Pay homage?
Shen Qiang was astonished, and then he horrifyingly discovered that he could see and hear everything, yet he couldn't find his own body at all.
"This must be a dream. Looks like I've been thinking about women too much lately, even the damn Empress. Wasn't the feudal society already a thing of the past? Where would there still be any emperors?"
Atop the grand hall, the officials were shocked to hear Shen Qiang muttering to himself.
One of the men, who looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, sighed helplessly, then stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, a barbarian who does not even know what an emperor is cannot be entrusted with important tasks!"
Shen Qiang laughed, "This dream is so realistic. Isn't an emperor someone from a centralized, feudal, and backward society? It has already been phased out."
"Silence!"
"Impudence!"
"Your baseless claims!"
"Such a crime deserves death!"
Before Shen Qiang could finish his words, the ministers in the grand hall were already enraged.
However, at that moment, the Empress, sitting majestically on Luan's bed with a stunningly beautiful face, suddenly spoke up.
"Centralized power, claiming the world as one's own domain. A brilliant summary indeed."
The entire grand hall instantly quieted down.
Shen Qiang was also staring at the supremely beautiful Empress on Luan's bed in amazement.
Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, and her clear voice, with a touch of authority, sounded heavenly.
Looking at Shen Qiang, the stunning Empress asked sternly, "Tell me, are you a Huaxia person, and what is your surname?"
"My name is Shen Qiang."
"Surname Shen?" The Empress slightly furrowed her brows and said, "Ministry of Revenue, check."
No sooner had her words fallen
than an elder beside her stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, the origin of the Shen surname comes from three sources: one from the Ji family, descendants of the Yellow Emperor; the second from the Mi family, descendants of Emperor Zhuanxu; and the third from the Jin Tian clan of Shaohao."
"However, due to the Heaven and Earth Mirror Technique and the lack of a family tree for verification, it is impossible to determine which lineage he specifically comes from. The only thing that can be confirmed is that he indeed belongs to our Huaxia people."
Upon hearing this, the Empress, sitting on Luan's bed, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and her eyes softened a lot as they rested on Shen Qiang.
"Brave Sir Shen, this is the Immortal Realm's Central State, and the Five Emperors have already died in battle. Central State has been sealed. In just three hundred years, due to the Plague Source, our people have dwindled from a peak of 1.3 billion to less than three million."
Shen Qiang said in astonishment, "I'm a bit lost."
The Empress sighed and said, "Central State is rife with plague, and Huaxia is on the verge of extinction. However, whoever can activate the Summoning Order is certainly a doctor. Thus, I want you to abandon everything, focus on studying medicine rigorously, and make sure you come here within a hundred years to eradicate the Plague Source."
Shen Qiang laughed and said coldly, "I'm not interested."
In an instant, the beautiful Empress on Luan's bed was stunned.
The many ministers in the grand hall, on the other hand, were outraged.
"How dare you!"
"How dare you defy the empress's decree!"
"Foolish! Her imperial grace is boundless, bestowing this task upon you is the fortune of lifetimes of cultivation!"
"A barbarian who has forgotten his roots, deserving of death!"
Shen Qiang interrupted coldly, "What does the destruction or survival of the Immortal Realm have to do with me? You're in trouble and you want my help while making it sound like a favor? Get lost! As far away as possible, I'm not interested."
Instantly, all the ministers were furious.
But just then, the stunningly beautiful Empress, sitting on Luan's bed, took a deep breath and said solemnly, "How about this instead? If you can come here within a hundred years and save the Huaxia people, I will abdicate in your favor."
Shen Qiang laughed, "Although I quite like the idea of a palace with three palaces, six courts, and seventy-two concubines, I have no interest in being an emperor."
Upon hearing this, the beautiful Empress sitting on Luan's bed suddenly stood up, her gaze becoming icy as she looked at Shen Qiang, "Well then, if you can save Central State of Huaxia, I will gather for you the unmatched beauties from the eight great clans to form your three palaces and six courts."
