This woman was an extreme actress, so much so that she had transcended mere acting and become one with her role.
Such women were terrifying. Ning Beichen had encountered many of them before. Once ensnared by one, it was the beginning of a nightmare that never truly ended.
Just as Ning Beichen thought the Mad Emperor couldn't escape this woman's clutches, he saw the Mad Emperor suddenly grab Ye Yunyi by the neck.
"Ye Yunyi, don't play these games with me. The Qin Shangren of the past is dead. The Qin Shangren of today is not the one you could manipulate as you pleased."
"Qin Shangren, are you truly that heartless? Have you forgotten what you told me? You said you would give me anything I desired."
Ye Yunyi, her neck held tight, struggled to speak.
Her words instantly dredged up painful memories for the Mad Emperor.
"Ye Yunyi, only those who have died know how foolish they were, and how venomous you truly are. I won't fall for your tricks again."
The Mad Emperor spoke to Ye Yunyi.
However, at that moment, Ning Beichen's anxious voice rang out, "Mad Emperor, be careful!"
The Mad Emperor froze. Before he could react, he felt a jade palm strike his chest.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward.
The Empress, now suspended in the air, exuded an immensely powerful aura.
"The Empress is also a Heavenly Venerate!"
Ning Beichen felt a surge of disbelief. This woman was likely the one who had hidden her strength the deepest. No wonder she showed no fear of the Mad Emperor, not even flinching in his presence.
It wasn't bravado; it was capability.
"Qin Shangren, do you know why I didn't kill you back then? Because in my eyes, you were—just—an—ant!"
The Empress, hovering in the air, her immense aura creating a massive vortex on the ground.
The Mad Emperor, struck by Ye Yunyi's palm, crashed through the thick city walls and was sent flying hundreds of meters away, blood gushing from his mouth.
It wasn't just Ning Beichen and the others who were shocked; even the Mad Emperor himself, who believed he knew Ye Yunyi intimately, had never imagined she was not an ordinary woman but a female Heavenly Venerate.
The Mad Emperor, having taken the full force of the blow, was not mortally wounded but severely injured. He rose from the ground, wiped the blood from his face, and looked at the woman he knew intimately, the woman he had once loved to madness, with utter disbelief.
"You... you are a Heavenly Venerate?"
"Qin Shangren, do you understand the gap between us now? If I had wanted to kill you back then, it would have been effortless. I spared your life, so why did you return?"
The Empress Ye Yunyi gestured, and the Emperor's Seat flew to her. She sat upon it, gazing at Qin Shangren.
"If you looked down on me so much, why did you marry me then?"
Qin Shangren asked her, utterly bewildered.
"Because I am a woman. For a woman to establish herself in this world of kings and power, she needs a suitable man. What better choice than an Emperor?"
Ye Yunyi stated without reservation.
In other words, Qin Shangren was merely a suitable tool she had chosen, nothing more.
"I was just a suitable man? You... you never loved me, did you?"
The Mad Emperor's body trembled slightly.
"Yes, in my eyes, you were nothing more than an ant."
Ye Yunyi's words were merciless, crushing the last vestiges of hope within the Mad Emperor's heart.
"Hahaha... so I was just a fool."
Qin Shangren burst into laughter, spitting blood with each guffaw. For a man, what could be a greater blow than this?
"Do you think you're smart now? If you were smart, you wouldn't have come back. You would have found some hidden place to live out your days in obscurity!"
Ye Yunyi flicked her sleeve, sending a torrent of energy towards Qin Shangren.
The rushing sound was like the roar of a ferocious beast, making the imperial palace's tiles clatter and the very flagstones crack.
With blood gushing from his mouth, the Mad Emperor stomped his foot. With a thundering impact, he stood like an unyielding pillar, suppressing Ye Yunyi's energy wave.
As two Heavenly Venerates clashed, the imperial palace could not withstand the residual power. In less than fifteen minutes, the palace was in ruins, its magnificent and exquisite structures collapsing. Countless ordinary people within the palace, unable to escape, were crushed and killed.
Boom, boom, boom...
The Mad Emperor and Ye Yunyi fought ferociously, their every casual strike as Heavenly Venerates causing immense destruction to their surroundings. Soon, the imperial palace was reduced to a wasteland.
Furthermore, Ning Beichen and the others could see that the Mad Emperor was gradually losing ground. Just as Ning Beichen was about to intervene, he was stopped by the Mad Emperor.
"Ning Beichen, this is between her and me. Whether I win or lose, whether I live or die, you are not to interfere. If I die, please bury my body near that wooden house."
The Mad Emperor told Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen looked at the Mad Emperor for a long moment, seeing the resolve and determination in his eyes. He nodded and ceased his insistence.
For some, life and death were not the most important things. What was truly agonizing was living a life worse than death, and the Mad Emperor was in such a state.
With a series of dull thuds, the Mad Emperor fell from the sky. His left arm had been severed by Ye Yunyi, and he bore several wounds that exposed bone.
However, Ye Yunyi was also injured. Her abdomen had been shattered by a punch from the Mad Emperor. Both were severely wounded.
In terms of raw power, Ye Yunyi, as a Heavenly Venerate, was indeed stronger than the Mad Emperor.
But she valued her life, while the Mad Emperor was reckless with his. This leveled the playing field, resulting in Ye Yunyi's severe injuries as well.
At this point, Ye Yunyi began to feel a sense of unease. Despite her Heavenly Venerate cultivation, she was the Empress and had lived a life of pampered luxury, with few opportunities for actual combat.
The Mad Emperor, on the other hand, hailed from an extremely harsh environment. Before becoming a Heavenly Venerate, mere survival had been a challenge. Thus, he was more ruthless than anyone else, earning him the title of Mad Emperor.
Seeing the two locked in a mutual destruction, Ning Beichen was about to step forward to finish Ye Yunyi when he saw the Mad Emperor stagger to his feet and shake his head at Ning Beichen, signaling him not to act. Ning Beichen reluctantly retreated.
Now, the Mad Emperor, with one arm gone, limped towards Ye Yunyi. His eyes were vacant and dim, a look of utter despair and shattered will. This sight, however, greatly worried Ning Beichen.
Ye Yunyi looked at the Mad Emperor's resolute expression, and a flicker of panic crossed her face. She felt that this man had slipped beyond her control.