"Empress Wu?" Everyone in the hall gasped in disbelief at the mention of her name.0

Empress Wu, the first wife of the current emperor, had been the crown prince's consort when she was young, ascending to her role as Empress as the crown prince rose to power. How could she suddenly be found in a coffin at the bottom of Jade Dragon Pond?0

Even if Empress Wu had really died, her passing would not have gone unnoticed.0

"Of course, the Empress is fine; otherwise, there would have been news. I'm just baffled by how this corpse could look so much like her. I have already informed the Imperial Supervisory Bureau," Chen Xuanlu assured.0

Having spent many years working outside the capital of Yu, Chen Xuanlu was an experienced cultivator well-acquainted with the court's inner workings. He knew how things worked—until the palace officially declared Empress Wu dead, the identity of the body didn’t matter. Even if the body turned out to be Empress Wu, it would still be considered a fake. There was no need for him to make any judgments.0

"Not long after, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau sent people to retrieve both the coffin and the body. I thought that would settle everything," Chen Xuanlu continued. "However, I later learned that before anyone from the palace could examine it, a strange fire broke out at the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, turning the coffin and the body into mere ashes."1

The Mount Shu Sect team stood in stunned silence, grappling with...0