Chapter 349: The Returning Emperor

Under the dome.

The branches of the Tree of Thought spread like clouds, as if a mother protecting her young, wrapping the entire Yves Saint Laurent beneath them. Closer to the center of the shockwave, a brilliant golden light surged, allowing the world to witness a miracle.

The citizens of the Yves Saint Laurent Empire looked up at the sky in confusion. The unsettling tide of magic essence vanished, replaced by translucent branches of thought.

The light that symbolized the emperor’s nobility became even grander, flowing through every street and alley, bathing both body and heart in a warm sense of peace.

The unaware crowd felt that a joyful festival had come, excitedly looking at the translucent branches and canopy, celebrating the revival of Sophon, sparking various discussions and speculations.

Some even began to believe that the unusual happenings in Yves Saint Laurent, and the revival of Holy Sophon, were all to celebrate the emperor’s return, making public sentiment more fervent and turning an urgent escape into a festive celebration.

However, compared to the ordinary people with little knowledge, the imperial agencies stationed in the capital, along with the deeply rooted powers, were all filled with dread, sweating profusely, feeling as though they had danced close to the gates of death.

The spread of alchemy meant that even slightly larger forces would purchase instruments to monitor the magic essence in the air, to predict its inactivity, stability, quantity, and range.

The actions of the three Tower Masters extracting magic essence certainly set off all the instruments into alarm mode, but the highly precise structure of the spells ensured they wouldn’t explode easily, having a high degree of stability and control.

The data curve shown on the instruments just moments ago from the Martial God Technique was like condensing the same amount of magic essence into a single grain of dust, which then exploded instantly like atomic fission.

Had it not been for the unforeseen accident, this capital, symbolizing the center of imperial power, along with the three Legendary Magicians and billions of citizens, would have evaporated into nothingness, making the notion of heaven and hell not an exaggeration.

The Magic Association was utterly baffled and shocked by this.

What really happened?

The original Sage’s magic, and the amount of magic essence that could run an empire for a hundred years, all disappeared in an instant. How did everyone survive such a crisis?

Moreover, the phenomenon above indicated that the spells of the three Lords of the Tower were instantaneously broken. Even a god coming to the material world might not be able to achieve this level, right?

These questions and thoughts lingered in everyone’s minds, like an unsolvable nightmare.

At the same time, the Tree of Thought in the Imperial Library’s main structure continued to expand and spread. Its translucent trunk lacked a solid form, like sunlight falling from the sky, moving through layers of buildings, flooding the imperial council, and reaching the heavens like colorful clouds.

Holy Sophon.

This imperial legacy, the foundation of humanity, the thread of civilization, was awakening its consciousness after hundreds of years. It seemed to be learning to breathe again, and each growth and movement shook the air corridors, stirring up chaos in the magic essence.

Clearly, even if the aftermath of the Martial God Technique was countered by an exquisite skill, it was too late to take it back; the energy wavelength that just occurred was so terrifying that it had been deemed capable of destroying Yves Saint Laurent.

With the Tree of Thought and even the foundation of the Golden Law potentially at risk of being damaged, the Holy Sophon, responsible for unifying power and protecting humanity, would naturally awaken from its slumber.

This process was irreversible; Sophon would only fall back into sleep after fully awakening and judging that the situation was safe.

At this moment, its consciousness resonated again with the Golden Sea. The whole continent could feel the rhythm of great sound and silence, and the overflowing dark tide was thus detected, carrying the magic essence tide of the will of the law, turning into the army that cleared away Disaster.

The Pure White Witch felt happy; she lowered her gaze to look around. A flash of black and white light vaporized all the gathered magic essence, and the heavy sea of clouds was completely cleared, leaving behind a clear blue hue.

Clean and beautiful.

If the Lantern Gem hadn’t shattered so much, causing the rumble of the ice glacier to be even louder, her mood would have been even higher.

Chu Yuanqing gently comforted the sickly Lantern Gem, drawing willpower from the Ideal Homeland to repair the damage caused by the Martial God Technique.

