My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

After the great battle, the various factions began to leave one after another, eager to inform their sects of the outcome as quickly as possible. Such explosive news could influence the Underworld's situation, and knowing earlier meant being prepared earlier. Black Abyss took inventory of the spoils of war and presented the bulk of them to Gu Simu and her group. While other factions might not realize it, everyone in River of Styx Sanctuary understood that their victory was entirely due to Gu Simu. Black Abyss had already informed everyone that Gu Simu was likely the daughter of an Earthly Realm expert, leading everyone to treat her with more respect and courtesy. "This will do. You can divide the rest among yourselves," Gu Simu said, picking only the Divine Stones from the pile of treasures. She didn't fancy any of the magical items or techniques, even the best of which paled compared to an ordinary imperial weapon given to her by Gu Lan. The Divine Stones, however, were treasures her father had advised her to collect. Holding a dozen sparkling Divine Stones, Gu Simu was quite pleased. She thought her parents would be happy with these when she returned home. Black Abyss felt somewhat embarrassed by Gu Simu's generosity. After talking with Zhe Liang, he learned about some events in the Arena. The young lord of the Dark Palace had colluded with Saint Stage prisoners and brought Imperial Realm ghost spirits into the trial, which Zhe Liang had recorded with a shadow engraving stone. With this evidence, River of Styx Sanctuary had a legitimate reason to declare war on Dark Palace, likely gaining support from many Underworld factions. Thus, Black Abyss was confident about the future of River of Styx Sanctuary. "Holy Son, we owe this victory to you as well. You should take these too," Black Abyss said, pushing the rest of the spoils onto Zhe Liang and leaving without giving him a chance to refuse, going to discuss matters with other elders of the sanctuary. "Little ones, I need to take Mandala Arena and hide it for now. Here, take this to contact me in critical times," a voice whispered into the ears of Gu Simu, Zhe Liang, and Gu Xiaoqi. Then, waves of energy rippled through the Arena, and a black token appeared before Gu Simu. Zhe Liang and Gu Xiaoqi saw the token with three words on it: Feng City Token. "How do we use this Feng City Token, old man?" Gu Simu asked, holding up the token. The old guardian, now deemed a 'good old man' in her heart, replied, "Activate the patterns on the token, and I will sense it. I'll contact you then." In Feng City, the white-haired old man smiled and drank a toast of Spirit Liquor. Earlier, he had consumed a lot of energy to delay the trial restrictions, and Gu Simu had given him more Spirit Liquor after waking up, enabling him to use some of Feng City's power to intimidate Dark Palace. With Feng City possibly exposed, the old man was prepared to leave. He handed the token to Gu Simu, planning to hide until he regained his strength. "Little ones, the journey is long. Until we meet again," his final words, spoken in his original childlike yet old voice, echoed above the Arena. All the remaining cultivators instinctively looked towards the sound. Terrifying spiritual energy surged, and space rippled, making the entire Arena twist. Just as someone thought the guardian might teleport the entire Arena away, a bright white light flashed, and Mandala Arena vanished. "Farewell, old man. Until we meet again," Zhe Liang silently bid farewell. Gu Simu felt a pang of sadness. This was her first trial since leaving the Earthly Realm, and the old man, despite his mischievous nature, had a good heart. Parting so soon left her feeling reluctant. Gu Xiaoqi, however, had no such sentiments towards the old man. Black Abyss realized that Zhe Liang and his companions had fully gained the guardian's approval. A guardian so powerful, guarding an ancient inheritance and able to teleport the Arena, astonished him. His estimation of Zhe Liang and the others rose even higher, especially Zhe Liang, whom he now saw as the future leader of River of Styx Sanctuary. After handling the battlefield, Black Abyss welcomed Gu Simu and Gu Xiaoqi into River of Styx Sanctuary with the highest honors. Meanwhile, news of Mandala Arena spread like wildfire throughout the Underworld. Dark Palace, which had oppressed River of Styx Sanctuary, not only lost the trial but also its young lord and entire elder team. The news shocked all factions, causing many to ally with River of Styx Sanctuary, which grew stronger while Dark Palace suffered a severe blow. The greatest loss for Dark Palace was their reputation. Despite launching counterattacks, they were unprepared for River of Styx Sanctuary, which had received support, arming their disciples with top-tier magical items, catching Dark Palace off guard. In every tavern and market in the Underworld, one could hear the latest war updates. "Everyone, last night Dark Palace attacked a River of Styx Sanctuary branch, but a guardian there used a Celestial Fan artifact to trap the entire attacking force in a prearranged formation. Not one escaped," an Underworld Know-It-All narrated. No one cared how he got such confidential information; they only wanted thrilling news. Hearing Dark Palace being crushed by River of Styx Sanctuary was exactly that. "My friend, I just don't understand. Where did River of Styx Sanctuary get so many top-tier magical items?" "Not just top-tier magical items, I heard their elders also received numerous imperial weapons, significantly boosting their strength. Now Dark Palace dares not make any moves!"