Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister

Chapter 452: What Happened to “Love Grows Over Time”?

In the Moon Shadow Dynasty, the battered and wounded Moon Shadow Blade Emperor looked out over the ruins of Chaoyue City. 

The once glorious city was now a wasteland of broken walls and rubble. 

The sight was so infuriating that he felt the blood rising in his throat.

In a fit of rage, he slaughtered the remaining demons and monsters that hadn’t fled yet. Then, seething with anger, he returned to the Holy Imperial Palace.

To his dismay, not only was his Tianyue Hall gone, but the surrounding area had been completely flattened. Even the imperial throne had been stolen.

Trembling with fear and anger, the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor rushed to the treasury and let out a roar of rage. His entire body shook as he took in the sight before him.

The treasury had been dug up to the point where only black rock remained. For a moment, he wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

“What kind of saint does this? Even bandits aren’t this ruthless! They even took the floor tiles!”

When he arrived at the water prison and saw the empty cells, he spat out a mouthful of blood in frustration.

The Heavenly Leech Demon – possibly the last one in existence – was gone! Not only had the demon been taken, but its offspring had been stolen as well.

Panicked, he searched everywhere but found no trace of Zhen Bai.

He let out a bitter laugh. “What happened to ‘Love grows with time’? Did you just leave like that?”

Reluctantly, he ordered his shadow guards to search in secret, though he held out little hope. The Heavenly Leech Demon couldn’t survive long without water and needed a moist environment to live. Once it entered the water, it would be like a dragon returning to the sea – nearly impossible to recapture.

Half an hour later, the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor sat in a hastily cleaned-up side hall, numbly listening to reports from all directions.

The battle reports from the frontlines had arrived as well. The Moon Shadow Dynasty army had suffered heavy casualties, with less than one in ten soldiers returning alive.

Not only had most of the Moon Shadow elite been wiped out on the battlefield in the Western Desert, but Junyan had also captured several cities.

If this had been the work of any other general, the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor would have executed them on the spot. But since this disaster was his own doing, he had no one else to blame. The civil and military officials didn’t dare bring it up either.

Regardless, this battle had nearly bankrupted the Moon Shadow Dynasty. Not only had Lin Fengmian emptied the treasury, but the emperor’s reckless actions had also caused widespread panic. The dynasty’s fortune dragon was on the verge of collapse.

To make matters worse, the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor’s dharma form had shattered, causing him to lose a small realm in his cultivation. He was now listless and weakened.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been a big deal, because the dynasty’s protective formations and the Moon Shadow Dragon’s energy could compensate for it. But now, the formations were broken, the dragon’s energy was barely alive, and the Holy Imperial Palace was virtually defenseless.

The treasury had been emptied, and the meager resources Fu Dayong had risked his life to save weren’t even enough to repair a single praying mantis leg!

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor was completely defeated.

He knew that desperate individuals would soon come to challenge him for the Honored Position, seeking to take advantage of his weakened state. After all, with Ye Xuefeng’s successful precedent, he had become a prime target.

“Damn it, damn it!”

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor raged helplessly, his only hope being that Lin Fengmian had perished in the spatial turbulence. If that were the case, the Junyan Empire would lose its greatest support, and he could follow Lin Fengmian’s example by plundering Junyan’s treasury to make up for his losses.

Just then, news arrived that completely dashed his hopes of retaliating against Junyan.

Ye Xuefeng had appeared outside a major city of the Moon Shadow Dynasty. In front of countless witnesses, he used his eerie Void Devouring Power to swallow an entire mountain range.

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor understood this as a clear warning: if he dared to target the Junyan Empire again, Ye Xuefeng would unleash a massacre.

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor seemed to age instantly. He let out a long sigh and said, “Order the troops to retreat. Send envoys to Junyan to negotiate peace.”

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!” a hawkish general urged anxiously.

“Reconsider? Reconsider!”

