CHAPTER 324: CHAPTER 309 HOLY QUEEN - AI’AI

Stepping through, Wang Xu found himself back in the Wu Meng Divine Hall, standing before a grand hall covered in silver.

Wu Meng Silver Hall.

"Welcome back, Holy Queen!" Before the hall, thousands of Divine Hall Envoys gathered from all corners and knelt, chanting in reverence.

With a gentle wave of her hand, the envoys rose and parted to the sides, their gazes fervent and devout as they looked at the Holy Queen. To them, the Holy Queen was as divine as a deity, someone they had only heard of in legends; now seeing her in person left each of them electrified.

Wang Xu, being an outsider, hesitated whether he should leave when suddenly the Holy Queen took his hand. Startled, Wang Xu met her gaze and saw a smile that made everything else seem dim, as if the stars and moon had lost their luster.

"Big brother, let’s go." The Holy Queen held Wang Xu’s hand, stepping with noble grace, a transparent garment as thin as white gauze subtly appearing over her simple attire. The crystalline starlight shimmered at her feet, leading them forward.

As they entered the hall, the Holy Queen instructed Wang Xu to wait aside. He nodded and joined the ranks of Divine Hall Envoys, who treated him with utmost respect.

Despite her absence for decades of the Law Era, the Holy Queen’s dignity remained unchanged, untarnished by time.

Uninterested in the state affairs being discussed at the court, Wang Xu simply closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation.

Three days later.

"Dismiss the hall." With a flick of her sleeve, the Holy Queen ordered as the envoys, shouting praises, orderly exited the Wu Meng Silver Hall.

"Big brother, I’ll take you to my bedchamber." Now, the Holy Queen appeared nothing like the majestically imposing figure from earlier, but more like a friendly girl next door. She led Wang Xu, traversing the void to her quarters.

Following closely was Wuer, her most trusted attendant. Seeing her reveal such a smile and expression for the first time, Wuer was surprised and remained particularly vigilant towards Wang Xu.

The Holy Queen’s bedchamber wasn’t luxurious, lacking grand palaces or rows of guards and attendants. Instead, it was a simple little courtyard with a fresh, pleasant meadow, a floating waterfall, with occasional bird songs and wild beast cries—simple and unadorned, yet it left Wang Xu amazed.

The Holy Queen toured Wang Xu around different spots, her face always blossoming with smiles. Coupled with her already stunning beauty, Wang Xu found himself captivated, unable to look away.

Fortunately, Wang Xu quickly regained his composure and gently tugged the Holy Queen’s hand to signal her to stop.

"Holy Queen... I really don’t know how I should address you. Can you tell me what your relationship with Ai’ai is?" Wang Xu asked, voicing his greatest curiosity.

The Holy Queen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and softly replied, "You may call me Holy Queen, or Ai’ai. I have many names that are always changing. Even I can’t distinguish which is my true name."

When she said this, her voice carried a sense of ancient age and weariness, making Wang Xu understand, as he had once entered her memories, those sorrowful and bleak scenes must have been her past experiences.

"And Ai’ai... where did she go?" Wang Xu asked again.

"She’s here." The Holy Queen pointed to her heart, gazing deeply into the distance, "She is a manifestation of my Spiritual Sense, whom I deliberately exiled into the cosmos to experience everything in this world and seek a true answer."

"What answer?"

"When I first came into being, I vaguely saw a figure—warm and familiar, yet I could never clearly see his form. Once I had my own consciousness and awareness, I found this universe devoid of any living beings, that figure didn’t exist at all," the Holy Queen said. "But I firmly believe I didn’t see wrong—that figure must exist. So I continuously experience and search, just to see that figure once more."

Wang Xu felt a chill at heart, wondering if the figure the Holy Queen mentioned was, in fact, the owner of the Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos—the Wu Meng Saint Venerable!

The Wu Meng Saint Venerable created this cosmos, yet the beings here must not know of his existence. Everything must be concealed. The Holy Queen frantically searches yet doesn’t know that the Wu Meng Saint Venerable has fallen for countless eons.

"But I still don’t understand. If Ai’ai seeks answers for you in the cosmos, then how did you end up in the Fallen Sword Abyss, surrounded by seven altars that have sacrificed hundreds of billions of souls!" Wang Xu continued to question.

The mention of the seven blood altars conjured in Wang Xu’s mind an image of towering blood lights, and a scene filled with unimaginable guilt.

"Do you remember the Two Kings of the Divine Race I killed just now? Those seven altars were established by him," the Holy Queen said. "I exiled Ai’ai, my physical form guarded the Fallen Sword Abyss, and set up a Forbidden Array. In order to dispel the power of this array, he massacred countless beings, using resentful spirits, malevolent energy, sins, and bloodlight to counteract the Forbidden Array, turning the Fallen Sword Abyss into a Purgatory."

