Chapter 682

After bowing, the General Alliance lowered his head and exited respectfully.

During this process, he could feel that the Seventh Prince sitting high in the palace kept his gaze on him, so he did not hide his expression in the slightest.

Whether it was reluctance, relief, or final composure, he revealed it all completely until he left the palace and walked far away, only then did he stand straight again, smiling as he walked toward his residence in this capital.

Meeting familiar colleagues on the road, he would greet them gently.

He did not hold himself up because of his own cultivation of the second stage of Returning Void. On him, one could not see the slightest airs. From beginning to end, his expression was gentle and elegant until he returned to his residence, where he lit a stick of incense, sat there, took out a chessboard, and played chess leisurely by himself.

But if one looked carefully, between the smoke and birds, deep in his eyes was a natural coldness, like a poisonous snake hidden in a lamb's belly.

"On the first day I came here, I mentioned the cauldron to the Seventh Prince, but at that time he didn't care... and today he suddenly summoned me and brought this matter up again..."

The General Alliance revealed a gentle smile at the corner of his mouth; this was his instinct. Every time he thought about a problem, he had to have a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"The commander took ten thousand soldiers, and Ling Yun... lost contact in Fenghai County!"

"At this moment, the Seventh Prince asked me to take the cauldron."

The General Alliance's smile was even softer, and the coldness hidden deep in his eyes was even more concealed.

"So things can never be looked at on the surface. On the surface, he asked me to take the cauldron, but in reality, he used me as a chess piece to test the real situation in Fenghai County, and then he could analyze the real reason for the army's loss of contact."

"And he himself can advance or retreat. If I have a problem, he can easily shirk it."

The General Alliance smiled and picked up a chess piece. Although he didn't place it, the chessboard automatically manifested two chess pieces.

This scene looked simple, but if there was a Returning Void expert gazing here, their heart would definitely ripple, because this simple action contained an almost extreme application and sublimation of laws, surpassing the ten thousand transformations of reality and illusion.

The Returning Void Realm includes Shattering Space Thousand Paths, Ten Thousand Transformations of Reality and Illusion, Billion Thoughts Heavenly Opening, and Trillion Laws Returning to One.

"I like the number three," the General Alliance laughed softly, gentle and composed.

At the same time, in Fenghai County, inside the Immortal Forbidden Land, in front of the Phoenix Bird Palace.

With the opening of the door, darkness swallowed everything.

Not only the figures of Xu Qing and Immortal Zixuan, but also their minds were merged into one with it in this spreading darkness.

The palace in their eyes was silent, empty, and cold like a dungeon, with only a statue standing in the center, as if it were sealed in a cage.

This statue was a middle-aged woman, similar to Immortal Zixuan, but clearly not her. Her appearance was graceful, her expression smiling, her eyes revealing compassion, and at the corner of her eyes, there was a lamp held there.

It seemed to be her most precious treasure in this life. This lamp was made of purple stone, like a blooming purple flower, with a purple phoenix bird perched on it, wings spread, lifelike.

The moment he saw this lamp, the tearing feeling in Xu Qing's mind suddenly became intense, and the lost memories surfaced one by one.

He turned to look at Immortal Zixuan. He remembered that he had entered here back then, saw some scenes about Immortal Zixuan, saw a woman exactly like Immortal Zixuan appear under the statue, and saw the opening of the door and a man walking in.

He also remembered the conversation in the scene. That man... seemed to be the son of the Ancient Emperor Xuanyou.

Everything surfaced in Xu Qing's mind, turning into thunder, roaring in his mind.

And at this moment, Immortal Zixuan was trembling, looking at the statue. Her expression was sad. She let go of Xu Qing's hand and walked toward the statue unconsciously, murmuring in her mouth.

"My dream is a pitch-black world, and there is a lamp there."

"It is extinguished. I imagine it should be a blooming purple flower, with a purple phoenix bird perched on it."

"This lamp has always appeared in my dreams, a dream without light."

"The world in the dream is here."

Immortal Zixuan's voice had an ethereal meaning in this silent palace, as if it were transmitted from the years, echoing in this life.

And as she walked, when she stood under the statue, the illusory body that appeared in Xu Qing's memory actually overlapped with Immortal Zixuan standing there, indistinguishable from each other.

She looked at the statue, her eyes revealing a sense of longing and bitterness.

And next, the scene in Xu Qing's memory appeared before his eyes again.

The Prince's figure penetrated his body from behind him and stood in front of Immortal Zixuan. The imperial robe with the four-clawed golden dragon and the shaking of the nine-pearl imperial crown made this figure emit thick heavenly might.

The Prince seemed to say something. Xu Qing couldn't hear it; he could only see Immortal Zixuan gazing into the distance, her eyes filled with thick lingering attachment and sadness.

But this time, it was finally somewhat different from his memory. He heard Immortal Zixuan's voice.

"I will not leave."

