Chapter 724: Reaching Out to the Sun

Chapter 724: Reaching Out to the Sun

After that final bow, Sir Dust-Sun respectfully left. It wasn’t lost on him that Seventh Prince had actually been watching him closely the entire time. That was why he hadn’t made any effort to conceal his reactions. Whether it was his reluctance, or his feelings of relief, he allowed them all to show plainly on his face.

After he was out of the palace and some distance away, he straightened up, smiled, and headed in the direction of his residence. Along the way, he would call out friendly greetings to people he recognized.

He didn’t use his second-stage Void Returning cultivation base as a reason to be arrogant. From beginning to end, he carried himself in a gentle and refined manner. Once inside his residence, he lit some incense, then sat down at his Go board to play a casual game with himself. If you looked closely at his eyes through the swirling smoke of the incense, you would see something innately sinister. It was like a viper hidden in the belly of a sheep!

The first day I came, I mentioned the cauldron issue with Seventh Prince. Back then, he didn’t seem to care.... But today, he suddenly summoned me and brought it up again....

Sir Dust-Sun smiled warmly. That was an instinct of his. Whenever he pondered tricky situations he would always smile.

The High Commander and his army, along with Soaring Cloud... went missing in Sea-Sealing County. And now, Seventh Prince wants me to go get the cauldron....

His smile became even warmer, and the sinister look in his eyes became even more deeply hidden.

He was fully aware that Seventh Prince was no simpleton. The prince was young, but he was born into the imperial clan, and as a result, had learned from a young age how to be a profound schemer. In other words, there were always going to be layers hidden beneath layers.

On the surface, it seems like he wants me to get the cauldron. But the reality is that I’m just a pawn. He’s using me to probe Sea-Sealing County and see what’s really going on there. He hopes to use me to figure out what happened to his missing army. As for him, he puts himself in the position to either attack, retreat, or defend at will. And if something happens to me, he can claim that I was acting on my own.

Sir Dust-Sun smiled and picked up a game piece. Then, though he didn’t actually make a move, two pieces appeared on the board in front of him.

Although that might not seem impressive, if another Void Returning expert had been present, they would have been shocked. That was because that simple action contained magical laws so sublime in their usage that they surpassed the level of Transform 10,000 Veracities.

The Void Returning level consisted of the following stages: Space-Shattering 1,000 Daos; Transform 10,000 Veracities; 100,000,000 Thoughts Split Heaven; 1,000,000,000 Magics Combined.

“I really like the number three,” Sir Dust-Sun murmured with a warm smile.

***

Back in Sea-Sealing County, in the underground Forbidden by the Immortal, the door of the large phoenix palace opened. As it did, darkness swallowed up everything. It wasn’t just the physical forms of Xu Qing and Plumdark that were engulfed. Their minds were also made one with the darkness. Then, they saw a scene playing out that they had no way to confirm the reality of.

The hall was spacious, and also as empty and cold as a dungeon. In the middle of it was a statue. It depicted a middle-aged woman who resembled Plumdark to a degree, but obviously wasn’t her. The woman’s features were elegant, and she was smiling faintly. Her eyes seemed merciful, and she had crow’s feet visible at the corners of her eyes. She was looking down at her hands in front of her.

In her hands she held a lamp.

The lamp seemed to be an incredibly valuable treasure to her. Perhaps the most valuable. It was made of violet stone, and resembled a blooming bauhinia flower. Resting atop the flower was a violet phoenix with its wings spread. It was very life-like.

Upon seeing the lamp, Xu Qing’s mind reeled as his lost memories suddenly returned. He turned to look at Plumdark, all while thinking back to the images he had seen that related to her. He remembered seeing a young woman standing in front of this statue that looked exactly like Plumdark. He also remembered the door opening and a man walking in. He remembered them talking. That man... was Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity’s son! All of that entered Xu Qing’s mind, becoming like a lightning bolt that smashed into his psyche. Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

More time passed. A lot of it. One day, in the darkness of that palace, in front of the statue, a violet circle of light appeared. The moment it did, an intense rumbling filled Forbidden by the Immortal.

A roar of rage echoed out, along with a terrifying divine will that filled the depths of the place. As the divine will swept out, a hand reached out of the violet circle of light. It grabbed the extinguished lamp and dragged it into the circle. The hand wanted to grab the violet bottle, but didn’t have time, as the divine will of the god arrived with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force. It slammed into the circle and the hand.

The circle shattered, becoming innumerable fragments that dissipated into the air. The hand shivered, and though it kept its grip on the lamp, the wick fell off and disappeared into nowhere.

Everything ended.

Xu Qing’s vision ceased. Everything vanished, including the palace and the statue.

The entire area became ruins once again. Like a dream.

With the dream over, everything was gone except for Plumdark, standing there in the ruins, like a lone plum in a snowy ravine. It didn’t matter whether or not there was someone else present looking at her. She looked like the picture of loneliness as she looked up into the sky, her expression desolate.

After a long time, she said, “Let’s go.”

Xu Qing walked over to her. And together, they left Forbidden by the Immortal. Neither of them spoke.

They had come when it was nighttime. When they emerged, it was daytime, several days later. The sky was azure, and the sun shone down brightly.

Xu Qing looked at Plumdark as she walked away forlornly.

“Plumdark,” he said.

She stopped and looked back at him.

“Can I see your palm?”

As the sun shone down, she held out her hand. Every line and crease was visible. Like fate.

“Do you know what’s in your palm?” Xu Qing asked.

Confused, she shook her head.

Looking into her eyes, he said, “Sunlight.”

Her eyebrows fluttered as she looked at her palm. And then... she smiled.