Chapter 292: Madness

The Infant Void Emperor grew impatient, "Alright, beloved, how will you choose? I have little patience."

He did not want to waste any more time.

Nine Thousand Years Old: "Not choosing."

"Is that so? What a pity." The Infant Void Emperor's dagger was about to pierce Mu Yuanzhi's neck, "In that case, I'll have to choose for you."

At that moment, another boom sounded, like a heaven‑shaking thunderbolt striking down, the earth trembling and mountains shaking!

The Infant Void Emperor staggered, lowering the weapon pressed against Mu Yuanzhi's neck, and looked around in confusion.

What's happening?

Could it really be the Great Zhou people coming?!

Before he could make sense of the situation, the entire altar began to collapse!

How could this happen?!

At that moment the Infant Void Emperor finally remembered to attend to Pei Di, but by the time he reacted, Pei Di was already gone!

The collapse worsened; the Infant Void Emperor hastily shielded his trump card Mu Yuanzhi in his hand, falling debris nearly striking him, and he fled in disarray, dragging Mu Yuanzhi with him.

Fortunately, the collapse finally stopped!

Sunlight suddenly poured in, stinging his eyes so he couldn't open them; just then the Infant Void Emperor felt his hand empty—Mu Yuanzhi had been yanked away by something unknown!

Where is the person?!

The Infant Void Emperor standing amid the ruins shouted in fury.

Such a huge commotion elicited no response from the palace servants and guards, as if they were dead; no one came to check, which actually saved him a lot of trouble.

But……

He lifted his gaze, met a pair of teasing eyes, and his pupils widened abruptly.

It was that monk!

It really was the Great Zhou people behind this!

"Bald donkey! You almost buried my senior sister!" Qilin flew into a rage and slammed a palm into the monk's shoulder.

"I didn't know this underground structure was so flimsy," the monk said somewhat embarrassed, "but rest assured, with me here I'll certainly not let your senior sister come to harm—look, not a single hair is missing?"

He turned his head, looking at Qilin supporting Mu Yuanzhi.

"Let's settle this later—what do we do with my senior sister in this state?" Qilin shook the dazed Mu Yuanzhi, asking anxiously.

The monk poured inner energy into Mu Yuanzhi with one hand and struck her acupoints with the other to disperse the blocked nerves, forcibly pulling her out of the trance!

Qilin stared unblinking until Mu Yuanzhi's scattered gaze began to focus—clearly her consciousness had returned!

"Senior sister! Wake up, senior sister!" Qilin shook her again.

"……" Mu Yuanzhi turned her head dazedly, her gaze shifting to Qilin, finally focusing: "Little Qilin?"

"Wonderful, senior sister! You've finally awakened—I was worried sick!" Qilin nearly burst into tears from joy.

Mu Yuanzhi felt utterly weak, her whole body heavy, and she asked bewildered, "What… what's happened to me?"

How could she have no memory at all?

Qilin exclaimed excitedly, "Yuan Yan said you and Pei Di have been slowly hallucinated by that dead‑vine water—just a drop a day, taken in measured doses, it can manipulate your thoughts into a trance!"

Mu Yuanzhi's mind had just emerged from chaos; she needed a moment to think before grasping Qilin's words.

"The dead‑vine water isn't a poison; silver needles can't detect it, which is why we were careless and didn't realize we'd been affected…"

The palace attendants' meals are all sent from the palace gates; they should have been wary and simply not eaten them.

Monk: "Exactly, you and the Crown Prince fell under this illusion precisely because of that."

Mu Yuanzhi: "Where's Little Di?!"

"Over there!"

Following Qilin's gaze, Mu Yuanzhi saw Nine Thousand Years Old channeling energy into Pei Di, looking worried: "Nine Thousand Years Old!"

Monk: "Don't worry, that fellow seems not bad."

He used 'seems' and 'not bad', such vague terms.

Mu Yuanzhi still worried, "Is Nine Thousand Years Old really not trying to kidnap Little Di?!"

Qilin: "Maybe—after all, if it weren't for Nine Thousand Years Old, Pei Di might have turned into mincemeat! It's all that bald donkey's fault for misjudging the situation!"

Monk: "My fault."

"You lot!" the Infant Void Emperor's face twisted amid the ruins, "You dare destroy my altar?!"

He had prepared this altar for so long!

Such a perfect altar!

The Infant Void Emperor crawled up from underground, furious; he was no longer the noble, gentle figure he once was, but a dark demon glaring fixedly at them.

Mu Yuanzhi never imagined the mastermind behind all this was actually the Infant Void Emperor!

All this was orchestrated by that seemingly harmless puppet emperor.

Turns out he was playing the pig to eat the tiger?

What about Nine Thousand Years Old—is he an accomplice or clueless?!

Mu Yuanzhi harbored many doubts.

"Why did you seize me and Pei Di? And why kill so many?" Mu Yuanzhi demanded.

The Infant Void Emperor chuckled, "I need to cultivate a secret art; naturally I must sacrifice some. Those people are my subjects; what's wrong with offering their lives to the emperor? Only an emperor who lives a hundred years can keep the realm peaceful, right?"

"Another lunatic." Qilin spat.

"Don't dress up your selfish viciousness as fresh and refined." Mu Yuanzhi felt nauseated, "Harming the innocent, stirring up citywide turmoil and panic—do you even deserve to be a ruler?"

"Whether you're fit is decided by strength!"

"Well said, but you have no strength now." Mu Yuanzhi gestured for him to see what 'outnumbered the enemy' means.

The Infant Void Emperor glowered, casting them a dark look—his altar was gone!

"You! I will surely make you pay the price! Guards!" the Infant Void Emperor shouted.

However, no one came; it seemed as if all the guards and palace servants were nowhere to be found in this imperial palace.

"Don't shout." The Nine Thousand Years curled his lips, "No one will come back; I have sent them all away."

"Yao Cang!" the Infant Void Emperor snarled, chewing the name Nine Thousand Years: "How dare you secretly mobilize my men!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger; I am responsible for overseeing the state and assisting in governance. The emperor's virtue is lacking; I cannot shirk my blame, so I can only mend the fence after losing the sheep." The Nine Thousand Years helped Pei Di up.

At that moment, Pei Di was slowly regaining consciousness, still dazed, and the Nine Thousand Years didn't explain anything to him, causing his first reaction upon waking to be to confront the Nine Thousand Years: "What have you done!"

"Little Di, it's not him, it's the Infant Void Emperor!" Mu Yuanzhi shouted.

"What?" Pei Di, bewildered, certainly noticed the Infant Void Emperor's madness, but he instinctively thought the Nine Thousand Years was also involved, that they were in cahoots!

Mu Yuanzhi: "Everything is this person's doing! He just wanted us to perform the heavenly sacrifice together!"

"And what about the Nine Thousand Years?!"

"I just saved you." the Nine Thousand Years said.

"..." Pei Di seemed unable to accept this fact for a moment, choked up and said nothing, just staring at the Nine Thousand Years.

"Enough talk! Come at me with your lives!"