"He entered my Inner Cosmos, discovered the Sword Body Fragments of the Fallen Sword Abyss, and also found me in slumber. Even though I was asleep, he still couldn’t come close to me. He used the latent power within the Sword Body Fragments to establish seven altars, using the blood of countless beings to nurture them, aiding in his cultivation and attempting to neutralize my power."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xu understood that the Two Kings established the altars not to seek other Sword Body Fragments, but to utilize the power contained within the fragments to strengthen themselves while also dissolving the power of the Holy Queen.

"But he didn’t expect that neutralizing my power would be equivalent to disintegrating my Inner Cosmos. My power diminished, and simultaneously, the Inner Cosmos collapsed... The cosmos collapsed, and the power he neutralized backfired on him. Ultimately, he had no choice but to give up and leave the Inner Cosmos." Although the Holy Queen was in slumber, she sensed everything happening outside with a clear memory.

"As for what happened next, I lost consciousness. Until you entered my mind and successfully awakened me." As the Holy Queen said this, her eyes sparkled with a different kind of significance, "You are the first to witness my experience and also the last."

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Xu’s hand trembled slightly, and he hurriedly changed the topic, "But later, you didn’t have a shred of power. Even I could approach you, and the Sword Body Fragments were still in your Inner Cosmos, which are incredibly precious artifacts. How could he possibly let them go?"

"It’s because of the King of the Divine Race," spoke Wuer, the woman in red who had remained silent all along. "The King of the Divine Race suffered a severe setback upon entering the barren lands. The Two Kings, in order to vie for the throne, began to draw in the powerhouses of the Divine Race, preparing for rebellion. Moreover, he nearly lost his life that time, so naturally, he was unwilling to continue taking risks."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xu basically understood the entire storyline of events.

"Holy Queen..." Wang Xu had just begun to speak when the Holy Queen interrupted him.

"I am one with Ai’ai, just call me Ai’ai; I like this name."

"Ai... Ai’ai?" Wang Xu found it somewhat awkward. It was fine to call a little girl Ai’ai, but addressing a Holy Queen who was much older than him with this name always felt a bit uneasy.

Wang Xu felt awkward, but the Holy Queen found it very pleasant to hear, her face involuntarily lighting up with a radiant smile.

"Ai’ai, thank you!" Wang Xu’s words were very concise, yet powerful.

"No need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you." Ai’ai said with a smile. With a flip of her hand, a massive Wu Meng Spirit Essence suddenly appeared, which was exactly the one Wang Xu had always kept by Ai’ai’s side. "This is the most precious gift I’ve ever received, such a large Wu Meng Spirit Essence is rare throughout the entire Wu Meng Sacred Cosmos. You gave it to me directly when I asked, you are a good person."

Ai’ai hugged the Wu Meng Spirit Essence in her arms, feeling exceptionally warm.

Wang Xu felt a bit embarrassed. He indeed wanted this Wu Meng Spirit Essence, but since Ai’ai was like a living detector, with her, there would be plenty of Wu Meng Spirit Essences. It wasn’t really Wang Xu deliberately being kind to Ai’ai.

"So, I’ve decided to repay you." Ai’ai smiled mischievously, then waved her small hand amidst Wang Xu’s confused and puzzled gaze. Suddenly, pieces of Wu Meng Spirit Essence enveloped in a white mist began to materialize in the void. These Wu Meng Spirit Essences varied in size, but stacked together, they towered over Wang Xu!

Wang Xu watched in amazement. The Heart of Wu Meng truly lived up to its name as the prokaryote of the cosmos, able to collect Wu Meng Spirit Essences from any corner of the universe at will. Such a large quantity of Wu Meng Spirit Essence would be more than enough to elevate Wang Xu’s Life Level to its peak!

"These can boost your Life Index. Take them first, and if they are not enough, come ask me for more!" Ai’ai, like a little girl, felt immensely proud of being able to help Wang Xu in this manner.

Wang Xu took a deep breath, not standing on ceremony, and accepted all the Wu Meng Spirit Essences. His greatest hope now was to increase his power. To enhance his strength, he needed to elevate his Life Index. Now that he had left the Divine Race, Wang Xu naturally couldn’t return to hunt Exotic Beasts. He could only stay in Wu Meng in search of Wu Meng Spirit Essence.

"Big brother, let’s go play together. Before, it was always your clone accompanying me. This time I want you to play with me!" Ai’ai said, not caring whether Wang Xu agreed or not, pulling him along with her and stepping into an unfamiliar Star Domain.

Ai’ai reverted to the appearance of a little girl while Wang Xu altered his form, handing all the Wu Meng Spirit Essences to the primary deity to let him first increase the Life Index. The two then roamed and played across this Star Domain.

......

Half a year passed before Ai’ai was urged by Wuer to return to the Wu Meng Silver Hall, and Wang Xu finally got a bit of leisure.

Divine Stone Square.

"Senior Brother Lu Chen!" As soon as Wang Xu arrived at Divine Stone Square, he saw Lu Chen, whose surroundings within a hundred meters were all vacant. Ever since Lu Chen slaughtered all his competitors, his reputation had spread far and wide, and no Wu Meng Warrior dared to provoke him anymore, choosing to detour upon seeing him. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)