Return to the palace

Su Bai rode his Sword Flight through the clouds, and in just two days, the familiar outline of the Yan Kingdom's Basin appeared on the horizon.

Eight years later, this Water Earth is still surrounded by mountains, with its entrance as treacherous as a throat, forming a peaceful and tranquil scene untouched by the world.

He pressed down on the Sword Light, disappearing into the thin clouds, and looked down.

The Fields and Paths crisscrossed, the cities were scattered like stars, and the people came and went as usual, presenting a peaceful and prosperous scene. However, beneath this gentle atmosphere, the insidious poison within the palace nearly devoured his mother's life.

His gaze turned cold, he subtly adjusted the tip of his sword, and sped towards the Imperial Capital he remembered.

Before long, the magnificent Imperial Palace came into view.

Eight years later, seeing this familiar yet unfamiliar architectural complex again, the Memory Fragment left over from its predecessor collided with the reality before him, leaving him momentarily disoriented.

The locations of the pavilions and towers, and the outline of the Imperial Garden, have mostly remained unchanged, but there seem to be some differences in the details.

He steadied himself, extended his Spiritual Sense, and accurately pinpointed the location of the Qingluan Palace.

There, a familiar yet decaying atmosphere lingered.

"I remember, it should be here..."

He muttered to himself, the Sword Light faded, and he silently descended upon the somewhat Clear and Cold palace.

In the garden of the Qingluan Palace, the sun shone brightly, yet it could not dispel the chill that Consort Ling.

Wrapped in a thick brocade coat, she sat on a cushioned stone bench, trying to draw warmth from the sunlight. However, the icy chill seeping from the depths of her internal organs was like a bone-deep infection, impossible to shake off.

Her face was so pale it was almost transparent, and her lips had an ominous bluish-purple tinge. Her once radiant beauty was now replaced by a sickly, haggard appearance.

Only the features of his eyebrows and eyes, which resemble Su Bai's, still faintly reveal his former glory.

A woman dressed as a palace maid with an unfamiliar face stood quietly three steps behind her. Her posture seemed respectful, but her eyes were indifferent and sharp, like a hawk sizing up its helpless prey.

Over the past two weeks, one by one, the old acquaintances around Consort Ling disappeared, and in the end, they were replaced by the Empress's confidant, Top Grade Innate Martial Artist with the infamous White Bone Claw.

Its name is Hua Rong.

Consort Ling knew perfectly well that she was already at the mercy of her opponent, who could take her life at any time. The only reason she was still alive was to create the illusion of dying of illness and avoid some trouble.

"Consort Ling, your illness cannot be cured simply by basking in the sun."

Hua Rong's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a suffocating sense of oppression, "This servant advises you to make plans as soon as possible. The days ahead will only get harder to endure, so why add to your suffering?"

Consort Ling breathed weakly for a few moments, then lifted her heavy eyelids to look at the woman who held her life in her hands. "Can you tell me... what kind of poison is this?"

Her voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it carried a hint of stubbornness.

Hua Rong's lips curled into a cruel, playful smile, seemingly enjoying the curiosity of her prey before its despair.

"It's alright to tell you."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, "This poison is called ' Wolf Smoke,' it is colorless and odorless, and even Innate Master would find it difficult to detect."

"It's not fierce, but like a festering sore, it slowly erodes. You feel cold now because your internal organs have begun to... rot."

She paused deliberately, admiring Consort Ling's suddenly contracted pupils and slightly trembling body.

"If nothing unexpected happens, in a few days, you will begin to reek of decay, and in your final days... tsk tsk, you will rot from the inside out... I'm afraid even His Your Majesty, out of old affection, won't want to look at you again."

To rot to death... to become a rotting corpse... Consort Ling's vision to blur, and intense fear gripped her.

She wasn't afraid of death, but she couldn't imagine such a miserable and painful end.

