Chapter 419: Ascension
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Father Emperor!” Nan Feng Yu panicked, rushing forward to support the old emperor.
[At such a crucial moment, you must not collapse!]
The old emperor’s health was frail. Valley Master Jiang had been on standby in the corner, and the moment he saw the emperor collapse, he swiftly stepped forward.
Behind him, Jiang Lin carried the medicine chest and gestured towards Lu Chao Chao.
After checking the emperor’s pulse, Valley Master Jiang’s brows furrowed tightly.
“His Majesty’s body cannot endure much longer. Once matters are settled, we must immediately seek out the Elf Clan. His Majesty’s pulse… is peculiar…” Valley Master Jiang was deeply perplexed.
For days, he had examined the emperor’s pulse but remained bewildered.
“What is wrong with His Majesty?” Nan Feng Yu’s eyelids quivered. She had poisoned the emperor with a divine realm substance—no mortal doctor should have been able to detect it.
Valley Master Jiang’s expression darkened.
“His Majesty exhibits a pulse of one whose life is at its final embers. Normally, those near death would be in an extremely poor state. However, His Majesty has been able to eat and drink well, and even frequently preside over court affairs.”
Nan Feng Yu nodded. Not only that, but the emperor had also seemingly resisted her poison.
“That is because, beyond his exhausted pulse, there was an inexplicable life force sustaining him.”
“Making him appear perfectly fine.”
“Just now, that life force suddenly vanished.” Valley Master Jiang was astonished. That mysterious force had appeared inexplicably and disappeared just as suddenly.
He had spent days researching medical texts but found no clues.
“Chest pains…” The old emperor’s voice was frail. His lips, once rosy, were now parched and pale.
He too had sensed a strange power sustaining him.
But now, it was gone.
Fear gripped his heart.
Clutching Valley Master Jiang’s hand with surprising strength, his nails turned white from the force, causing Jiang pain.
“Jiang… Jiang… Valley Master, s-save me…” The old emperor barely had the strength to speak. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Even Xu Shi Yun furrowed her brows. “Why has his condition deteriorated so suddenly?”
Earlier, Valley Master Jiang had estimated that the emperor had seven days left to live. Xu Shi Yun had not believed it.
His state had seemed far too robust.
He had not resembled an elderly man riddled with illness, on the verge of death.
But now…
He looked as though he could perish at any moment.
Lu Chao Chao covered her mouth, hurriedly chewing something, and mumbled, “Perhaps he committed too many sins.”
“Your Majesty, please release me. I will perform acupuncture to temporarily sustain your heart meridian—just long enough to get through today.” Valley Master Jiang had no other choice but to comfort the emperor.
The emperor’s heart pounded fiercely, as if it would leap from his chest.
Each breath felt like a step closer to death.
He could sense it—his end was near.
[What in the heavens is happening?!]
Valley Master Jiang, inheritor of the divine medical arts, wielded his golden needles with unparalleled skill. With swift precision, he stabilized the emperor’s heart meridian, easing some of his panic.
Yet his complexion remained ghastly.
“This is a century-old ginseng. Your Majesty, please hold a slice under your tongue. A millennia-old ginseng would be even more effective.” Valley Master Jiang advised carefully.
“Dispatch men to find one tomorrow,” the old emperor weakly replied, unable to even lift his hand.
Supporting him, the people around carefully helped him back to the dragon throne.
The old emperor’s gaze drifted, his hand pressing against his empty-feeling heart, as though something was missing.
A gentle breeze swept past, lifting the marriage contract from the floor and carrying it away to an unknown destination.
The empress had been punished with seclusion for reflection, but as this was Nan Zhi Yi’s auspicious day, the old emperor could not bear to disgrace her. Thus, he permitted her to remain at the ceremony.
The national advisor had completed the sacrificial rites and now turned towards Nan Zhi Yi.
Nan Zhi Yi stepped forward with tearful eyes, filled with longing. “Daughter bids farewell to Mother. May Mother take care. Yi’er will always be your child and will watch over you from the divine realm, never forgetting your grace in this life.”
She spread her hands, kneeling before Nan Feng Yu, her forehead touching the ground.
“You must not! You are about to return to the divine realm—you cannot bow to me.” Nan Feng Yu tried to lift her, but Nan Zhi Yi shook her head, solemnly bowing three times.
“You are my birth mother. How could I not bow? The bond between mother and daughter is eternal.”
Nan Feng Yu smiled while accepting the gesture, though she understood—Nan Zhi Yi was ensuring her dignity before the emperor.
Even after Nan Zhi Yi ascended, the old emperor would not dare mistreat her mother, who remained in the mortal realm.
Indeed, the old emperor’s gaze grew even more solemn.
When Nan Zhi Yi rose, she turned to the emperor and empress.
“Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Grandmother, I do not know when I will return after this departure.”
“But I am grateful for your care in the mortal realm. I will carry the fate of the Southern Kingdom upon my shoulders, ensuring its prosperity and never forgetting my duty.”
“I will always be the guardian goddess of the Southern Kingdom.”
“I will ensure it flourishes, becoming the greatest nation in the mortal realm.”
“Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Grandmother, you are dearest to me. Please take care.”
“Imperial Grandmother has made mistakes and must be punished, but do not let this wound the decades-long love between you. Otherwise, Yi’er will not have peace even after ascension.”
The old emperor’s hands trembled, but his heart ached too much to fully express his emotions. Suppressing his feelings, he shed silent tears. “Good, good, good!”
“Good child!”
“Imperial Grandfather did not misjudge you.”
“You are a fine child. Take care of yourself in the divine realm…” He lifted his hand, his skin sagging over frail bones.
“With you, the Southern Kingdom is blessed.”
“The kingdom will always be proud of you. After your ascension, a new page will be added to the royal family’s registry, ensuring that history remembers your brilliance!” The old emperor’s pride was evident.
Though he resented Nan Feng Yu’s actions against him, she had borne him an exceptional daughter.
Nan Zhi Yi solemnly kowtowed. “Yi’er bids farewell.”
The empress wiped away her tears. Standing beside her, Nan Feng Yu supported her mother, both shedding silent tears.
Nan Mu Bai’s eyes reddened. “Sister, I will miss you.”
He had long known his sister was a goddess and that this day would come. But now that it had, his heart ached at the parting.
“Live well in the divine realm. If you ever feel wronged, return home.”
Nan Zhi Yi smiled at her elder brother.
[Return? How could I return?]
Storm clouds gathered, and the heavens shifted. Nan Zhi Yi’s gown fluttered as she stood atop the ascension platform.
She gazed upon the world with an air of divine arrogance.
Raising a single hand, the masses erupted in fervent cries.
“May the Goddess forever bless the mortal world!”
“May the Goddess forever bless the mortal world!”
“May the Goddess forever bless the mortal world!” The people’s cheers grew feverish, their eyes brimming with awe.
“The Goddess will surely ascend! The Goddess will surely ascend!”
“Yi’er must succeed!” The empress clutched her prayer beads, watching anxiously.
Her lips spoke prayers, yet her heart harbored serpentine thoughts.
Nan Zhi Yi raised her chin. “Mother, fear not. Yi’er will certainly succeed. To her, ascension is merely returning home.”
[The divine bones I unearthed myself—how could I not know their authenticity?]
Having merged with her divine bones, Nan Zhi Yi radiated a true divine presence. Even if an Immortal Sovereign stood before her, they would struggle to distinguish between her and a true god.