Number One Under Heaven

Feng Li’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably after hearing General Xiang’s report. “C-Can you repeat that?” She asked.

“Yes! His Majesty, the Celestial Emperor, has ordered this one to win the auction and destroy the painting afterward! His Majesty had originally planned on coming in person, but because of an accident, his Majesty has decided to stay in the Jade Slip Room!”

‘This stubborn old man! Did we not have a civilized conversation about this already?!’ Feng Li cried inside her heart, and she decided to give Tian Qiang a good lecture once she gets back.

*****

Inside the Celestial Palace, home of the Imperial Tian Family and ruler of the Universe, Tian Qiang was silently Cultivating in front of a table with Jade Slips displayed on it. ‘General Xiang should be at the auction by now… Although I did agree to not interfere as the Celestial Emperor, I did not agree to anything as the Father!’ He laughed inside his heart.

‘Tian Yi is my son; and as his Father, I cannot allow something like a half-naked painting of him exist in this Universe! This is not only to protect his image as the next Celestial Emperor, it is also for my image as his Father! What kind of Father would allow the public to drool on an erotic painting of his son?! Not this one!’

Tian Qiang suddenly looks up to stare at the two colorless Jade Slip in front of him, and he sighs. “Where did I go wrong? All I wanted to do was keep him safe… I may have taken it to the extreme by keeping him isolated, but if I let him out… This happens… Not to mention that my wife has been avoiding me lately--- she’s probably angry at me for that incident...” He shakes his head at the two colorless Jade Slip.

“Hell, he might have already done things that cannot be traced with only the Jade Slip alone----” Tian Qiang suddenly realized an Earth Shattering and Heaven Destroying size problem, and he stood up instantly! “W-What if he gets a kid?! W-What if I suddenly become a grandfather without realizing it?! T-This… This is pretty stupid…” He sighs at his own stupidity and sat back down. ‘I always do this; exaggerating and all… That brat; where is he and what is he doing right now…?’

*****

Back at the auction--- Feng Li, Tian Yi’s Mother, and General Xiang, General of Tian Yi’s Father is in a deadlock with the auction. If either of them wins, the situation would be the same, the Tian Family will win the auction. However, the outcome will be different. Although nobody knew what Feng Li was planning on doing with the painting once she wins, they do know that the painting would be destroyed if General Xiang wins, and that was something none of the females there wanted to happen even if Heaven itself falls.

“General Xiang, I will not be unreasonable and order you to ignore his order and go back--- however, with that said, I will not let you win either. Five trillion Heavenly Jade,” said Feng Li.

General Xiang made a sour face. and said, “His Majesty is only doing this for Young Master’s own good; I am sure that her Majesty has the same thoughts, so why is her Majesty trying to interfere with His Majesty who has the same objective as her Majesty? Six trillion.”

“We may have similar thoughts, but it is definitely not the same. He plans on destroying the painting, while I have other plans for it--- Seven trillion.”

General Xiang could not guess her plans no matter how hard he tried. “Your Majesty, do we really have to do this? I also believe that destroying this abomination would be the best for everybody and Young Master… Eight Trillion.”

“Not only did he chase my son away, but he even dares to go back on his promise? If I don’t cook him in chicken soup when I get back, then I am not Feng Li!” She tried to veil the anger within her voice, but someone as experienced as General Xiang did not miss that.

General Xiang instantly frowns upon hearing that. ‘So her Majesty is really mad at his Majesty because of Young Master...’

Although Feng Li did not really voice her anger at Tian Qiang during Tian Yi’s runaway incident, her blood has been boiling ever since that day. She felt that she had failed as a Mother because her son had run away from home--- from her. Every day she wondered what she could have done better as his Mother that could’ve prevented such an incident.

“This one is aware of her Majesty and her feelings, but rest assure, we will bring back Young Master as fast as possible---”

“Then tell me, General Xiang, where is my son, Yi’er, right now?”

“.....” General Xiang instantly turns quiet and lowers his head, unwilling to look at her in the eyes.

“You don’t even know where he is now, yet you can tell me with such a confident voice that he’ll be back soon?”

“....” General Xiang trembles from her voice. He felt like a child being lectured for lying.

“General Xiang, do not take this to heart; I am not blaming you. Ten trillion.”

“.....”

“.......”

The entire place had turned quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was Feng Li voice that sounded calm yet was on the edge of exploding. If it were not for the people down there watching her, she might have already exploded and gone straight home to beat Tian Qiang up.

Su Qi silently looked at Feng Li. ‘Tian Yi, you brat, look at what you have done. Not only did you make me feel so lonely for the past few weeks, you also made your beloved Mother so sad…’

Jiutian Xuannu also had many things going on in her mind as she watched Feng Li’s lonely face. It was not something visible, but something that only those who had the same feeling as her could see.

General Xiang rubs his temples at this stressing situation. He really did not know what to do at this point.

“Are you done, General Xiang?” Asked Feng Li.

“Haaaaa. I would like that, but because this is a direct order from his Majesty, I will have to obey--- 20 Trillion Heavenly Jades,” he said.

“T-Twenty trillion?!?! He doubled her Majesty’s bid in one go!”

Feng Li did not hesitate even after hearing that price, and said, “30 Trillion.”

“40 Trillion.”

“50 Trillion.”

“....”

“......”

“Holy Mother of----”

“I know that they are the Imperial Tian Family and all; but isn’t that a bit too much money for a painting?”

“Isn’t this basically a fight between husband and wife for the son?”