"They're all as beautiful as you?" Shen Qiang raised his eyebrows.
Suppressing her fury, the stunningly beautiful Empress said coldly, "As long as you can do it, why wouldn't I marry you too?"
At the Empress's words, the ministers in the grand hall became anxious.
"Your Majesty, you must not!"
"He is nothing but a barbarian coveting beauty; the noble imperial bloodline must not be defiled by him!"
"Your Majesty..."
"Silence!" The Empress in front of Luan's bed harshly cut off her ministers, swept her phoenix eyes over the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Do we have any other choice?"
"Your Majesty, we have spread the Summoning Order throughout the Three Thousand Worlds, just as long as..."
The beautiful Empress cut in harshly, "The Summoning Order has been issued for three hundred years! There is only one person who meets the criteria, and if we wait another hundred years, Huaxia will already be extinct, so no more talk. My decision is final."
Turning her head to Shen Qiang, the stunning Empress said, "As long as you can come here within a hundred years and deal with the Plague Source, allowing the bloodline of the Huaxia clan to continue, I will deliver on my word."
Shen Qiang laughed, "What an interesting dream. Alright then, I'll come. Do you think I'd fear having too many beauties?"
"A gentleman's word!" The stunning Empress fixed her gaze on Shen Qiang.
Shen Qiang raised his eyebrows, "A promise as steadfast as a drawn cart with spirited horses!"
"Good. Leave the grand hall, and I will grant you the Medical Saint Inheritance," she declared.
Shen Qiang was taken aback.
A single book on traditional medicine, the "Elbow Emergency Formula," had already earned a Nobel Prize. If there truly were a Medical Saint Inheritance, how powerful would that be?
Right after that, Shen Qiang was amazed to see a buxom girl approach him as if carrying a tray, and she lifted Shen Qiang up, then walked out of the palace to the plaza outside.
The sky over the plaza was filled with dense clouds.
Shen Qiang, placed in the center of the plaza, could clearly see hundreds of fierce-looking powerhouses standing in a neat row amidst the howling wind.
At this time, the beautiful Empress walked out supported by her courtiers.
She looked around at everyone with a determined expression and proclaimed in a loud voice, "After three hundred years, today Huaxia finally welcomes a Responder. He will inherit the medical wisdom of the Medical Saint, and with it, address the Plague Seed, for which the Five Emperors gave their lives."
"At the same time, to ensure his smooth growth, I need a Death Soldier to cut the Immortal Roots and sever the Immortal Fate, and to closely guard him."
"This servant is willing to go!"
As soon as the stunning Empress's voice fell, the shapely young girl who was carrying Shen Qiang immediately knelt down.
Simultaneously, the area around them was filled with people kneeling down.
"This General is willing to go, please grant me this honor, my lord!"
Almost in tandem with Shen Qiang's astonishment, the breathtakingly beautiful Empress let out a slight sigh, "A single mountain cannot harbor two tigers. All you generals, rise; what he lacks is only a maid."
Everyone's gaze immediately turned to the young girl standing before Shen Qiang.
Just as a look of joy flashed across the gentle girl's face,
The stunning Empress said, "However, Xia'er is too gentle and lacks decisiveness, thus she is not the suitable candidate."
These words made Shen Qiang, who thought he was dreaming, panic, "She's grown enough, quite suitable."
The stunning Empress furrowed her brows.
Right then, a figure zoomed across the sky like a shooting star streaking by.
Boom!
In the midst of the turbulent airflow, a tall, extremely pale-skinned young woman, clad in tight, short leather armor, with a youthful and graceful figure and a long sword on her back, exuding an aura of cold, murderous intent, thunderously landed before the Empress.
The powerful whirlwind caused her black hair to flutter in the wind, her stunning profile and her athletically curvy figure making Shen Qiang feel an urgent desire to see her true face.
Unfortunately, at the moment, Shen Qiang could look, listen, think, and speak but was completely unable to move.
At this time, Shen Qiang noticed a slight smile on the Empress's face as she looked down at the kneeling woman before her and softly said, "Qingxuan, we grew up together like sisters; are you truly willing to go?"
