Chapter 90: In the End, I Am Still Your Aunt! (Please Subscribe)

That night.

The darkness was as black as ink, enveloping everything in silence.

The sky was clear of clouds, with stars flickering faintly against the void.

Moonlight spilled over the Wanxiang Garden of the Duke of Zhen Guo’s mansion, illuminating every corner of the courtyard, casting long shadows along the winding paths and blooming flowers.

In the night’s embrace,

The consort of the Southern Ming Prince’s delicate form, cloaked in her spiritual essence, shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

She stepped softly toward Wanxiang Garden.

Clad in resplendent palace attire, her head adorned with a golden phoenix crown woven with silk threads, she radiated an aura both noble and mysterious. Beneath the moon’s glow, her beauty was even more arresting, her eyes clear and cold like autumn waters, gleaming with a sharp light.

The Southern Ming Consort simply could not swallow her grievance; that very night, she came again to the Duke of Zhen Guo’s mansion.

Given her strength, it should have been impossible for her to infiltrate unnoticed among the many powerful figures within.

Yet this time, she paid a great price, employing a rare, heavenly-grade artifact.

It allowed her to move silently, to relocate her entire body to a place she had previously visited.

Such artifacts had limited uses; she had originally intended to save it for the upcoming imperial festival, to teleport the Demon Emperor directly there beside the Great Zhou Emperor and eliminate him.

But the Southern Ming Consort could no longer wait.

Rather than preserving the artifact for the festival, she chose to use it now—to eliminate the heir of the Duke of Zhen Guo.

Perhaps even she did not fully realize it yet.

In her heart, the Great Zhou Emperor and the Duke’s heir were already on the same tier.

Though Cheng Guang, the heir, was not highly cultivated, in her eyes he attracted even more hatred than the emperor.

This time, she used a heavenly-grade artifact at great cost to teleport herself here.

Her goal: to kill Cheng Guang.

Even if she escaped afterward using the artifact, her fate would be grim.

The lingering traces of her spiritual essence would be discovered, ultimately leading back to her.

If her identity were uncovered, even as the noble Southern Ming Consort, she could be executed on the spot.

Moreover, this could implicate the Southern Ming Prince himself.

The consequences would be severe.

At this moment, the Southern Ming Consort felt that even if it meant exposing the Southern Ming Prince and the destruction of her spiritual essence, leading to the death of this incarnation, it was worth it to kill the Duke’s heir.

Though it was not worth it, it was necessary.

The situation had reached a point where the heir simply had to be eliminated.

Setting aside today’s events,

For the Southern Ming Consort, her own pride was secondary.

The lives taken by Cheng Guang were insignificant.

Those who died were her trained assassins. Though it cost much to cultivate such dead souls, any task achievable through resources was a minor detail to her.

Once the Southern Ming Prince’s puppet ascended the throne and controlled the Great Zhou Dynasty, all the realm’s resources and wealth would be hers to command.

The key point was that the Duke’s heir knew the Southern Ming Prince was the reincarnation of the late crown prince.

What was more absurd was that no one knew how Cheng Guang had obtained this secret.

Though he had not yet revealed it to Cheng Zhihai or the Great Zhou Emperor, it was uncertain if he ever would.

If Cheng Guang’s claim of wanting to join them was genuine, she might have let him live a while longer.

But the Southern Ming Consort could not fathom what was truly in his mind.

He oddly declared a wish to join them, then abruptly slaughtered all the assassins she had sent.

It was inconceivable.

She speculated that Cheng Guang had not yet told the emperor because he lacked proof.

After all, the Abyssal Demon Clan’s methods of alteration were flawless.

No one but herself—or the Abyssal Demons—could recognize that the Southern Ming Prince was the former crown prince.

Thus, she was confident that even if this incarnation’s identity were exposed upon assassinating the heir, it would not necessarily reveal the Southern Ming Prince’s true self—at most, it would raise suspicion.

Tonight, the Southern Ming Consort had resolved that even if this incarnation’s spiritual essence dissipated and died, she would kill the Duke’s heir.

If he lived, she could not rest.

Years of plotting with the demon clan might be undone by one heir.

This was intolerable.

For this reason, she paid dearly, risking the life of an incarnation carrying the imperial bloodline, to eliminate the heir—a great achievement.

What benefits she might later bargain with the demon clan was another matter.

Her noble expression unchanged, she stepped into the Duke’s mansion, into Wanxiang Garden, and hovered above Cheng Guang’s bedroom.

Her elegant eyes swept over the room.

Her spiritual essence sank effortlessly through the chamber.

There was no need to describe the luxury of Cheng Guang’s bedchamber.

The Southern Ming Consort had no desire to scrutinize it.

With a flawless, majestic face devoid of emotion, she gazed down at the handsome heir quietly asleep beneath his covers.

He seemed truly asleep, lying peacefully on the bed.

The maid she had seen last time was not beside him.

Only a black dog, spotted earlier that morning, lay curled in a corner by the bedside.

Her gaze shifted from Cheng Guang to the dog.

The moment her spiritual essence entered the room, it seemed the black dog opened its eyes and glanced at her.

But when she looked directly at it, the dog remained lying down, its chest rising and falling gently—it was asleep.

She only gave the dog a cursory glance, not in the mood to investigate any oddities.

As she turned her gaze away,

The dog, which had been closing its eyes as if asleep, slowly opened them and looked toward her.

