### Chapter 9: The Female Emperor (6)
The Fatty and his crew dashed forward, following their hound like they were in a frantic game of tag.
They didn’t even notice the panting Little Recipient trailing behind them like a puppy who had lost its way.
Along the way, they stumbled upon the aftermath of battle.
They’d already become accustomed to the smashed corpses of demons, but discovering the remains of a spider monster in a particular forest made them all the more cautious.
After all, nobody knew what the Monk and the Great King had encountered during their advance, which led to the Monk returning solo one day while the Great King had seemingly vanished into thin air.
The Little Recipient had also caught wind of the saintly monk transforming into a demonic one, and his sweaty little face grew more and more terrified.
Yes, when he discovered that stepping into the mortal realm meant encountering Frost North Snow, the Demoness of the Demon Sect, his mind went into a bit of a tailspin.
But looking back, no matter her identity, in those few days of getting to know her, he truly felt what it was like to miss someone and care for them. Even if she had deceived him, he was willingly head over heels—who could he blame?
That’s why he disregarded the pleas of Fatty, Trissa, and the rest, determined to tag along.
He was even more eager than the folks at the mountain stronghold. How could his newly betrothed just drop off the face of the earth?
Even if he was the weakest heir of the Stone family, that didn’t strip him of his right to love.
As he sprinted, he put all his effort into keeping up with the group, making sure he didn’t get left behind.
Eventually, Fatty and the others simply stopped worrying about him.
“Woof! Woof!”
The hound scampered to the edge of a cliff, barking like it saw a ghost down into the abyss.
It was clear to everyone that the Great King must have gone off the cliff, but… what on earth was down there?
Staring into the dense, murky fog below, even Fatty hesitated for a moment.
They hadn’t brought any ropes in their rush, and now they were stuck facing a dead end, completely befuddled.
In the midst of their silence, the Little Recipient stepped up first.
“I’ll go down and check it out.”
“You? Are you sure about that?” Fatty shook his head, “Don’t overexert yourself.”
The Little Recipient replied firmly, “I know, but I have to see for myself.”
True, he hadn’t learned rock climbing in the various beginner’s skills he studied, but it was time to prove his worth.
It was a phrase Frost North Snow often told him.
With Fatty and the others watching, he was determined to show that he deserved the title of ‘Heroine of the Mortal Realm.’
Ignoring the group’s protests, the Little Recipient took a deep breath and slid down the smooth rock face.
“Holy cow, is this kid attempting s*icide?”
Almost everyone stood dumbfounded.
Fatty was practically hanging off the cliff’s edge, eyes bulging as he watched the skinny figure vanish into the mist.
Only Trissa shook her head, “He has determination; I can feel it.”
This was the first time she pulled out her large harp in front of everyone. Her slender arms and agile fingers began to strum the taut strings gently.
Accompanied by a melody that swung from soothing to exhilarating, a series of buff spells aimed perfectly at the Little Recipient’s back followed.
“Looks like this is all we can do,” Trissa glanced skyward at the dark clouds covering half the sky.
That was in the direction of the mountain stronghold.
Though there were no snowflakes drifting down here, the people at the cliff felt a piercing cold wind blowing their way.
Only a few moments had passed, but it felt like they had waited a century.
The folks who had sworn not to retreat until they found the Great King had now all bowed their heads.
Yeah, a measly abyss was holding them back.
In the end, it was the Little Recipient who leapt down, showing whether they were real men or just cowards.
At that moment, Trissa seemed rather calm and composed, “Enough, you lot! If the son-in-law, no, the Second Great King can safely return, we should recognize him as our leader, even if it’s a futile effort.”
Fatty weariedly nodded.
Sigh, who could blame him for freezing up when it mattered? He could only blame himself.
Just then, someone with sharp ears caught a sound from below that resembled flapping wings.
“Demons! Get ready for battle!”
Fatty shouted immediately.
Everyone tightened their grips on their weapons with worry for the Little Recipient’s fate.
That kid was either going to splat on impact or get picked off by demons afterward.
Trissa put away her harp and pulled out the four-stringed harp for easier retreat.
But the next second, the expressions on everyone’s faces turned into a priceless gallery of shock.
Emerging from the mist below were indeed demons. But had anyone seen demons lined up in a perfect square before?
Their skepticism grew as they continued to observe.
Next, amidst the black mist rose a shimmering ice coffin glowing with a sky-blue hue.
Sitting atop it was the Little Recipient, waving at them like he just won the lottery.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
It turned out that the six Fallen Species were all tied with ropes, allowing them to slowly pull the ice coffin from the abyss.
But why weren’t the Fallen Species attacking the Little Recipient, instead listening to his commands?
Wait a minute, that wasn’t the important part. The important part was whether there was someone in the ice coffin, and who that person was!
Before the Fallen Species could set the coffin down, the crowd rushed to gather underneath it.
At just two meters from the ground, the Little Recipient jumped down first.
Seeing his grim expression made everyone’s hearts sink. Oh no, could something have happened to the Great King?
As the ice coffin was laid flat on the ground, a magical sight awaited them. The six Fallen Species scattered around but didn’t take the chance to escape.
They didn’t even care about the Fallen Species as they circled around the ice coffin.
Inside, lying peacefully with her hands on her abdomen, was a Woman in Red—calm and stunning—proof that she was indeed Frost North Snow, the Great King of the mountain stronghold.
“It’s really the Great King!” Fatty felt a sudden wave of emotion wash over him.
Some of the more sentimental soldiers began crying on the spot.
Wiping away her tears, Trissa looked at the Little Recipient intently, “Second Great King, since you managed to bring the Great King’s coffin up, you must have a plan.”
The Little Recipient nodded, “I just heard you guys say that the Human Emperor looks a lot like my lady. I was thinking there might be a connection. So, I want to bring her before the Human Emperor and beg her to take action.”
Fatty and Trissa exchanged glances.
This seemed to be the only plan they could conjure up at this point.
As long as the Great King could be revived, they’d agree to any terms laid out before them.
“Then it’s up to you, Second Great King!”
Fatty declared loudly to the guys from the mountain stronghold, “From now on, Young Sir Stone is our Second Great King; do not forget!”
“Greetings, Second Great King!” Everyone chorused.
The Little Recipient nodded.
From the moment he leapt off that cliff, he was no longer perceived as some weakling in their eyes.
Just then, as the Fallen Species carried the ice coffin far away, Fatty suddenly yelled, “Holy moly! I forgot to ask how he tamed those Fallen Species!”
Trissa gazed at the tiny silhouette left in the sky for a while before finally speaking, “Let’s hope we haven’t placed our trust in the wrong person.”