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor cursed loudly. “Do you want to stop Ye Xuefeng? Or are you confident that you can defeat that little fox Fengyao? Shall I put you in charge of the army?”

The man immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word. He had no confidence in defeating either of them.

Meanwhile, the other officials who were already afraid of Lin Fengmian and Jun Yunshang quickly agreed and praised the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor.

After all, if the war continued, the Moon Shadow Dynasty would truly face annihilation!

“Your Majesty is wise. In this situation, it’s best to let others take the lead while we quietly rebuild our strength.”

“Exactly. Once the Supreme Being kills that brat, we can make our move.”

“Our Moon Shadow Dynasty has already given its all in this war. Surely the Supreme Being won’t hold it against us.”

…

Many people belatedly realized something terrifying.

It turned out that the emperor wasn’t pretending – he really was that incompetent!

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor said with a heavy tone, “This emperor will go into seclusion for a while. The Grand Tutor will handle court affairs during this time.”

“Keep a close eye on Ye Xuefeng and the Junyan Empire, but do not interfere!”

The civil and military officials all bowed in unison, watching as he slowly disappeared from the throne.

The Moon Shadow Blade Emperor had no choice. If he didn’t seize every moment to recover, he didn’t know if the Moon Shadow Dynasty would survive, but he was certain that it would not.

The Moon Shadow Dynasty began peace negotiations with the Junyan Empire, hoping to regain lost territories and secure the return of prisoners.

However, the Junyan Empire was unyielding, refusing to return the captured lands and even hinting that they were ready to fight again if necessary.

As the defeated party, the Moon Shadow Dynasty had no bargaining power. After suffering devastating losses, they could only swallow their pride and accept the terms.

Now, they could only hope that the Supreme Being would kill that brat or someone else who would cause trouble for the Junyan Empire.

But after the humiliating defeat of the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor and the catastrophic losses of the dynasty, who else would dare to step forward?

Fear and anxiety spread like wildfire throughout the Moon Shadow Dynasty. Everyone was afraid that Ye Xuefeng or Empress Fengyao would come to take revenge.

Even though a few desperate individuals tried to make a last stand, they were no match for Jun Yunshang’s foresight and the high morale of the Junyan army. Their efforts crumbled like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

Empress Fengyao’s reputation for divine strategy and invincibility spread far and wide, cementing her status as an undefeated goddess of war.

Jun Yunshang, who had remained silent for so long, had now made a resounding impact, establishing Empress Fengyao’s formidable reputation in the Northern Abyss.

Although the Junyan Empire was at its peak, everyone knew that if Ye Xuefeng died, the empire would collapse.

The problem was that not only was Ye Xuefeng ridiculously powerful and talented, but he could also freely traverse the Void. Even the true form of a Supreme Being had failed to capture him.

What kind of Heavenly Evil Saint was he? He was more like the Grim Reaper of the Void!

If you can just walk around in the void, then we’re not even on the same level of existence. Stop tormenting us!

Brother, there’s really nothing fun in this lousy mortal world!

Just kill a supreme being, get some glorious achievements, and hurry back to the immortal realm, okay?

The Netherworld Sword Saint had been killed, and the Moon Shadow Blade Emperor had narrowly escaped death, but had fallen back in his cultivation, leaving him in a dire situation.

The remaining Bihuo Saint Emperor, fearing that he would meet the same fate, immediately announced that he was entering a life-and-death seclusion.

Others paid lip service and put on a show to get by, afraid of actually meeting Ye Xuefeng.

The Heavenly Fiend Hall, which had dominated the Northern Abyss for years, had suffered its greatest humiliation, and its credibility had plummeted.

The Heavenly Fiend Sovereign was furious, but helpless. After all, he couldn’t catch that brat either.

He decided to turn a blind eye and concentrate on the Nirvana Technique.

Who knew when that monstrous kid would show up at his doorstep? He needed to secure an escape route as soon as possible!