Chapter 1803 The Third Encounter
Perhaps, she wouldn't recognize him.
As the only daughter of Donghuang the Great Emperor and the most distinguished woman in the Divine Prefecture, Princess Donghuang probably wouldn't pay much attention to a random person she met years ago.
But he could never forget her. Both encounters with Princess Donghuang made an indelible impression on Ye Futian.
She killed the Snow Ape Emperor the first time they met and took away his Master during their second encounter.
How could he ever forget that?
Ye Futian had a special emotional bond with both the Snow Ape Emperor and Mr. Du.
Therefore, Ye Futian hardly had a good opinion of Princess Donghuang.
Dazzling and haughty, she could dictate other people's fates with ease. Even now, Princess Donghuang was able to simply decide if Ye Futian should live or die.
In addition, Ye Futian believed that he should be on the opposite side of Donghuang the Great Emperor because of Emperor Ye Qing.
Nevertheless, he only heard stories about the legendary Great Emperor from time to time and had never met him in person. Since he didn't know what exactly happened between Donghuang the Great Emperor and Emperor Ye Qing in the past, he couldn't convince himself to detest the Great Emperor wholeheartedly.
Ye Futian only hoped that Princess Donghuang didn't remember who he was now that they were about to meet again.
"Did Princess Donghuang come because of the disputes in the Nine Realms?" Lord Taixuan asked Xiao Dingtian.
"Probably," Xiao Dingtian nodded and said, "The Divine Priest said she ordered that we can't have any more conflicts in the next seven days. I think she is trying to stabilize the situation in the Nine Realms. This is likely to be the reason why Princess Donghuang went to the Empty Imperial Palace in person and summoned the cultivators in the Nine Realms and from the Divine Prefecture. But we don't know how she will deal with this situation."
Lord Taixuan nodded slightly. A million thoughts ran through his head. Everyone else was disconcerted as well. They hadn't fully recovered from the recent battle and didn't expect this turn of events.
They were ready to fight to the death just moments ago. It was not a bluff when they said they would attack the Shen clan if the enemies dared to make a move.
"You should come to the Xiao clan so we can go to the Empty Imperial Palace together when the time comes," Xiao Dingtian said to Ye Futian and others. The teleportation grand matrix in the Heavenly Mandate Academy conveniently led to the Central Emperor Realm by a direct route.
"Okay." Ye Futian nodded in agreement.
The news soon spread around. The groups in the Nine Realms all received the message from the Divine Priests. The intense situation in the Nine Realms quickly abated while people enjoyed the temporary peace.
After all, top forces were locked in confrontations in many places in the Central Emperor Realm and the Ziwei Realm when the battle of the Divine Palace broke out. A large-scale war might be triggered off at any moment at that time. But it looked like they didn't have to worry for the next seven days, at least.
No one dared to disobey Princess Donghuang's order, even the groups from the Divine Prefecture, which were not under the direct command of Donghuang the Great Emperor.
...
Seven days passed in a twinkling.
When the day arrived, the top forces in the Nine Realms all sent cultivators to the Central Emperor Realm. Some people even set off ahead of the time and already arrived at the Central Emperor Realm.
Ye Futian and the others first went to the Xiao clan in the Central Emperor Realm through the teleportation grand matrix. After resting in the Xiao clan for a while, they left for the Empty Imperial Palace, along with Xiao Dingtian and other cultivators of the Xiao clan.
Ye Futian and the Xiao clan were not the only ones. Countless cultivators in the Central Emperor Realm who were not even affiliated with top forces were also heading to the Empty Imperial Palace.
Princess Donghuang came to the Empty Imperial Palace. They would never miss the chance to catch a glimpse of the stunning Princess of the Divine Prefecture, daughter of Donghuang the Great Emperor.
Who didn't want to sneak a peek at her?
Ye Futian led a mass of people marching toward the Empty Imperial Palace in the Central Emperor Realm. They met more and more powerful cultivators as they approached the Empty Imperial Palace. Carrying their weapons, all of them were racing toward the same destination from all directions.
Occasionally, Ye Futian and his group drew the attention of the passerby. It was as clear as day that they were extraordinary cultivators even if they were not recognized right away. Some smart ones soon came to understand who they were and would shoot them an odd look.
Nowadays, the alliance of the Heavenly Mandate Academy was absolutely one of the most influential groups in the 3,000 Realms of the Great Path.
"It appears that these people are going for the Princess," Xiao Muyu said with a smile. Wearing a long, black dress, she was among the crowd and looked graceful yet standoffish.
"She is the most beautiful woman in the Divine Prefecture and the only one who is truly a princess. Naturally, everyone wants to have a chance to see her," Ye Futian replied.
"I heard that Princess Donghuang has unparalleled beauty and talent. I wonder if it's true. We can finally meet her today," Xiao Muyu said softly.
"I don't know about her talent. But her beauty is indeed impressive," said Ye Futian.
"Have you met her before?" Xiao Muyu looked at Ye Futian, surprised.