The girl glanced at the three Tower Masters and then turned to admire the view of Yves Saint Laurent protected by the Tree of Thought. She coughed weakly a few times, and a thoughtful smile appeared on her delicate pale face as she said:

“So this can wake it up. It seems it really cares about Yves Saint Laurent and the empire, and listens to the emperor much more than you all, showing no intention of betrayal.”

Archibald had no strength left to argue; he was still lost in the overwhelming power released by the Martial God Technique, his mind filled with the black and white flashes that collapsed the spectrum, decomposed the magic essence, shattered space, and froze time, along with…

The Pure White Witch casually reached out her hand, effortlessly pushing back the destructive energy, creating a scene of nothingness. Her expression was calm, as if it were entirely natural, and she carried an air of lightness, as if what she was doing was easier than eating or drinking.

But how could this be possible? Even the gods, born from the earth and granted great power by the world, would never be able to do something like this.

This had gone beyond any known magic or alchemy; it belonged to a “craft” that was beyond human understanding, and even beyond that of the gods…

Archibald didn’t know how to face Lucy Tiffany anymore.

He even started to doubt if this person really was Lucy Tiffany. But if this wasn’t Lucy Tiffany, who else could it be? And who else could possess such unreasonable power?

Could it be…

The mind of the Black Sun Tower Lord was in chaos. He couldn’t care less about the safety of the Elven King of Fire. He struggled to suppress a ridiculous and rebellious thought, bowing his head in fear, silent like a terrified hamster.

Delia paused in confusion, looking down at the mark on her wrist that symbolized the Elven King of Time. In the final moment, he had turned back the time of the three Elf Kings, which allowed her to save her life.

But what shocked this Tower Master was not the fact that Chu Yuanqing had defeated the three Elf Kings in an instant, but the complete process of how the Elven King of Time had broken through this technique that was recorded.

That was a simple and bland action, so much so that it was too monotonous. It was not just about building a spell or gathering power; she merely tightened her fist and then swung it out. Truth and rules were overturned, and in a powerful stance, she demonstrated that a fist was power.

It was so unbeatable that it felt lonely.

From beginning to end, Lucy Tiffany never showed her true skills.

The Legendary Magicians at the top of the continent, in front of her, were like little children just learning addition and subtraction, sitting on the beach using sticks to solve math problems.

And since she was an adult, how could she care if children proudly said to her, “I got all the multiplication questions right”? So she squatted down, picked up a stick, and played along with the children, drawing and writing on the beach.

It was not until the teacher called her and told her that there was no holiday at school that day, and that all the children had skipped class, that she dropped the stick and displayed her thunderous anger, threatening everyone that if they didn’t go to class, their homework would double.

Delia’s mind spun in circles; she looked at the Pure White Witch, confused yet hesitant to believe her thoughts. The indigo eyes shimmered with light as she bit her lip and said firmly:

“You are not Lucy.”

Chu Yuanqing glanced at the Tower Master in surprise upon hearing this and, without giving it much thought, calmly admitted:

“I really am not.”

Lucy Tiffany’s identity, given by Historical Echoes, felt a bit too high-end. Plus, with the memories being incomplete, it was normal for Delia to spot some flaws in the many details that needed to be figured out on her own.

However, this answer that missed the point had a completely different meaning in the eyes of the three Tower Masters.

Even Xavier, who was a fan of the normal emperor, was shocked; he quickly knelt down and didn’t dare to look at the Pure White Witch’s face. The magic essence inside him started to get chaotic, his mind trembled violently, and his emotions fell into confusion.

Archibald felt struck by lightning and tried hard to play dead.

Delia’s thoughts were complicated, and she momentarily lost focus.

Chu Yuanqing glanced at the three silent Tower Masters. Her bright golden eyes shone with a cold light, her expression calm yet commanding, but she felt very pleased inside.

Well, it seemed that a little scare was what it took to get them to behave.

