Within the Oil Lamp Illusion, Liu Qingying underwent training and entered a Secret Realm, where she discovered an illusory gateway deep within.
Just as she frowned and hesitated to enter, an ethereal, aloof female voice rang out in her mind.
"You have finally come!"
Liu Qingying trembled at the sound. "Who is it?"
"Do not be afraid! This palace has waited for you for a long time. Enter the gateway, and you will understand once you see this palace." The woman's voice rang out again.
Liu Qingying pondered for quite some time, muttered to the Void, then stepped through the gateway.
The scene shifted in an instant, and she appeared within a magnificent palace.
It resembled the heavenly halls of Immortals and gods, shrouded in immortal mist and solemn grandeur.
Four rows of statues stood on either side of the main hall.
They held all manner of weapons and struck different poses, their gazes sharp and their features lifelike, like frozen ice sculptures.
After sweeping her gaze around the surroundings, Liu Qingying's frown deepened as she stepped forward.
Before long, she reached the center of the palace. The moment she stepped onto the central position, purple light suddenly burst from the elevated platform ahead, and the throne atop it shook violently.
A woman clad in purple robes patterned with luan birds appeared, her bearing noble and graceful.
Liu Qingying stared at her intently, her face full of vigilance.
The woman also stared fixedly at Liu Qingying and only spoke after a long while.
Her voice was precisely the aloof female voice that had previously sounded in Liu Qingying's mind.
"Do not be afraid! I am the Purple Luan Empress. I guided you here for the sake of my inheritance."
"The Purple Luan Empress? An inheritance?" Liu Qingying looked puzzled.
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