"Father Emperor's resolution is wrong. Abandoning the people, abandoning the homeland, turning the Heaven Beyond Heaven into a holy land, and living alone there—what is the meaning of life?"

"Living for one's own survival while ignoring the catastrophe of Wanggu—this Ancient Emperor... he is not worthy."

Immortal Zixuan was filled with grief and indignation.

Xu Qing listened to these words, his heart stirred.

And that figure wearing the imperial robe was silent. After a long while, he reached out his hand, as if making a final effort. Immortal Zixuan's eyes revealed determination, and she shook her head again.

Finally, the Prince's expression was lonely. He took out a small purple bottle. After doing this to the statue, he placed the small bottle aside, turned silently, his expression filled with sadness, and even more pain, and walked toward the palace door, penetrating through Xu Qing's front, walking further and further away.

As he disappeared, the palace door slowly closed.

The entire palace was silent, with only that lamp emitting flames, burning continuously, making a slight sound. With the shaking of the flames, the light illuminated the palace.

In this firelight, Immortal Zixuan's expression was sorrowful. She leaned against the statue and squatted down, crying silently.

The scene in Xu Qing's memory ended here.

But this time, everything that appeared before his eyes did not end.

Time seemed to have no value in this palace, flowing silently until miserable wails and painful roars came from outside.

Blood light spread outside, and cries for help came faintly.

And Immortal Zixuan's figure stood up again at this moment. A set of battle armor appeared on her body. She penetrated Xu Qing's body step by step and walked out of the palace.

Xu Qing couldn't move; he could only watch silently. He didn't know how long had passed. The sounds outside gradually disappeared. Immortal Zixuan's figure, carrying exhaustion and weakness, returned to the palace.

Her battle armor had shattered by more than half, and her body was full of scars. But her hand was carrying a head. Immortal Zixuan's figure walked slowly to the front of the statue and gazed at it. A touch of gentleness appeared on her pale face.

"Mother, I can only cut that foreign god once. Many years later, she will resurrect here again. However, the resurrected her will no longer possess the status of a High God. In addition, I used the spell that you once taught me, Mother. She will die from mutual slaughter among her kind in the future. Unfortunately... I won't be able to see it."

Immortal Zixuan spoke softly, wanting to pick up the small purple bottle to add some oil to the oil lamp, but she was powerless. Finally, she could only sit down leaning against the statue and slowly closed her eyes.

Soul flew, spirit scattered.

That lamp was still burning, but without the addition of lamp oil, as time passed, its firelight gradually dimmed until it completely disappeared.

The entire palace fell into pitch-black coldness.

With the disappearance of the firelight and the silence outside, darkness descended, swallowing everything.

Time passed, and the years changed.

After an unknown number of years, the Immortal Forbidden Land suddenly trembled one day.

A sense of revival rose, a low roar of a god echoed, and flesh and blood appeared in the Immortal Forbidden Land. Flesh and blood covered the earth, submerging one palace after another, including this place.

A long, long time passed again until this day, in this pitch-black palace, a purple circle suddenly appeared in front of the statue.

It appeared out of thin air, and the moment it appeared, it immediately caused the roar of the entire Immortal Forbidden Land.

And just at the moment when the divine sense swept over, a hand reached out from the purple circle, grabbed the extinguished lamp, and dragged it into the circle.

This hand seemed to want to grab the small purple bottle, but it was too late, so it left decisively.

But it was still a little late. The divine sense from the Immortal Forbidden God came like a mountain and a sea, hitting the purple circle hard and touching that hand.

The circle collapsed, turning into countless fragments, merging into the endless void.

That hand trembled. Although it still left, the lamp in its hand had its wick fall off and was lost in the void, with no destination.

The scene disappeared at this moment, disappearing before Xu Qing's eyes. Along with it disappeared this palace and that statue. This place turned back into a ruin.

Like a dream, when the dream wakes up, everything is gone, with only Immortal Zixuan standing on the ruin, like a cold plum proud of the snow, standing in a quiet valley.

Regardless of whether there were people watching around her, she was like being alone in an empty wilderness.

Looking at the sky, her expression was lonely.

For a long time, she spoke softly: "Let's go back."

Xu Qing walked over silently and walked out with Immortal Zixuan. They didn't speak on the way until they left the Immortal Forbidden Land.

It was night when they came, and it was unknown which day it was when they walked out.

The sky was plain blue, the sun was bright. Looking at Immortal Zixuan, whose figure was desolate in front, Xu Qing suddenly called her to stop.

Immortal Zixuan turned her head and gazed at Xu Qing. Xu Qing didn't say much, just let her stretch out her palm.

Under the sunlight, Immortal Zixuan's palm was clear, line by line, like fate.

"What is in your palm?" Xu Qing asked.

Immortal Zixuan didn't understand and shook her head.

Xu Qing looked at Immortal Zixuan's eyes and spoke softly.

"In the palm, there is sunlight."