The kneeling woman replied loudly, "For the well-being of the state and the prosperity of Huaxia, Qingxuan is willing to sacrifice her life without regrets!"
The stunning Empress sighed and said, "Cutting Immortal Roots, severing Immortal Fate, you shall not live a long life."
"Please grant me this, your majesty!"
The stunning Empress sighed, glanced at Shen Qiang, and said, "Granted."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The kneeling woman responded respectfully.
Seeing the envy in the eyes of the shapely young girl beside him, Shen Qiang asked in astonishment, "This 'Cutting Immortal Roots, Severing Immortal Fate,' is it really that good? You seem quite envious."
The shapely young girl was taken aback, then sighed softly, "Cutting Immortal Roots, Severing Immortal Fate, is akin to cutting off one's future prospects. However, to be able to serve by a hero's side and possibly save Huaxia in the future, that would be more than just an honor for one's family."
Shen Qiang chuckled awkwardly, making a sound of acknowledgment.
Almost at the same time, the kneeling woman beside the stunning Empress stood up and looked towards Shen Qiang.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Qiang was instantly awestruck.
Based solely on appearance, although this woman was not comparable to the stunning Empress, she was in no way inferior to any famous actress known for their beauty that Shen Qiang was familiar with; in fact, she was even slightly superior.
Especially at this moment.
Her tight leather armor not only perfectly outlined her slender waist but also emphasized her full, voluptuous bust. Her long and straight legs added to her tall and graceful figure.
The long sword she carried on her back, coupled with her fluttering black hair and pale complexion, gave her an exceedingly beautiful appearance that possessed the robustness of a Northern European beauty, as well as an ineffable sense of haughty pride.
"So beautiful,"
Shen Qiang couldn't help but exclaim sincerely.
At this point, the surrounding powerhouses all praised,
"General Qingxuan's sacrifice for her country and people will forever be etched in history."
"Congratulations to General Qingxuan."
"A woman worthy to stand alongside men, the children of Huaxia, will always remember General Qingxuan."
Such compliments echoed endlessly.
Yet, this inexplicably made Shen Qiang somewhat speechless, while at that moment, the stunning Empress's eyes turned cold as she commanded, "Bring forth the Medical Saint Inheritance!"
Immediately, the entire square fell silent.
A young girl, holding a Jade Box, walked forward surrounded by dozens of male figures.
"Bring the Plague Seed!"
On the other side, under the escort of many burly soldiers, a strikingly heroic general held a black Iron Box in his hands.
Once they had both boxes brought to the center of the square,
The stunning Empress looked at the pale-skinned, tall, and graceful young woman and asked, "Qingxuan, are you ready?"
The beautiful young woman with pale skin and a tall and graceful figure knelt down gently before the Empress, "To Your Majesty, Qingxuan is ready."
The Empress's eyes unexpectedly reddened, a faint mist forming in her eyes as she softly advised, "Qingxuan, cutting Immortal Roots, severing Immortal Fate, from now on Shen Qiang will be the master of your life. No matter what, you must prioritize him above all else."
Qingxuan's eyes also reddened as she replied softly, "Your Majesty, take care. Qingxuan can no longer serve you."
The Empress forcefully widened her eyes, trying to smile without letting tears fall, and with a complex look glanced at Shen Qiang before raising her voice to announce, "Send off General Qingxuan!"
"Majestic!"
The few hundred people on the square shouted in unison, and an air of desolation and resolution arose.
Even Shen Qiang felt an inexplicable sense of heroic sorrow.
Almost at the same moment, before Shen Qiang could think any further,
The red-eyed Empress suddenly stretched out her hand, and the long sword carried on Qingxuan's back flew instantly into her grasp.
The flash of the sword,
Splash!
Amidst the burst of blood, the head of the beautiful and cold Qingxuan was already held in the Empress's hand, leaving only her graceful body kneeling before the Empress, her pale skin making the splattered blood all the more glaring.
Startlingly red!