“50 Trillion… The previous highest bid in the History of all auction was only around one trillion…”

“General Xiang, you look pale, are you sure that you do not want to go back home and take a nap? 80 Trillion.”

“T-This one cannot rest until the mission is accomplished… 100 Trillion---” General Xiang was already on the verge of crying. He would’ve never thought that the day he would cross swords with the Empress would ever come--- and in such a stupid way at that.

Huan Yishu had stopped listening to the numbers being bid long ago and could only stare at them with a dumbfounded face.

“150 Trillion,” said Feng Li.

“......” General Xiang did not follow this time and stood there silently.

“What? Did you already reach the limit he gave you?” Feng Li smiled for the first time since the entire auction.

“......” General Xiang did not reply her question; instead, he takes out a Jade Slip and sends his Divine Sense into it.

*****

Tian Qiang who has been Cultivating this entire time suddenly opens his eyes and takes out a Jade Slip. “Took you long enough; did you finally destroy that thing?” He sends his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip.

“This one apologizes to his Majesty for it has not been accomplished yet…” General Xiang’s tired voice came back.

“What is taking you so long? Don’t tell me 100 trillion Heavenly Jade is not enough to buy a mere painting?!”

“T-That--- and another problem… Your Majesty’s wife, the Empress, is the only one fighting back… And her Majesty is not willing to give up and currently has a bid of 150 trillion Heavenly Jades…”

“SHE WHAT?!?!” Shouted Tian Qiang as he stood up.

“Her Majesty also said something about cooking his Majesty in chicken soup…”

“.....” Tian Qiang bit his lips when he heard that, and said, “Good! Since the inevitable has already happened, I might as well go all out!”

“.... Your Majesty…?” General Xiang did not understand what Tian Qiang meant by that until a few seconds later.

*****

Seeing how General Xiang was not speaking, Feng Li said, “Looks like you have really hit your spending limit---”

“FIVE HUNDRED TRILLION HEAVENLY JADE!”

*BOOOM*

This abrupt voice came like a Heaven Tribulation, scaring the piss out of everybody there.

“T-This voice…”

“HIS MAJESTY, THE CELESTIAL EMPEROR’S VOICE?!?!?!?!?!” Everybody cried out.

Feng Li instantly frowned, “You stubborn one! What about your promise to not interfere?!” She roared back.

“That was a promise I made as the Celestial Emperor! I am doing this as his Father!” Tian Qiang argued back.

“Y-You are being unreasonable! Just you wait until I come back!”

“Hmph!” Tian Qiang sneered.

“G-Good! Since you want to play this game, then I will too! One quadrillion Heavenly Jade! Don’t you underestimate me! Did you forget that I used to be this Universe's richest individual?!”

“Y-You! Good! Since you want to play this game, then I will too----”

“I offer this piece of Jade!” A familiar voice interrupts Tian Qiang, and a figure slowly flies up into the sky.

“T-That’s…”

Xi Wangmu was the first one to recognize that face, “Jiutian Xuannu?! What the hell are you doing interfering with the Imperial Tian Family?!” She cried out.

However, as if she did not hear her, Jiutian Xuannu continued to fly towards Huan Yishu. And after she was close enough, she puts her hand inside her robe, taking out a piece of Jade that was the size of her palm.

Huan Yishu was confused at first, but the moment his eyes glanced at the piece of Jade was the moment his heart had literally stopped beating. If it weren’t for him being a God, he would’ve repeatedly died many times at the moment.

“T-T-T-T-T-Th-Th--- Y-Y-You--- W-W-Who?!?!?!” Huan Yishu was so shocked that he was unable to speak properly!

Everybody could see the expression on Huan Yishu’s face, and they were instantly bewildered.

“What did she take out to make him so shocked?”

“He wasn’t even this shocked when Her Majesty or His Majesty appeared!”

Feng Li felt something was amiss, so she flew over to where they were and also took a glance at the piece of Jade. And the moment she did, her heart began beating like drums!

“T-T-That’s!!!”

“Ah---” Jiutian Xuannu was frightened when Feng Li tightly grabbed the side of her shoulders.

“Who are you and why do you have the Jade Slip that identifies you as my son, Tian Yi’s General?!?!” Feng Li shouted.

“....”

“.......”

“Eh…..?”

That sudden question was like a random Lightning strike on a clear day--- totally unexpected!

While many people were still stunned, Su Qi included, Feng Li asked Jiutian Xuannu again, “I will not ask you again! Why do you have something that only the General of my son, Tian Yi, can have?!?! Where did you get it?!”

*BOOOM*

A monstrous pressure rained down on the entire Minor World, and what came into people’s view next was a middle-aged man wearing an outfit that only the Celestial Emperor could wear! Tian Qiang, the Celestial Emperor, has appeared out of nowhere with an expression that clearly said he is in shock!

Things were happening so fast that everybody there had forgotten to greet the Celestial Emperor’s arrival, and Tian Qiang himself was so shocked that he had come here without thinking twice!

Jiutian Xuannu, still surprised, lowered her body and bowed, “This one apologizes for the late introduction. This one is called Jiutian Xuannu, General of his Highness, Young Master Tian Yi.”

“?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!”

Every single Soul there along with their mind was blown away, turning them into vegetables for many moments that have yet to come.

A note from BaiSiwa

For those of you who are confused about Jiutian Xuannu, her first introduction was in Chapter 85, so it's not weird you don't remember her. She's a new character. More info will be in the later chapters.