The young girl looked up, her eyes clear to the very bottom, as if all impurities would be purified in this moment.
A powerful aura permeated the surroundings.
The young girl's lips parted slightly, and her cold voice uttered word by word, "The former empress of Huangze, Xue Zining."
Elder Feng heard this and said, "No wonder."
"You are Xue Zining?" Elder Yu was somewhat surprised.
Xue Zining nodded, "Yes, am I Elder Yu?"
Elder Yu heard this and said, "This old body was once fortunate enough to enter Huangze and offer blessings to His Majesty."
"Blessings?" Xue Zining found it hard to believe.
Elder Yu nodded, "Many years ago, Miaojiang was a sacred existence. For every prince and princess born in the various countries, this old body and others would be invited to offer blessings. Unfortunately, all of this changed after that person arrived in Miaojiang."
"That person?"
Elder Yu nodded, "Yes."
"If you'll pardon my asking, who is that person?" Xue Zining asked.
Upon hearing this, Elder Yu gritted her teeth and said, "Someone who betrayed their sect."
Xue Zining narrowed her eyes, and suddenly a name flashed in her mind, and she blurted out, "Fan Min?"
Elder Yu was startled, "Your Majesty knows?"
Xue Zining nodded, "Not only do I know, but he is now colluding with the current empress of Huangze, Xue Chang'an, and attempting to seize my corpse."
"That scoundrel, he deceived the Saintess's heart and body, and also tricked us into telling him the soul-crossing technique." Elder Yu blamed herself endlessly.
"What's done is done. It was too easy for us to believe him, not only losing the Saintess's life but also plunging Miaojiang into an unprecedented crisis," Elder Feng shook his head and sighed.
"Why do the people in the valley come out during the day and disappear at night?" Xue Zining asked.
Elder Yu sighed, "They are actually already dead, but because they took a medicine, they have become walking corpses. They appear in the daylight due to the light and disappear at night due to the darkness."
Although Xue Zining had noticed this, hearing it directly still made her feel somewhat surprised, "There's actually such a medicine?"
Hearing this, Elder Yu looked up and said, "Isn't this the medicine that everyone in the world desires for resurrection? But they don't know that everything has a price. They are just meaningless living people."
"So, what they say and do is what they did before they died?"
Elder Yu said, "No, they can be controlled."
Xue Zining recalled that this morning she had deliberately said things she hadn't said in the past few days, and they couldn't continue, which made her suspect this strangeness even more.
She stepped forward and took out her dagger to cut the chains binding the three elders, only to find that they couldn't be cut at all. Elder Yu sighed, "This is Profound Iron, ordinary blades cannot cut it. Don't waste your effort."
"Tell me, how can I save you?"
Elder Yu looked at Elder Feng. Elder Feng sighed, "The only solution is to kill the person who cast this sorcery. There is no other way."
Xue Zining was stunned, "Besides killing, there's no other way?"
Elder Feng shook his head, "He cast this sorcery, linking the entire valley to him. If he dies, Miaojiang will completely disappear."
Xue Zining was shocked, "Then you..."
Elder Yu heard this and said, "Besides us three siblings, there are no other living people in the valley. Miaojiang should have disappeared long ago, to make people abandon the idea of resurrection. We must go find Fan Min. The chaos we caused must be resolved by us, bringing peace back to the world."
Upon hearing this, Xue Zining lowered her gaze. After a long time, she raised her head, "I understand. May I... see the Saintess?"
Elder Yu said, "Behind the stone door is the Saintess's corpse."
Xue Zining nodded, walked to the stone door, and touched it with both hands. The stone door opened, and she saw the ice coffin in the center of the stone chamber at a glance.
As she walked in, a chill swept towards her. Approaching the ice coffin, she saw a woman dressed in exotic clothing inside. The woman was beautiful, as if she were in a deep sleep.
"Take the bead from her mouth," Elder Yu's voice sounded behind her.
Xue Zining waved her hand, and the ice coffin opened. She bowed devoutly with both hands, "Forgive me, senior."
She held the woman's chin with both hands. Indeed, there was a bead inside that emitted a faint green glow of Huangze. The moment it was taken out, the woman's corpse visibly withered.
In the end, the entire body was reduced to a pile of black bones.
"I'm sorry," Xue Zining left these three words, closed the lid of the ice coffin, and left the stone chamber.
Elder Yu looked at the green bead in Xue Zining's hand, suddenly flicked her finger, and a beam of light fell onto the green bead. It had only been glowing green before, but now it could illuminate the surroundings. The light was very strong.
"This..." Xue Zining was about to ask when the green bead suddenly flew into her mouth.
Xue Zining: "..."
"This is a treasure that Fan Min spent great effort to find to protect the corpse. It can prevent the corpse from decaying. I have already used a sorcery to firmly restrain it within your body. Unless you willingly give it up, no one can take it out."
"Thank you, Elder Yu," Xue Zining said.
"This is because you have fate with us three siblings. Go back!" Elder Yu said.
Xue Zining nodded and returned the way she came, and Han Xiwen had not noticed anything unusual.
She returned to her room. The black cat was pacing back and forth. Seeing the black cat, she said softly, "I have met your master. Don't worry!"
The black cat meowed softly, as if saying thank you.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard from outside. Xue Zining quickly lay on the bed and pretended to be asleep.
After feeling the person leave, she finally opened her eyes.
Huangze
Fan Min suddenly opened his eyes, and then a mouthful of blood gushed out. Voices were heard from outside the door, "My lord, His Majesty wishes to see you!"
"I know," Fan Min wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, moved his hands, and suddenly his eyes widened. Finally, his face was filled with ferocity.
He got out of bed and rushed out of his mansion like the wind.
Xue Chang'an had just picked up her teacup to drink, when a surge of immense force caused her hand to tremble, and the tea splashed out of the cup, drenching her.
Seeing who it was, she became angry, "Fan Min, what are you doing?"
Fan Min cupped his hands and said, "Empress, I must go to Miaojiang."
Xue Chang'an frowned upon hearing this, "Why go to that place?"
She had heard of Miaojiang, a place that no country dared to govern.
"There is an urgent matter that needs to be handled," Fan Min said.
"The soul-crossing is ready. It will be done in these two days. If you leave, who will perform the soul-crossing?" Xue Chang'an asked.
"Your Majesty, everything can be discussed after I return." Saying this, he left as quickly as he had arrived, without waiting for Xue Chang'an's reply.
Xue Chang'an was so angry that she threw the teacup in her hand to the ground, "Fan Min..."
"Xue Yu, go and investigate what happened!"
Xue Chang'an said coldly.
"Yes, subordinate will do it now." Xue Yu left.