Although her anger lifted with the two Martial God Techniques she used, she knew she had to maintain a serious look to intimidate these wild ones.

Chu Yuanqing was not overly kind, but she was neither Lucy Tiffany nor the Divine Emperor. Why should she care about the actions of the three Tower Masters acting like traitors?

From the perspective of the Countermeasures Bureau, Blue Star, and the magical girls, executing the highest authority of the academy at the very start would bring no benefits. Forcing things back could help fight the Disaster Wave and teach the magical girls; it would be simply the best tool.

However, just as she considered what words to use to persuade the other party, the Holy Sophon below began to show new activity.

The branches, spreading like tentacles, reached to the edge of the sky, shining like light over rivers, causing the illusion of the Tree of Thought to overflow into every region of the continent, with resounding chants echoing.

In just a moment, the entire Yves Saint Laurent, and indeed all the citizens of the empire and continent, listened to the whispers of Sophon through Alchemy Crysta:

“The Holy Sophon network has awakened.”

“Record, the silent Golden Law is now burning bright again.”

“Record, after 436 frost moon cycles, the empire continues to function.”

“Record, a soul factor belonging to the emperor has been detected. Before finding the suspected individual, the Holy Sophon will no longer remain dormant and requests to open the permissions of the Alchemy Kingdom.”

“Record. The three great Sages of Chalkiness Tower, Black Sun Tower, and Forest Moon Tower did not respond. There is no record of permission transfer. It is assumed that Holy Sophon can bypass the current Tower Master.”

“Record. The Alchemy Kingdom has opened, pouring in quantum streams, peeling back the mist of time, activating the heart of the gods, the greatest masterpiece, Eden—revival.”

“The first command is to remove all obstacles for the emperor’s return.”

This enormous and explosive amount of information spread across the continent instantly through the Tree of Thought, informing all citizens of the empire.

In an instant, the whole world was stirred.

Although there were always discussions about the emperor on the Ley Line, every word about him was carefully studied by famous scholars, who even proposed the theory of time travelers, proclaiming that the emperor would eventually return.

But that was a great man from before the Second Divine Age. A thousand years is enough time for dynasties to change and history to overturn. If it weren’t for the support of the three major Oath Families, perhaps not many would remember that great one.

No one ever imagined they would live to see the honor of meeting the emperor, especially since even the Legendary Magician at the pinnacle of existence had no luck witnessing the emperor’s true form.

And now, the emperor has truly returned.

Even though this news is very absurd, how could there be a chance of lying in this message delivered by Holy Sophon as the creation of that being?

In that moment, those who had faced the attack of the dark tide and were deeply trapped in life-and-death danger instinctively connected the emperor’s return with the current crisis, imagining a scene where he crossed time and space just to save humanity again, feeling very touched.

Over here at Yves Saint Laurent, the people were already preparing to hold a celebration.

Elise felt lost in a sea of happiness and nervously grabbed Esther’s hand, saying softly:

“Oh? What a coincidence! How is it that just after Sister Chu finished, the emperor returned?”

…

…

On the other side, at Autumn Maple Hill.

The little girl was drowsily lying on the back of the Holy Dragon. When she heard this explosive news, she instantly forgot the discomfort caused by drinking dozens of bottles of Magic Potion, quickly lifted her little cat head, her bright green eyes widening in shock.

What? The Fez family really waited for the emperor? Then Sister Aurora shouldn’t need to sacrifice herself for the next generation of the Holy Dragon anymore, right?

These mixed thoughts arose, but before the green-eyed cat and Aurora could share their feelings, Miss Holy Dragon, who had sat down, could not wait to chant in unison. With the airship behind her, they transformed into a shining group of meteors, rushing towards the capital.

…

…

At the same time, in a town thousands of miles away from Autumn Maple Hill.

Grand Duke Tiffany’s cold expression melted like spring snow, revealing very complicated emotions: joy, excitement, regret, sadness, worry… and also relief.