Bai'er... Her Bai'er is still in the Immortal Sect, and she doesn't know when she will return, or perhaps she will never see her again.

An overwhelming despair overwhelmed her. Rather than die like that, it was better to...

She raised a trembling finger and pointed to the shimmering pond in the distance, her voice dry and resolute. "Give... give me a quick death."

Hua Rong's smile deepened, and she seemed quite satisfied.

"Alright." She nodded readily and walked to the back of the wheelchair. "I'll push you over, but you'll have to 'accidentally' fall into the water yourself."

She specifically emphasized the word "misstep".

Pushing her wheelchair slowly toward the pond, Hua Rong pondered the generous reward she would receive upon returning.

Empress Zhang was credited with eliminating this major threat.

As for the Third Prince Su Bai... he has been cultivating immortality for eight years without any news, so he is unlikely to achieve anything and is not worth worrying about.

Just as her thoughts were wandering, a purple figure appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

Hua Rong was shocked; the hairs on her body stood on end!

With her Peak Innate cultivation level and incredibly sharp senses, she was completely unaware of when or how this person appeared!

It was as if he had always been standing there, blending into the surrounding artificial hills and tree shadows, until now when she finally "saw" him.

She suddenly looked up.

The newcomer appeared to be around twenty years old, with a tall and straight figure like a pine tree. He wore Purple Robe of extraordinary material, with a subtle, shimmering sheen and mysterious runes on it, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary item.

His face was handsome and noble, bearing a six or seven-tenths resemblance to the Consort Ling in her wheelchair, while his brows also carried the features of the Emperor Yan...

The Third Prince Su Bai?!

Hua Rong's heart nearly stopped, her face turning deathly pale. With a thud, she knelt heavily on both knees, her forehead touching the cold floor tiles. "Greetings... Greetings, Your Highness the Third Prince!"

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Oh no! Why would he come back at this time?

Of all times! Did he hear everything I just said?

What level of cultivation has he reached? If it's the Qi Refining Early Stage, perhaps... no, judging from his strange appearance, I'm afraid...

Su Bai, however, seemed not to see her at all.

From the moment he appeared, his gaze was fixed solely on the woman in the wheelchair.

His eyes were as deep as the sea, churning with complex emotions.

There was a gentle ripple of joy at a long-awaited reunion, a cold anger at seeing her mother in such a state, but more than anything, there was a calming power that could soothe all the panic.

Consort Ling also saw him. A look of disbelief suddenly flashed in her cloudy eyes. Her lips trembled, a thousand words stuck in her throat, finally culminating in a choked cry, "Bai... Bai'er? Is that you? You've finally... returned..."

All the grievances, fears, and despair seemed to find an outlet at this moment.

"It's alright now."

Su Bai's voice was incredibly calm.

He stepped forward and gently placed his hand on his mother's thin shoulder. A vibrant Spiritual Power, like a spring, flowed into the Consort Ling's withered and cold body.

Wherever the Spiritual Power passed, the corruption caused by the "Wolf Smoke Poison" melted away like ice and snow, and was quickly dispelled and purified.

The dull pain in my internal organs disappeared, my limbs and bones felt light and warm again, my pale cheeks regained their rosy color at a visible speed, and even my skin had a healthy glow.

In just a few breaths, Consort Ling had recovered from her near-death state. Apart from a slight weakness from recovering from a long illness, she seemed even healthier than before she was poisoned.

She stared in disbelief at the return of her fair and smooth hands, then touched her cheeks, feeling the long-lost warmth within her, her eyes glistening with tears.

Hua Rong, who was kneeling to the side, caught a glimpse of this incredible skill and was even more horrified.

The incurable poison that baffled even the most renowned physicians was easily neutralized by this Third Prince, as if dust had been brushed away!

The methods of immortals are truly terrifying and awe-inspiring!

These are just minor tricks.

Su Bai withdrew his hand, his tone still calm, yet carrying an undeniable resolve, "Mother, now that I've returned, I will resolve all your worries."