Ye Futian curled up his lips but didn't explain. Xiao Muyu saw the smile in his eyes and turned to speak with the woman who was holding hands with Ye Futian, "Masteress, are you going to ask the Master?"
Hua Jieyu blinked her eyes when she heard Xiao Muyu. She was used to being called the masteress by now. Everyone considered her as Ye Futian's wife. She had gradually accepted it and was not repelled by the feeling.
Xiao Muyu was not surprised by her silence. The masteress had always been reticent and only chatted with the Master from time to time. The disciples were all used to it.
"Everyone says the Princess is exceptionally beautiful. Masteress, you need to keep an eye on the Master." Xiao Muyu laughed.
"Don't talk nonsense," Xiao Dingtian turned back and said to Xiao Muyu. It was fine for her to joke around here, but they would be in trouble if anyone else heard it. After all, she had to pay extra attention even if she was joking about Princess Donghuang. What if the Princess didn't take it well?
"I know," Xiao Muyu replied with a smile. Ye Futian remained silent.
More and more cultivators showed up as they approached the Empty Imperial Palace. People from various forces stopped outside of the Palace.
More powerful cultivators from top forces were still coming one after the other.
Ye Futian saw a team of people forging through the crowd not so far away when they arrived at the periphery of the Empty Imperial Palace. He had met many of them.
Ye Futian exchanged a look with them and slightly lowered his chin to send his greetings. A young man among them smiled and nodded back. Then they walked directly toward the Empty Imperial Palace.
They were cultivators from the Tianshen Academy in the Central Emperor Realm. The young man who nodded back was Jian Qingzhu.
Ye Futian stared at their receding figures with a pensive look. The Tianshen Academy seemed to be faintly aloof to him. Even so, he didn't take it personally. Who would be willing to get involved with him under the current circumstances?
At the moment, another line of people brushed past them. Ye Futian sensed that someone was watching him, so he turned around and saw Di Wu among the cultivators from the Solar Divine Palace. Di Wu's eyes were burning with Divine Fire and fixing on Ye Futian.
Di Wu was severely injured by Ye Futian during the battle of the Divine Palace on the Sea of the Path. It was surprising that he recovered so quickly. The Solar Divine Palace was truly capable, based on the strength of their connection with the Upper Worlds.
Nevertheless, Di Wu turned his eyes away in a short moment and moved toward the Empty Imperial Palace along with the rest of his group.
A succession of cultivators descended from the sky in all directions. Ye Futian also saw people he was not very familiar with. It looked like the representatives from top forces in the Divine Prefecture arrived as well.
Who wouldn't comply with Princess Donghuang's request?
Ye Futian and the others also made it to the Empty Imperial Palace. Someone was waiting outside of the Palace to greet them and guided them into the Empty Imperial Palace.
The Empty Imperial Palace once was Donghuang the Great Emperor's temporary imperial abode in the Void Realm. It was a massive and imposing palace.
The cultivators were guided to walk ahead and reached an impressive, ancient golden palace. Countless people stopped and gathered in a large plaza. Ye Futian saw many familiar faces among them, who were all from the most powerful forces in the Nine Realms and the Divine Prefecture.
The forces were divided into different camps. Some camps seemed close-knit while some were in a strained state.
Numerous people from both the Nine Realms and the Divine Prefecture cast their eyes on Ye Futian the moment he arrived at the plaza.
The battle that happened seven days ago was already well-known. Everyone had heard how Ye Futian killed two high-level Renhuangs and several middle-level Renhuangs. On top of that, he proved that he obtained God's inheritance in God's relic and was the most talented cultivator in the Void Realm.
He also defeated master cultivators from the Holy Land of Taichu in the past. How could people not fix their eyes on such an outstanding man?
"Is that Ye Futian?" Someone asked people around.
"Yes."
"White robe with silver hair. How dashing." Quite a few people expressed their admiration, while some young men smiled arrogantly with a funny look.
At the moment, several people appeared on top of the stairs in front of the plaza. The Palace Lord of the Empty Imperial Palace was among them.
The Palace Lord of the Empty Imperial Palace looked at the crowd and said, "Let's wait for a little longer. Everyone should be here soon."
More people arrived after that. At high noon, a person slowly walked out of the ancient golden palace. They immediately drew the attention of the crowd.
A young woman wearing a red robe walked out at a leisurely pace. Setting aside her prestigious status, her face alone was breathtakingly beautiful.
Everyone's eyes were glued on the young woman. She stepped forward and stopped at the position next to the Palace Lord of the Empty Imperial Palace. Her striking eyes looked out on the mass below.
Ye Futian raised his head and looked at Princess Donghuang. She seemed even more gorgeous now. The Princess Donghuang he met in the past was still young and childish, albeit her apparent beauty. Now she was truly a stunning and irresistible woman as glimmers of divine light radiating from her body.
Princess Donghuang glanced at the cultivators who were gaping at her. Ye Futian sensed that her eyes stopped for a second on him and Hua Jieyu by his side. He couldn't tell if it was his illusion or if everyone else felt the same way.