Chapter Thirteen: Grandmother of the Ninth Generation

Two figures flashed past. Unsure of their identities, Han Tianyue and his companions chose to avoid them. Just then, twelve more figures soared through the distance.

As these twelve closed in, a chilling aura surged toward them. Sensing something amiss, Han Tianyue and his group descended from the bamboo canopy to the ground.

The twelve pursuers were clearly fixated on the two figures ahead and paid no mind to Han Tianyue’s group, racing straight toward the pair fleeing to the southwest.

Watching them vanish into the distance, the woman in white remarked, "These figures are so familiar. If I am not mistaken, they are the Four Great Protectors and the Seven Heaven-Shaking Flowers who guard the Kingdom of Women."

"The one radiating that intense murderous aura must be the Star of Doom," Fang Zhe added, picking up where the woman left off.

The woman in white nodded. "It must be them. I wonder what the High Priestess intends to do, dispatching the Seven Heaven-Shaking Flowers and the Four Great Protectors all at once?"

"If that’s the case, isn't the Kingdom of Women completely unguarded?" Han Tianyue asked in surprise.

The woman nodded. "Though it is largely empty, the High Priestess is no ordinary woman."

"What about the Ninth-Generation Matriarch?" Fang Zhe pressed.

At the mention of the Ninth-Generation Matriarch, the woman’s expression flickered with unease, though she quickly composed herself. "The Ninth-Generation Matriarch rarely appears, so there is no need for you to worry about her."

Despite her words, both Han Tianyue and Mao Xuanzi felt a lingering apprehension regarding this mysterious figure.

The woman in white continued, "I know you wish to take this opportunity to rescue your companions. Let us go; I will accompany you."

She was sharp. Han Tianyue nodded, and after Mao Xuanzi and Fang Zhe exchanged a glance with him, the four set off toward the Kingdom of Women.

They soon reached the city walls. Despite the late hour, the gates were heavily guarded.

"How are we to get in?" Han Tianyue asked, glancing at the woman. A frontal assault would surely alert everyone.

The woman looked at Fang Zhe, then at the others. After a brief pause, she said, "I know of a secret passage leading into the city."

She led them to a tomb behind the bamboo forest and pointed at it. "There is a secret passage here that leads inside."

Han Tianyue scanned the area; there were no visible openings, only the grave.

"A mechanism is concealed here. I am the second person to know of its existence," the woman said, looking back at them.

Understanding her implication, Han Tianyue turned away, followed by Mao Xuanzi and Fang Zhe.

The woman looked at Fang Zhe one last time; she did not want a third person to know the secret, but she had no other choice. Once the mechanism was triggered, she called out, "Hurry, follow me!"

Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe turned back to see the tombstone pushed aside, revealing a passage. They followed the woman inside, and the stone slab slid back into place.

"This passage leads directly to the Queen’s bedchamber. The Queen is dead, so it is safe, but do not be alarmed by what you see when we arrive," the woman warned mysteriously. Having already committed to following her, they had no choice but to comply.

At the end of the tunnel, the woman pushed open a stone door, followed by a cabinet door. As it swung wide, the three men were frozen in their tracks.

"Ah!"

A group of women lay on the floor, completely naked, engaged in lewd acts with one another. Seeing people emerge from the cabinet, they shrieked in shock.

"Who dares intrude upon my bedchamber?" a raspy, aged voice demanded.

The woman in white quickly pulled off her veil, stepped forward, and knelt among the naked women. "Ninth-Generation Matriarch, it is I, Bai Yi."

"So, it is you, Bai Yi," an old woman dressed in ornate phoenix robes stepped forward. It was the Ninth-Generation Matriarch herself.