The snow had been falling for over half a month.
In Xixia, Beiling, and the region of Wuyin Mountain, heavy snow fell, and the wind howled.
Yet, there was one place that remained spring-like, adorned with blooming flowers.
The Empire.
Bustling streets, people coming and going.
A gathering place – the Ling Shu Pavilion.
Today was the day when the major spiritual sects would participate in the contract of divine beasts.
The Third Princess Shangguan Sangxi and the Fourth Princess Shangguan Yuwei, along with two princes, the Second Prince Shangguan Rongjing and the First Prince Shangguan Beichen, were all present.
Within the pavilion, many young ladies from noble families and sons and daughters of official households had also come to attend the divine beast contract ceremony.
The annual divine beast contract day was the most lively, prosperous, and grandest day in the imperial capital.
It was rumored that the divine beast appearing in the imperial capital this year would be the top-tier ancient divine beast, the Bai Ze.
This divine beast, with a tiger's body, crimson fur, and green horns, could breathe fire and possessed extremely strong attack power.
However, if one could seize the Bai Ze's spirit pill and subdue it through the art of contract, they could not only enhance their own cultivation but also become the most capable person in the empire.
In this empire where the law of the jungle prevailed, the level of spiritual cultivation determined one's nobility or lowliness in survival.
Even the reigning emperor had to respectfully address a Feather Ascension Master as a master.
And the only person who had ascended to the Feather Ascension realm in the empire was the Imperial Grand Tutor Yan Aotian.
Even the current emperor's cultivation was only at the early stage of the Void Transformation realm.
Most of the people gathered in the Ling Shu Pavilion were only at the Spirit Movement or Illusionary Silence stages.
For this reason, everyone wished to seize the opportunity of the Bai Ze divine beast's appearance to achieve self-improvement.
According to the empire's laws, everyone within the empire had to learn how to become a qualified Xuanling Master.
Xuanling Masters were also divided into ranks. Those with higher ranks could subdue more advanced beast spirits.
Conversely, Xuanling Masters of lower ranks would subdue lower-grade beast spirits.
Therefore, regardless of their own spiritual power, everyone present possessed some knowledge of Xuanling arts.
These Xuanling arts were used to subdue beast spirits.
"I heard that recently, a sect called Jue Sha Sect has risen in the martial world, and their sect leader is actually a demonic being, a demonic empress, surnamed Gu. Everyone calls her Sect Leader Gu. I also heard that this woman is pregnant and has a crippled husband who cannot walk by her side."
"What? Haha, has the demonic realm run out of people? How could they let such a demonic person show up and even establish some Jue Sha Sect? It's hilarious. Those unsavory characters from the demonic realm are fit to cause trouble in this martial world!"
"Exactly. Over the years, we've killed most of those demonic beings. The rest fled with the Evil Emperor to Demonic Mountain. For so many years, we haven't seen the Evil Emperor make any significant waves. Now, why is a pregnant woman showing up? Are they expecting us to watch her give birth? Hahaha..."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The Third Princess Shangguan Sangxi, upon hearing the rumors about the Jue Sha Sect, dismissed them with disdain: "This princess believes that the wicked Evil Emperor must have wronged that so-called demonic empress, and then sent such a fool out to die. To silence the gossip and prevent the world from thinking the Evil Emperor is a scumbag, he would give such a useless husband to that fool."
"Hahaha, Your Highness the Princess speaks the truth. Demonic beings are inherently not good, and that foolish demonic woman is even more foolish and wretched. And pregnant? Ha? Does she even have the face to give birth to this child?"
"The child of a demonic being is also a little demon. It can't possibly become one of us righteous people. What's the difference whether she gives birth or not? It's just living for a couple more days. These filthy people will eventually be killed by us. We are, after all, acting on behalf of heaven."
Beside her, Fan Tianqian, the daughter of the Fan family and a close friend of Shangguan Sangxi, chimed in.
Other ladies and young ladies from various households also echoed her sentiments.
The noble Second Prince Shangguan Rongjing and the First Prince Shangguan Beichen also felt that Shangguan Sangxi and the others made a lot of sense.
Beside them, Shangguan Yuwei, who had been holding a teapot and remained silent, glanced at her third sister and her second and eldest brothers.
Lowering her gaze, she bit her lip, and finally said softly, "No matter what kind of person they are, or whether they are good or bad, she has the right to be a mother. You are all here discussing a mother."
Shangguan Yuwei had a gentle disposition and a kind heart, but she was a bit timid, and her spiritual cultivation was not high.
She was the least favored princess in the royal family.
Her presence at the Ling Shu Pavilion today was at the behest of the Third Princess Shangguan Sangxi, who had condescendingly invited her to serve tea and water.
"Crack!"
Shangguan Sangxi reached out and knocked the teapot to the ground.
The slightly hot tea splashed all over Shangguan Yuwei.
Her fair white wrist turned a large patch of red.
Shangguan Sangxi glared at her angrily, "Shangguan Yuwei, what are you saying? A mother? Heh... does a filthy, wicked demonic being deserve to be a mother?"
As she spoke, Shangguan Sangxi poked Shangguan Yuwei's forehead with her finger.
Her grip was strong, and her nails were long.
A red handprint and fingernail marks were left simultaneously.
Upon closer inspection, a faint blood mark could be seen on Shangguan Yuwei's forehead.
Shangguan Yuwei leaned back and fell to the ground.
Among the crowd, no one went to help her.
Even her personal maidservant moved away from her with a look of disdain.
The others all watched with amusement.
Shangguan Yuwei's cultivation was not as high as hers, and she was also not favored. Her mother was a concubine of low status.
How dare such a lowly person contradict her in front of everyone?
Heh! Shangguan Yuwei, that slut, is tired of living!
"Fourth Sister, since you think demonic beings are so good, then how about this: when I capture the demonic beings tomorrow, you can marry one of them. Anyway, you think demonic beings are better than all of us, right? How about it?"
Mockingly.
Shangguan Sangxi deliberately slandered Shangguan Yuwei.
The surrounding crowd cast looks of disgust and contempt at Shangguan Yuwei.
To speak well of demonic beings? That was an act of hostility towards the people of their empire!
Was the Fourth Princess Shangguan Yuwei out of her mind?
"I... I didn't mean that... Third Sister, I..."
Shangguan Yuwei was at a loss for words, and now, surrounded by everyone and verbally humiliated by Shangguan Sangxi,
She cried out in despair.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Shangguan Sangxi's anger intensified.
"Fourth Sister, what did you say? Did I say something wrong? Oh, I just remembered, your mother, Concubine Li, also likes to cry like this. She always pretends to be weak to gain favor from Father Emperor. Are you the same? As the mother, so is the daughter! Your methods are all so despicable!"
As soon as these words were spoken, those young masters from various households who had initially felt pity for Shangguan Yuwei and wanted to help her.
Immediately swallowed back the words they were about to say and abandoned the idea of speaking up for Shangguan Yuwei.
"So many of you are bullying a weak woman here, where is your face? Have you no shame?"
The wind blew, and countless pink peach blossoms fell from the sky.
A woman in red appeared in everyone's sight.
As she arrived, her personal guard, the Flood Dragon Amu, held an umbrella for her.
The woman pushed a man in white, sitting in a wheelchair, slowly forward.
Several people followed behind her.
The woman exuded a powerful aura, especially her eyes, which glowed with a purple light and were filled with frost...