Consort Ling, recovering from her joy at being reborn, sensed the chill in her son's words and frowned. "Bai'er, what do you intend to do? Your return is already a great threat."

"A mere appearance to warn Empress Zhang will surely deter her from further rash actions."

"You... you should return to the Immortal Sect as soon as possible, lest worldly matters delay your cultivation."

Su Bai shook his head, his gaze sweeping over Hua Rong, who remained kneeling and too afraid to rise, before turning towards the direction of the Imperial Palace's outer court. His eyes were sharp as a drawn sword. "If you're going to do it, do it decisively and cleanly, nip it in the bud."

"Mother, do you really think that Imperial Father, being in the front palace, is completely unaware of the filth and corruption within the inner palace?"

Upon Consort Ling's face paled slightly.

Su Bai's lips curled into a cold smile, "I think he doesn't need to be emperor anymore."

These words were like a thunderbolt, startling the Consort Ling so much that she nearly stood up from her wheelchair. However, Su Bai suddenly changed the subject. "Where is Su Yao?"

This abrupt question startled Consort Ling, Consciousness replied, "Yao Yao? She... she should be training troops at the Drill Ground."

"This girl has been wild since she was little. She prefers military uniforms to dresses. Last year, I don't know how she persuaded your father, the Imperial Father, to let her join the Imperial Guard for training. She's very busy these days and rarely returns to the inner palace, sometimes only once every ten days or half a month."

"She was powerless and alone amidst all the turmoil in the palace, so I didn't tell her..."

Su Bai nodded slightly. "Send someone to the Drill Ground immediately and tell her to come to the Qingluan Palace to wait for me. I'll be right back." He turned around, his gaze piercing Hua Rong, who was kneeling on the ground, her back soaked in cold sweat, like Ice Cone.

"That woman over there," Su Bai's voice was flat, "Take me to see Empress Zhang now, immediately."

Hua Rong's body trembled, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

Under Su Bai's calm yet terrifyingly oppressive gaze, she couldn't muster the slightest thought of resistance, nor did she even have the courage to bargain.

She swallowed hard, cupped her hands in a trembling voice, and said, "Yes... this servant obeys."

She slowly rose, a fleeting glint of resentment and probing flashing in her eyes. This Third Prince possessed a powerful aura, but just how strong was he?

If he's just using his immortal status to intimidate people, and his actual cultivation isn't high... perhaps I still have a sliver of hope?

The thought arose, and without hesitation, her innate Innate True Qi erupted, unleashing the fastest lightness Cultivation Method she had ever used. She transformed into a blurry gray shadow and sped towards Empress Zhang!

It moved so fast that it almost created a gust of wind in the garden.

She was determined that if Su Bai couldn't keep up or struggled to catch up, it would mean his cultivation was limited. She might be able to rely on her familiarity with the Imperial Palace layout to take a risk and try to escape, or even...

However, the thought had barely formed in her mind when she was horrified to discover that Su Bai was already walking alongside her.

His hands remained casually behind his back, his feet barely touching the ground, his purple robe fluttering slightly. His movements appeared leisurely and relaxed, yet he maintained a precise and fixed distance from her.

No matter how much she channeled her True Qi and pushed her speed to the limit, or even beyond it, her opponent seemed to have it all under control. It was as if her desperate escape was nothing more than a child taking its first steps in their eyes.

What chilled her to the bone was that Su Bai didn't even look at her, only glancing slightly to the side, his gaze as if he were looking at a tortoise struggling to crawl but ridiculously slow. His indifferent voice clearly reached her ears:

"If you slow down any further, you won't have any reason to live."

Hua Rong was terrified, her last shred of hope completely shattered. She dared not have any other thoughts, her inner True Qi surging wildly, almost squeezing out every last bit of potential, just wanting to be faster and more obedient.

Before long, she arrived at Empress Zhang's palace with Su Bai.