Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 719 - 356 The Empress Dowager is Truly Angry_2

Chapter 719: Chapter 356 The Empress Dowager is Truly Angry_2

In a short span of time, Demon Qi began to dry up. The Demon Clan suffered massive casualties, heading toward annihilation. The Spiritual Energy cultivated by the Human Clan began to thin, and experts gradually dwindled.

Meanwhile, the Asura Clan seemed as though it had lost a prime source of nourishment, similarly starting to wither away.

It could be said that the Human Clan, Demon Clan, and Asura Clan all suffered devastating blows.

However, comparatively, the Human Clan was less affected. For the Emperor, this was rather fortunate, as the Jianghu had fewer experts, making governance easier.

Later, the court proactively led an alliance with Jianghu masters to successfully suppress the Asura Queen and attempted to eliminate the Demon Venerable.

Although they failed to kill the Demon Venerable, with Demon Qi rapidly depleting, the Demon Venerable was forced to seek alternate methods for survival. Ultimately, he perished within the Water Moon Dream Mirror.

From that point onward, the Demon race completely retreated from history, the Asura Clan vanished, and with the Heavenly Gate sealing shut, cultivators could no longer ascend... It could be said, the mortal realm’s royalty became the true rulers.

Jiang Shouzhong listened with mixed feelings.

Who would’ve thought the grudges among these three races could be so dramatic.

"It’s just..."

Xiao Lingqiu transitioned to a bitter smile and said, "For some unknown reason, Demon Qi has revived. Now the Demon Venerable has reappeared, and the Asura Queen has been released. This world is destined for chaos."

As the ruler of imperial authority, Xiao Lingqiu deeply wished for the extinction of these non-human races.

Whether Demons or Asuras, they posed enormous threats to the Human Clan.

Especially now that human cultivators had grown increasingly weak—at the moment, only Zhao Wuxiu remained as the sole cultivator within the Heavenly Human Realm.

Should the Demon Clan or Asura Clan fully recover to their peak days, the Humans might find themselves hiding underground to survive. On this point, Zhou Chang and Xiao Lingqiu likely shared the same thought.

But the situation left them with no room for better choices.

Jiang Shouzhong stroked the mural, speculating based on its contents:

"It looks like after the natural disaster, these Undead Army members came to this mysterious place to survive. And it seems some kind of war transpired here.

Look at this final illustration; there are countless undead soldiers pulling down a divine statue, trying to topple it."

Their gazes turned once more to the lake.

Judging from the circumstances, these undead soldiers sacrificed their lives to topple and destroy the statue.

Xiao Lingqiu pondered for a moment before speaking slowly:

"Considering this, the Asura Clan seems to have believed this place could shield them from catastrophe and sought to establish themselves here. But the area already had owners, sparking a struggle for territory that ultimately resulted in mutual destruction."

Jiang Shouzhong concurred with this assumption.

He began inspecting the nearby cave dwellings.

The caves appeared unremarkable. Occasionally, though, one could spot crystalline moonlight resembling liquid gold trickling down, disappearing into the pitch-black chambers within.

Jiang Shouzhong attempted to enter but was obstructed by a barrier.

Nearby, there was also a protruding stone resembling a keyhole.

"A key is needed to enter," Xiao Lingqiu said.

A key?

Jiang Shouzhong couldn’t help but recall the Fake Teeth Bone Nail.

Back then, Su Junwen’s soul gave him a Fake Teeth Bone Nail, stating it was a treasure key left by his father, Su Shanke, capable of opening a cave’s entrance.

At that time, Jiang Shouzhong had dismissed the notion.

Furthermore, the Bone Nail ultimately ended up with Su Junwen’s wife, Tan Shuangshuang, who took it to Yanrong.

Now, staring at the treasure door within reach but unable to unlock it, Jiang Shouzhong slapped his forehead, his heart full of regret: "Damn it! I should’ve kept it for myself!"

Unwilling to give up, he attempted various methods to open the door.

Flying sword attacks, channeling energy, brute-force collisions, searching for alternative entrances or hidden mechanisms—time and again, each method failed.

Jiang Shouzhong grew more frustrated.

"The heavens handed me a golden opportunity, and I foolishly gave it away," he muttered in irritation.

"What’s that wonderful smell?"

Xiao Lingqiu suddenly sniffed the air.

Jiang Shouzhong caught the scent too.

Rounding the caves, their eyes lit up—they had stumbled across a small orchard.

