Volume 1, Chapter 53: This Emperor Grants You Every Wish, May I Put Forward a Condition?

Seeing that Lin Yao did not agree immediately, Empress XuanYan could not help but shed pearlescent tears of deep grievance.

She had only proposed a single condition, and had even stated that she would grant Lin Yao countless conditions in return.

Yet Lin Yao still refused to nod, causing the tears in her eyes to roll down like broken pearls.

Beholding Empress XuanYan looking so deeply wronged and utterly pitiful, Lin Yao had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.

"Alright, alright, alright, I agree, I agree, please stop crying."

As he spoke, Lin Yao flurriedly set about wiping away Empress XuanYan’s tears.

Empress XuanYan wailed inwardly: I cried too late! I cried too late! If this Empress had wept sooner, I wonder how much less grievance I would have suffered?

At this thought, Empress XuanYan simply put on a live demonstration for Lin Yao of how women are made of water.

Once she started crying, she simply could not stop, remaining in Lin Yao's arms while sobbing and shedding tears continuously.

Panicking even more, Lin Yao could only rack his brains for ways to coax her.

"Stop crying... If you have any other requests, just make them. As long as you don't seek death or try to destroy yourself, everything is negotiable."

Empress XuanYan paid him no mind whatsoever, solely focused on weeping in Lin Yao's arms.

Lin Yao felt utterly helpless; in this situation, he was truly at his wit's end.

Even if he were to forcibly control Empress XuanYan using shadow energy and a slave seal, she would still do nothing but silently shed tears.

After quite a while, Empress XuanYan finally choked out through her sobs: "I can stop crying... but you..."

Empress XuanYan instinctively wanted to say "You might as well kill this Empress," but fortunately, having suffered enough hardship just moments ago, she dared not push her luck any further.

She quickly changed her words: "Lift the seal and allow this Empress to freely access her spiritual power and energy."

Lin Yao resolutely shook his head: "No way. In case you decide to seek death again, or plot against me once more, I'd have to waste energy and effort cleaning up the mess you create."

Too lazy to argue with Lin Yao, Empress XuanYan simply burst into loud sobs once again.

Lin Yao sighed and made a slight concession: "How about this? On the condition that you remain completely harmless, I will lift just a tiny fraction of the restriction on your spiritual power. That small amount of spiritual power should barely be enough for you to freely retrieve items from your spatial storage equipment."

Of course, Empress XuanYan would have none of it. What use was such a minuscule amount of spiritual power?

Besides, with only a trace of spiritual power restored, she still could not mobilize even a shred of energy.

Without hesitation, Empress XuanYan continued crying in Lin Yao's arms.

This time, Lin Yao refused to compromise any further. He uttered the single word that made Empress XuanYan turn pale with dread: "Fine!"

Before his voice had even faded, Lin Yao pinned Empress XuanYan to the ground once more, pressing both hands against her shoulders.

Having suffered enough torment just moments before, how could Empress XuanYan care about anything else now?

Without a moment's hesitation, she cried out through her tears: "This Empress agrees!"

Being able to use a tiny bit of spiritual power was still better than being an ordinary person completely incapable of mobilizing any strength.

Lin Yao then told Empress XuanYan: "Alright, pipe down."

This time, Empress XuanYan became obedient, immediately halting her sobs and tears.

Yet her face remained tear-stained and drenched like pear blossoms in the rain, retaining that utterly pitiful expression.

Not wishing to press her too hard, Lin Yao unlocked a tiny thread of her spiritual seal, allowing Empress XuanYan to exercise a very slight control over her spiritual power.

Struggling eagerly to sit up, Empress XuanYan found herself thoroughly exhausted by Lin Yao's previous torment, lacking even an ounce of strength at the moment.

Realizing he might have gone a bit too far, Lin Yao simply scooped Empress XuanYan up in a bridal carry and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Empress XuanYan thought to herself: *This Empress wants to die.*

Daring not voice that thought aloud, what actually came out of her mouth was: "This Empress wishes to retrieve a set of garments from her hair hairpin to change into."

Lin Yao shook his head: "Several thousand years have passed since your era. Under normal circumstances, you'd better wear the attire of this era."

"I happen to have bought a few sets recently; I'll help you change."

With that, Lin Yao cheerfully produced a set of clothes he had previously prepared for Zhu Zhihan and set about changing Empress XuanYan into them.

Before meeting Empress XuanYan, Lin Yao had considered Northern Wind City's Garrison Commander Murong Nanci to be the absolute ceiling of mature, regal beauties, invincible across the world.

At this moment, however, he had to admit: While Murong Nanci might be invincible in the realm of mature beauties, she was no match for a heavenly visitor descending from the skies.

After carefully selecting and dressing Empress XuanYan in a brand new outfit, she suddenly pressed down on Lin Yao's hand and declared, "This Empress... does not want to wear this!"

The item Empress XuanYan refused to wear was, plainly speaking, an accessory meant to accentuate her legs—a pair of 0D ultra-thin, glossy, honey-colored silk stockings.

Glancing at Empress XuanYan's slender, straight, jade-like legs and flawless jade feet, Lin Yao resolutely replied: "No way! This is the soul of the outfit; without it, this attire has no soul at all."

Left with no choice whatsoever, Empress XuanYan had no option but to let Lin Yao put them on her.

However, Empress XuanYan quickly spoke up again: "This Empress does not want to wear these shoes; at a glance, they look impossible to walk in and must be terribly uncomfortable!"

Lin Yao waved a hand dismissively: "These 9-centimeter black velvet stiletto heels are likewise the soul of this outfit. You simply must wear these; substitutions are not allowed."

Though not fully comprehending Lin Yao's jargon, Empress XuanYan nevertheless countered: "Since this Empress is entirely submissive to you, does that mean this Empress can propose another condition?"

Having been dressed in an outfit tailored entirely to Lin Yao's preferences, Empress XuanYan suddenly felt like making a demand.

Casually, Lin Yao replied: "Let's hear it."

Lifting her snow-white swan neck, Empress XuanYan looked like a proud, regal swan.

She declared with haughty defiance: "From now on, this Empress will be on top, and you will lie underneath."

Without missing a beat, Lin Yao flatly refused: "Out of the question."

Yet after a brief moment of thought, he added: "Once or twice in a while, though, that could be arranged."

Empress XuanYan let out a cold snort, clearly displeased with Lin Yao's meager concession.

Even so, she chose not to argue with him over this matter.

With her current position completely subordinated to Lin Yao, arguing with him would only result in her suffering the losses.

Allowing Empress XuanYan a brief period of rest, Lin Yao prepared to leave the barrier.

While he and Empress XuanYan had been locked in a fierce, fiery battle within, Xia Mengying and the others had been blocked outside the barrier the entire time.

Fortunately, with thirty shadow werewolf bodyguards on watch, Xia Mengying and her companions had encountered no trouble whatsoever.

Following Empress XuanYan's revival, the Phoenix formation in the great hall had completely failed.

With a single thought, Empress XuanYan withdrew the Crimson Lotus barrier and, supported by Lin Yao, stepped out of the hall.

Though her legs felt weak and her gait was somewhat awkward, she managed to walk out of the hall step by step.

The moment Empress XuanYan appeared before Xia Mengying and the other two women, they instantly sensed an immense wave of crisis.

Even though all three of them were exceptionally outstanding in their own right, they had to concede one undeniable truth: Empress XuanYan was simply too perfect.

Even with her energy and spiritual power sealed, she still radiated an overwhelming aura reminiscent of a sovereign empress ruling over an imperial harem.