Bab 142: Han Su
Han Yan took the token, thanked the Empress, and left.
Watching her resolute departure, the Empress fell into deep thought.
Was this what love was?
The Empress felt a bit lost. For hundreds of years, due to her innate Ice aligned constitution, she had never experienced such feelings.
The congenital yin energy in her body granted her immense cultivation talent but took away her ability to bear children and her desire for romantic love.
The Ice Cave was a forbidden place for the Han family, offering powerful benefits for cultivating their ice bloodline.
However, the Ice Cave was extremely dangerous; one wrong move and one could become a permanent ice sculpture within it.
Many ancestors of the Han family had never returned from the Ice Cave, and those who did emerge always saw a significant increase in their power, becoming formidable figures of their time.
With her low strength, even if Han Yan had decent talent, entering the Ice Cave was akin to courting death.
Back in the day, the Empress herself was only permitted to enter the Ice Cave after reaching the pinnacle of the Martial Master level, despite her Ice Spirit body.
Yet, seeing Han Yan's determination, she didn't stop her. The Han family didn't lack geniuses; they lacked geniuses willing to risk everything.
Ruling Tianxuan for so many years, living a life of luxury had become the norm, and the Han family had produced no more extraordinary talents.
The Empress seemed to be the last exceptional one.
The Tianxuan Empire was in decline. Since her ascension, even the four great sects dared to challenge the royal family, marking the beginning of the empire's fall.
The clan members of the Han family didn't understand that while the Empress was powerful, she could only guard the empire for a time, not forever.
There were stronger individuals above her, and the Empress was not invincible in the Tianhan continent.
She suddenly felt tired; there had been many matters to handle recently.
The rise of Mo Qingkuang and Chen Kong brought a chance of revitalization for Tianxuan.
However, Mo Qingkuang's claim that Prime Minister Wang was a traitor to the empire had yet to be confirmed.
Thinking of Mo Qingkuang, her thoughts drifted. This young man, accustomed to creating miracles, was much like his ancestor, the War Emperor Mo Fan.
Mo Fan's fame predated the Empress. When she was still a young girl, Mo Fan had already swept through the Tianxuan Empire, defeating and suppressing all talents, regardless of their innate abilities.
It was as if he was born for battle, undefeated in every fight!
Sadly, countless battles left Mo Fan with numerous hidden injuries. By the time the Empress rose to power, Mo Fan had already retired from the martial world and passed away with regret.
Thus, the Empress had no direct interaction with this legendary hero.
Thinking of this, she felt a bit of regret.
Gradually, the Empress, who hadn't slept for a century, decided to take a rare rest.
And this sleep led to a strange dream, possibly influenced by Mo Fan.
After cultivating the Soul Nourishing Scripture for a long time, Mo Fan's soul strength had grown tremendously.
When Mo Qingkuang bid farewell to Han Yan, Mo Fan locked a thread of his qi on Han Yan.
He knew that Han Yan's choice of seclusion must involve the Ice Cave. In his previous life, Han Yan had successfully emerged from the Ice Cave, becoming a powerful figure.
To enter the Ice Cave, Han Yan needed the Empress's permission, so she would surely seek her approval.
At this moment, Mo Fan's qi lingered in the Empress's palace, waiting for an opportunity to enter her dream.
"Han Su... Han Su..." The clear and gentle call gradually awakened the Empress's slumbering consciousness.
She opened her eyes, surprised to find herself not in the hall but in a space shrouded in white mist.
Someone was calling her maiden name?
Han Su, a name not heard in countless years. Those who knew it had all passed away in the river of time.
Her father, her mother, her uncles.
Since her ascension, no one dared to address her by her name.
"Who is it?" The Empress's expression turned cold; her eyes filled with vigilance.
"It is I," said a handsome man dressed in white with silver hair cascading over his shoulders, emerging from the white mist.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" The Empress's gaze was sharp and cold as she looked at him.
"I am Mo Fan." Mo Fan smiled, waving his hand to make a table appear between them.
Two stone stools, a stone table, and a set of white jade tea utensils appeared. Steam rose from the teapot, making bubbling sounds.
"Mo Fan? The War Emperor Mo Fan?" The Empress's brows furrowed. She had just thought of him; how could he be here?
Hadn't he been dead for centuries? Where was this place?
"Indeed," Mo Fan nodded, gesturing with his hand. "Please, have a seat."
The unfamiliar environment made the control-loving Empress uneasy. Mo Fan's ability to conjure tea and furniture indicated he had some control over this space.
"Where is this? Why am I here?" The Empress did not sit, remaining vigilant.
Mo Fan did not insist. He sat down and poured a cup of tea for the Empress, gently pushing it toward her. "This is a place only those with a destined connection can reach."
Deception was Mo Fan's forte. Though his strength was not on par with the Empress, she could do nothing to him in this dream.
The Empress, being who she was, naturally did not believe Mo Fan's trickery and remained wary. "If you truly are the War Emperor, you should have died long ago. Why do you still look so young?"
Mo Fan chuckled. "Some who are alive are already dead. Some who are dead continue to live."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying, though you are still alive, you are already dead!" Mo Fan sipped his tea calmly.
"How dare you! I am alive and well; who can kill me?" The Empress's eyes flashed with anger, and she coldly snorted.
As the supreme ruler of Tianxuan, everyone flattered her; she had never heard anyone curse her with death.
Due to the Empress's emotional fluctuation, the entire space trembled. The tea utensils on the stone table shook, yet oddly, not a drop of tea spilled from the filled cup.
Mo Fan remained unperturbed, refilling his own cup. "Han Su, you have been ruling for centuries. Tell me, why do you want to be the Emperess?"
Mo Fan's question left the Empress momentarily stunned.
She had never pondered this question—why did she want to be the Empress?
Her father's dying wish was for her to ascend the throne. So, she became Emperess in a daze.
She had not been trained in political strategy. Her father had never intended her to be his heir.
She had an elder brother who, unfortunately, died in battle with their father.
Why did she become the empress? Because her father and brother had died, leaving only her.
"My father and brother died in battle. I had no choice but to take the throne."
"And do you know why they died?"
***
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