As it turned out, the Clear Wind Empress should be the girl from Zhou Hong's past life.
"Zhou Hong, we're going to the Clear Wind Immortal Kingdom now," Zhou Sheng Gu said after catching up with Zhou Hong.
"Why?"
"Because in the entire Immortal Realm, there are only two empresses of the appropriate age: the Carefree Empress and the Clear Wind Empress. Since the Carefree Empress is not the one you're looking for, it's likely the Clear Wind Empress is."
Zhou Hong nodded, feeling a surge of excitement that it might be so easy to find her.
"Alright, let's go then."
"Follow me. However, the journey to the Clear Wind Immortal Kingdom is quite far; it will probably take half a day to get there."
"Heh, half a day is nothing," Zhou Hong chuckled.
"Along the way, I'll tell you a bit about this Clear Wind Empress. Although I don't know her in detail, I have some information."
"Please tell me, Grandfather."
"This Clear Wind Empress's World Power is around 20 stellar degrees. The Clear Wind Immortal Kingdom under her rule has about 110 cities. It's said she lives a rather simple and ascetic life, with significantly fewer male consorts compared to other empresses, less than six."
"Uh!" Zhou Hong was slightly taken aback. Six was considered few?
"Heh, six is indeed very ascetic. Other empresses have thousands, or even tens of thousands. Having only six consorts makes her an anomaly among all Immortal Emperors. This suggests that the Clear Wind Empress is a rather pure-hearted person."
Zhou Hong smiled and said, "If she's pure-hearted, shouldn't she have none at all?"
"You're being a bit morally judgmental. Considering the vast span of time, six is indeed exceptionally pure-hearted. Therefore, I believe this Clear Wind Empress is the one you're looking for."
"I hope so," Zhou Hong sighed.
"With only six male consorts in her harem, it's clear she isn't very interested in such matters. It's reasonable to surmise that she still harbors feelings for someone unforgettable."
"Mhm," Zhou Hong nodded, a complex emotion stirring within him, unsure whether he should seek her out.
"Zhou Hong, if she is indeed the woman from your past life, what will you do?"
"Heh, I'll simply acknowledge each other and resolve the past life's karma. As long as it doesn't leave me with lingering sadness, it will be resolved."
"Good."
Half a day later, Zhou Hong and Zhou Sheng Gu arrived at the Clear Wind Immortal Kingdom.
The Clear Wind Empress's World Power, around 20 stellar degrees, placed her among the lower tier of Immortal Emperors in the entire Immortal Realm, thus her status was not high.
Upon hearing from a servant that Zhou Sheng Gu of the Sheng Gu Immortal Kingdom had arrived, the Clear Wind Empress did not hesitate and immediately invited them in with great respect.
In the Clear Wind Palace, Zhou Hong saw the Clear Wind Empress.
The Clear Wind Empress was indeed beautiful, a true great beauty, exuding a fragile aura that evoked tenderness, and she had an excellent figure.
"Greetings, Immortal Emperor Sheng Gu," the Clear Wind Empress said, bowing before Zhou Hong's grandfather could speak.
"Empress Clear Wind, please dispense with the formalities. We are intruding on your domain today, and it is I who should pay my respects first."
"Senior Sheng Gu is too kind. You are an Immortal Emperor with 80 stellar degrees, while I am merely a weak Empress with twenty stellar degrees. How could I dare accept your bow?" the Clear Wind Empress replied politely.
Zhou Hong stood to the side, silent, observing the Clear Wind Empress. An indescribable feeling washed over him. This feeling wasn't necessarily that she was his first love from his past life; it could also be empathy for her gentle and fragile demeanor, making her seem vulnerable to bullying by other Immortal Emperors.
"Empress Clear Wind, allow me to introduce you. This is my grandson from my previous life; his name is Zhou Hong. Of course, in his past life, he was called Zhou Qing." Zhou Hong's grandfather immediately took the initiative to introduce him, even mentioning the name Zhou Qing.
"Greetings, Young Master Zhou." The Clear Wind Empress politely bowed to Zhou Hong again. She was unaware of Zhou Hong's strength, but out of respect for Zhou Sheng Gu's power, she had to show deference to Zhou Hong, refraining from displaying any airs of an Empress.
Zhou Hong felt a slight disappointment. The Clear Wind Empress showed no special reaction upon hearing the name Zhou Qing, as if she didn't recognize the person at all.
"It seems she's not the one," Zhou Hong shook his head faintly.
"What do you mean?" the Clear Wind Empress asked, looking at Zhou Hong with some confusion.
Zhou Sheng Gu quickly explained, "My grandson is searching for the woman from his past life. In his past life, his name was Zhou Qing, and he had a first love. Unfortunately, he has no memory of his past life, only knowing that he loved deeply. He is now tormented by these past life emotions and has come to search for her. Based on calculations, the woman from his past life should at least be an Immortal Emperor, around three hundred million years old."
"Oh, oh!" The Clear Wind Empress let out a soft sound and asked with a wry smile, "Are you suspecting it's me, and have come to verify?"
"Yes, but when I mentioned Zhou Qing just now, you showed no reaction. It seems you are not."
The Clear Wind Empress sighed and said, "To be honest, I have erased all memories from two hundred million years ago. Therefore, I only have memories from the last two hundred million years. I don't know if I knew this person named Zhou Qing in the memories I erased."
"Ah!" Zhou Hong and Zhou Sheng Gu were both greatly surprised.
"Why did you erase the memories from the initial one hundred million years?" Zhou Hong quickly asked.
"I don't know. However, from some of my old diary entries, I learned that I was influenced by a relationship that greatly disrupted my life. So, my family had my initial one hundred million years of memories removed through a soul stripping method."
"This...!" Zhou Hong was speechless. Then, was this Clear Wind Empress the one or not?
It was clear that if she was, then whatever happened between Zhou Hong and her must have occurred within the memories she had erased, given that they were likely first loves and quite young at the time.
"Zhou Hong, what do you think we should do? Is she or isn't she?" Zhou Sheng Gu asked his grandson with a wry smile.
"I don't know. Allow me to ask a few more questions."
Zhou Hong continued, "Empress Clear Wind, are you certain that you erased those initial one hundred million years of memories because of a relationship?"
"Yes, from notes I found unintentionally later, I learned that during that one hundred million years of erased memories, I was so affected by this relationship that my cultivation stagnated for a long time. Only after the interference of these memories ceased did my cultivation resume, and by chance, I was fortunate enough to become an Immortal Emperor."
Zhou Hong sighed deeply. Judging by this, it was highly probable that the Clear Wind Empress was the woman he had loved in his past life. However, Zhou Hong couldn't be entirely certain.
"Grandfather, you should go back first. I'd like to stay with Empress Clear Wind for a few days. I'm not sure yet, so I plan to stay and perhaps discover more information slowly." Zhou Hong said to his grandfather.
"This... that depends on whether Empress Clear Wind is willing. It's not as simple as you saying you want to stay," Zhou Sheng Gu shot Zhou Hong a knowing glance.