Auguste lowered his eyelids; he recalled his alchemical armor and effortlessly turned another follower who tried to negotiate with him, along with the disaster beasts, into dust, and walked towards Yves Saint Laurent.

Since the emperor has returned, the plan to betray the oath, to delve into body cultivation using Elise’s bloodline to make up for Lucy’s flaws, has already failed.

Although there is hope to fulfill a long-held wish, if he continues to go against the oath made to the emperor, that noble person would likely not choose to accept the ancestor’s goodwill.

So, to calm the emperor’s anger and to protect the wishes of his ancestors and family, he, who had committed a great sin, had to wash away the price of betrayal with blood.

Auguste can die, but Tiffany’s dream must not end. Before truly atoning, he must pass on the legacy of the emperor’s armor to Lucy.

As long as it continued, one day a Tiffany would fulfill this wish.

Unfortunately, she would not see it.

…

…

At the border of the empire, in the city of Digal.

Military transport hub, lounge.

Lin Baor sat next to the gray-haired girl in the corner, her thigh brushing against the other’s skin. With her black and white eyes swirling around like a curious child, she quietly asked amidst the loud discussions:

“Xiaoxiao, what kind of person do you think the Emperor is? It seems like everyone admires him so much, even though it has been over a thousand years. His charm must be exaggerated.”

Liang Xiaoxiao brought up the history of Blue Star and said seriously:

“The Emperor’s return here, is it like Qin Shi Huang coming back to life on our side?”

Lin Baor thought of a funny internet meme and immediately found it hilarious. Her eyes sparkled as she couldn’t help but smile. She cleared her throat a few times to try to look serious again and said:

“It must be different! This place has gods, magic, and all kinds of races. The Emperor ruling this continent has to be a bit special.”

“And if Qin Shi Huang came back, even if he trended online, he would eventually be forgotten. How could the whole world know?”

“By the way, Xiaoxiao, do you think the Emperor’s appearance at this time is to make the training easier?”

Liang Xiaoxiao suddenly understood.

Indeed! If the Emperor is an official NPC, then starting deep in the battlefield and escaping during the Disaster Wave is just a way to become familiar with the story, meant to scare the newcomers a bit.

Now that the Emperor had returned, peace should come quickly and she would have plenty of time to study well.

This made her curious; if the Emperor were to be a teacher, what could she learn from him?

Liang Xiaoxiao thought about this and suddenly worried about how to find Teacher Chu in the Ideal State. The Fanol Continent is so big, and by the time she finds her, the training might almost be over!

…

…

At the edge of the continent, the Lost Sea.

“Fiona” stood on the deck of the alchemical warship, looking at the dark waves left after the Imperial Blade cleared away the Disaster and sighed.

Sister Charlotte had a strange sense of humor; she always pretended to be very serious and forced herself to call Mom in front of the other judges.

Even though an older sister is like a mother, it still felt a bit odd.

If she could choose, she would prefer Honey Qing to be the Adjudicator, as that would make her mom unexpectedly happy.

Chu Wang Shu pouted her cheeks; she clearly wasn’t used to being a charming and graceful knight, and her cute face showed the innocence of a child, just like the winter flower of Avignon City.

Charlotte did not know how “nasty” thoughts her daughter harbored deep inside; she poked her daughter’s cheek with her fingertip, enjoying it endlessly like popping a balloon.

Yes, raising a daughter is truly for fun.

Thinking about it like this, missing Little Shu’s childhood was truly a million-dollar mistake.

But to avoid truly making her adorable daughter angry,

After just a few pokes, Charlotte quickly changed the subject and pretended to be serious, asking:

“Isn’t Little Shu curious about what the Emperor will be like?”

Chu Wang Shu blinked her eyes and replied:

“That has nothing to do with us. No matter how powerful the Emperor is, how many people like him, or how many people admire him, he is still out of reach. Someone so far away is no longer real; they just become a symbol.”

The Last Diva smiled with a mysterious and mischievous grin as she felt the familiar golden blood deep within her, and she said with a smile:

“Then let us wait and see.”