’t give a second thought.
On the contrary, when explaining things to Ye Wushuang, she was exceptionally earnest, as if afraid he might misunderstand or worry.
Her words caused Ye Wushuang to gaze at her deeply.
“Your Majesty, such great kindness… how am I to repay it??”
“Friend Wushuang, the Divine Dragon Empire is also unable to repay the debt we owe you. This is just a small thing I could do!”
“Then I can only thank you, my friend. Should you ever encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me. I will surely do everything in my power to resolve it!”
At this moment, Ye Wushuang also felt his heart was somewhat unsettled.
He felt that everything the Divine Dragon Empress had done seemed to exceed what she, as the Empress, should have done.
Yet after hearing her explanation, Ye Wushuang found himself unable to refute it.
More importantly, deep in Ye Wushuang’s heart, there was actually a flicker of joy.
He seemed genuinely happy that the Divine Dragon Empress had done these things for him.
Emotionally slow on the uptake, Ye Wushuang was a bit confused by this, but he didn’t dare to dwell on it too much, fearing his thoughts would become even more chaotic.
Subsequently, he said to the Divine Dragon Empress:
“Friend Ruyan, let’s continue cultivating the Dao techniques!”
“I must teach you my Dao techniques thoroughly. Only then will you have the ability to protect yourself!”
The ‘Lie’ character secret art could allow the Divine Dragon Empress’s speed to reach its extreme—a level so extreme it transcended space, achieving near-instantaneous movement.
Once the Divine Dragon Empress mastered this Dao technique, even if she encountered an incredibly powerful enemy, she could escape swiftly, buying herself time.
Although she had been learning it before, her progress had been slow.
This time, Ye Wushuang instructed her even more earnestly, truly hoping she could fully master the Lie character secret art.
This was also a form of repayment from Ye Wushuang to the Divine Dragon Empress.
To this, the Divine Dragon Empress wasn’t the least bit resistant. On the contrary, she gladly accepted.
Even in her heart, she felt joyful.
She could sense that Ye Wushuang’s attitude towards her had undergone some change again.
Although she, too, was rather slow in matters of emotion, she could still perceive that Ye Wushuang’s heart was pleased. Understanding this much was already sufficient for the Divine Dragon Empress.
She had already decided in her heart.
Once this batch of resources arrived and Ye Wushuang entered seclusion, she would go and conquer the next power to seize more resources for him.
Of course, the powers she targeted would necessarily be those the Divine Dragon Empire could handle.
The Divine Dragon Empress was no fool; she wouldn’t rashly provoke forces too powerful to be trifled with.
As for the Divine Dragon Empress’s thoughts, Ye Wushuang didn’t know them, but he could sense that she was distracted at the moment.
Thus, he reminded her:
“Friend Ruyan, focus on cultivating!”
“Alright!”
The Divine Dragon Empress’s responding voice was soft and gentle, completely unlike her usual demeanor. That soft tone made even Ye Wushuang’s heart soften for a moment.
He almost lost focus himself.
Quickly, he straightened his mindset and began wholeheartedly teaching the Divine Dragon Empress the Lie character secret art.
After Ye Wushuang’s reminder, the Divine Dragon Empress also devoted herself fully to learning the art.
This teaching session lasted for a month.
A month passed, and all the resources from the five major powers had been transported back.
It must be said, conquest truly brings sudden wealth.
Having conquered the five major powers, the Divine Dragon Empire instantly possessed resources equivalent to five Supreme Realm experts.
Such resources were a veritable godsend for Ye Wushuang.
With so many resources, Ye Wushuang was certain he could break through to the Immortal King Realm.
Therefore, upon receiving this vast amount of resources, the Divine Dragon Empress didn’t hesitate at all and allocated all of them to Ye Wushuang.
Such a generous gesture was something even Ye Wushuang hadn’t anticipated.
“Friend Ruyan, why give it all to me? This… this doesn’t seem appropriate!”
“The Divine Dragon Empire’s soldiers need these resources, and so do the empire’s meritorious officials!”
“I think we should keep the resources equivalent to two Supreme Realm experts to reward those who contributed. I’ll take the resources equivalent to three Supreme Realm experts!”
If possible, Ye Wushuang would have preferred to take only the equivalent of one Supreme Realm expert’s resources. This ‘soft rice’ was rather embarrassing to eat.
However, the resources of one Supreme Realm expert simply wouldn’t be enough for him to break through to the Immortal King Realm.
So, he could only thicken his skin and tell the Divine Dragon Empress that he needed the resources equivalent to three Supreme Realm experts.
However, upon hearing this, the Divine Dragon Empress did not agree.
“The resources of three Supreme Realm experts are nowhere near enough. Breaking through to the Immortal King Realm is different from other realms. There is a vast chasm between the Celestial Immortal Realm and the Immortal King Realm!”
“To cross that chasm, an immense amount of resources is absolutely necessary!”
“Your foundation is so solid, crossing this chasm will undoubtedly be even more difficult. Only the resources of five Supreme Realm experts can guarantee success!”
“Take all these resources without worry. As for resources to reward the soldiers, our Divine Dragon Empire can still manage that.”
“Our Divine Dragon Empire governs fifty major worlds; we certainly have resources of that level!”
The Divine Dragon Empress’s meaning was clear: these resources equivalent to five Supreme Realm experts were for Ye Wushuang.
Whether he wanted them or not, they were his.
This attitude made Ye Wushuang feel like this ‘soft rice’ was being forcefully shoved into his mouth.
It was a very strange feeling, yet he found himself inexplicably fond of it.