Though there were only five fruit trees within, each was lush with foliage and loaded with vibrant, ruby-red apples, akin to precious gemstones embedded amidst green leaves.

The fruits were strikingly colorful, emitting a tempting gleam.

The irresistible fragrance emanated from here.

Both instinctively swallowed and, as though prompted, their stomachs rumbled with hunger.

Since arriving in this mysterious region, the pair had done nothing but flee from Demons and search for escape routes, leaving them utterly exhausted and ravenous. The sight of these brilliant apples intensified their hunger.

"They look... so delicious," Jiang Shouzhong murmured.

Just as he spoke, an apple abruptly dropped to the ground.

Jiang Shouzhong froze for a moment, picked it up, and the enticing aroma rushed into his nose.

"Don’t eat it!" Xiao Lingqiu quickly warned.

Given the inherent strangeness of this locale, it might very well be poisonous.

Jiang Shouzhong knew the danger himself. As he carefully examined the artwork-like apple, he replied, "Relax, I’m not dumb."

Before he finished his words, a sudden dizziness overcame him.

He fell to the ground with a thud.

Xiao Lingqiu, standing just behind, also collapsed.

"Jiang Mo!"

Disregarding her pain, Xiao Lingqiu turned to look at Jiang Shouzhong.

But the man had already lost consciousness.

What shocked her even more was the apple Jiang Shouzhong had held—it seemed imbued with life, bouncing around like a mischievous creature.

The eerie apple hopped and danced its way onto the man’s chest, practically celebrating.

Xiao Lingqiu’s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief.

She tried calling out to Jiang Shouzhong, but suddenly all the apples from the nearby trees dropped to the ground.

The tempting yet strange apples formed an orderly line, following the lead of the apple on Jiang Shouzhong’s chest. They began jumping and dancing around him, creating a bizarre, comedic scene.

It felt as though a group of apple spirits was hosting a bonfire party.

"Jiang Mo!"

Unable to suppress her voice, Xiao Lingqiu shouted.

Instantly, the apples froze in place, then turned to stare at her in unison.

The atmosphere became eerily quiet.

A chill ran down Xiao Lingqiu’s spine as she held her breath, afraid to make a sound.

Despite being the Empress Dowager accustomed to witnessing myriad spectacles, she had never encountered a scene this unsettling—so many apples silently fixated on her, sending cold sweat down her back.

She even wondered if she was hallucinating from toxic mushrooms.

Moments later, the apples resumed their lively bouncing, ignoring her presence.

Relieved, Xiao Lingqiu exhaled softly.

But then the apples began lifting Jiang Shouzhong’s body from the ground.

With the apples rolling gently, they transported his body toward the lake. Along the way, several apples dove into the water ahead, creating splashes.

Xiao Lingqiu panicked, preparing to shout, when she suddenly felt a cold, chilling presence beside her.

Turning her head, her whole body froze.

A massive, house-sized crimson apple stood next to her.

"Jiang—"

Before she could scream, the colossal apple split open as though revealing a gaping mouth and swallowed her whole before leaping into the lake.

...

When Xiao Lingqiu opened her eyes again, everything was pitch black, filled with an intoxicating fruity aroma.

Her body was swaying back and forth.

It felt like being trapped inside a box tossed into the ocean.

What shocked her further was discovering her clothing was gone—or rather, it seemed to have been corroded away, leaving only a few tattered scraps.

Struggling to retrieve an illumination pearl, Xiao Lingqiu activated it.

Under its light, she noticed she was inside a space resembling a smooth, seamless shell.

Beside her lay Jiang Shouzhong.

The man remained unconscious, his breath weak.

Likewise, much of his clothing had been dissolved.

"Jiang Mo."

Xiao Lingqiu softly called out several times.

Unfortunately, the man remained unresponsive.

Suddenly, there was a loud "bang."

It sounded like they had collided with something heavy, and both were jolted upward.

As they landed, Jiang Shouzhong, initially reclining at an angle, ended up pressed against Xiao Lingqiu.

His face directly buried against her chest.

Already aching from the blow to her head, Xiao Lingqiu nearly suffocated under this unexpected weight. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her chest—it turned out his teeth had scraped against her.

Xiao Lingqiu was dumbfounded.

Suppressing the pain, she raised the illumination pearl to check.

Clear teeth marks, like stamps, were imprinted on the cherry-red skin, with patches of broken flesh around the edges.

"Jiang Mo! I’m going to kill you!!"

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