The Southern Ming Consort sensed it and, startled and uncertain, slowly turned her head to the dog.

Their eyes met.

Her noble, composed face showed a hint of surprise.

For good reason.

She had prepared thoroughly.

The last time she tried to strike Cheng Guang in secret, she failed and was discovered early.

Not only did she fail, but Cheng Guang had counterattacked fiercely.

She had even been marked with the charm of the Bewitching Gaze.

For the Southern Ming Consort, it was a deep humiliation.

Having suffered once, even if she risked stumbling twice in the same gutter, she now brought her true body here with the heavenly-grade artifact.

Her spiritual essence cloaked her body, hiding her presence perfectly.

Even among the many powerful figures in the mansion, none detected her.

Even Cheng Guang himself, sleeping quietly on the bed, sensed nothing.

Yet now,

A seemingly insignificant black dog had discovered her.

How was this possible?

She silently observed the black pup.

The dog inspected her with curious eyes.

Tilting its head in an almost human gesture of curiosity.

The Southern Ming Consort’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

Though startled that the dog had detected her presence, she had no time to focus on this insignificant creature.

Her priority was to strike the Duke’s heir.

The moment she acted, her body would be exposed.

She had to kill Cheng Guang swiftly and then escape with the artifact.

She knew that if she hesitated even a moment, escape would be impossible.

Taking a deep breath, her spiritual power surged.

Just as she prepared to strike,

The world around her spun wildly.

The scenery twisted and warped.

Dark shadows from her own mind surfaced—hellish aura filled with hatred, greed, cruelty.

“Hm?”

Her noble face remained calm; such dark emotions did not disturb her.

As a member of the demon clan from the Abyssal Realm, no matter the strength, they were accustomed to such auras.

Some even fed on such negative emotions.

She paid no mind to these dark thoughts.

Instead, she was struck by their purity.

Far purer than the malice most demons exuded.

As if...

It came from a Demon Emperor.

A heavy feeling weighed on her chest; her breath quickened.

Her thoughts turned to the black dog, still watching her.

The once silly-looking dog now appeared different in her refined eyes.

Under the moonlight, the black canine sat calmly, its coat as black as ink, glossy as if painted with flames of hell.

Its eyes, like deep black gemstones, shimmered with a mysterious glow.

It carried an arrogant, haughty bearing, as if looking down on her.

“Could it truly bear the bloodline of a Demon Emperor?”

Her beautiful brow furrowed slightly.

Though reluctant to pay attention to the dog, she felt an inexplicable unease emanating from it.

To think this seemingly foolish dog could unsettle her so—it was almost laughable.

“Even if you are a demon, or possess the blood of a Demon Emperor, how dare you behave this way in my presence?” she thought.

A smile played on her lips.

Though surprised to encounter a demon clan member here in the mortal realm, she did not dwell on the black dog.

She waved her hand lightly.

A ray of spiritual energy silently shot toward the dog.

The light entered the dog’s body and surged into its mind.

She no longer paid attention.

To her, even if the dog was a demon with Demon Emperor blood, its aura was too weak to survive against her.

Her gaze returned to the sleeping Cheng Guang.

Her hands formed seals as divine power flickered between her brows, spiritual energy swelling around her.

A terrifying aura spread like spring rain from her body.

Behind her, a deity seemed to emerge—a female figure holding a bodhisattva seal, clad in a glowing Taoist robe, her eyes half-closed, a lotus throne floating beneath her.

Golden spiritual energy flowed from the deity as she mirrored the Consort’s movements.

As her aura peaked, the Southern Ming Consort inhaled deeply, confident her strike would kill Cheng Guang.

But just then,

The distorted world around her grew restless.

A black dog’s paw suddenly rested on her body.

“You can’t kill him, woof.”

A low, hoarse voice whispered in her ear.

Her body stiffened instantly.

Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she slowly turned to the side.

There stood the black dog she had just dismissed, now upright, its paw on her shoulder.

Its goofy canine face twisted with human-like hesitation.

“If this man had nothing to do with me, you could kill him all you want, but I feel if he dies, I... won’t fare well either...”

The black dog’s gaze shifted to the deity figure behind her.

***

The pitch-black paw reached out and pressed upon the deity's image.

“Crack, crack...”

Suddenly, the sound of shattering echoed through the void.

Like glass breaking, cracks spread rapidly across the deity’s form.

Then,

Bang!

The deity shattered like a bubble.

The Southern Ming Consort’s body trembled slightly, her face paling.

She spat blood, her aura plunging to its lowest ebb.

“You... you...”

“This...”

Her exquisite, noble face showed panic.

She stared blankly at the black dog beside her, speechless.

How could this frail dog suppress her singlehandedly?

The moment its paw touched her, it felt as if a mountain had fallen upon her.

This sensation...

Was deeply wrong!

Even the Celestials had never oppressed her so strongly.

Though she was only a fragment of the Abyssal Demon Emperor, she believed she had inherited some of the original’s temperament.

Even if Mount Tai crumbled, she could remain unmoved.

Yet...

Being subdued by a single paw of a black dog shattered her Dao heart.

Not only that, but her worldview nearly collapsed.

Even if the black dog was a demon with Demon Emperor blood, it could not possess such overwhelming power.

Its mere presence filled her with fear and trembling.

Could this black dog truly be a Demon Emperor?

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.

When she first saw the black dog,I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.