Palace Master

"Return to Ruins Divine Temple, Chiji."

Ancient Venerable Chi Ji called out loudly.

"I have come to visit Palace Master Luo Ling. Please announce me."

There was silence deep within the restrictions for a moment.

Then, a crack slowly opened in the first layer of the glazed light curtain.

"Come in."

That cool, detached voice rang out again, still carrying the same utterly faint tone.

Ancient Venerable Chi Ji stepped inside.

The nine layers of restrictions closed one after another behind her, emitting soft hums.

She followed a mountain path paved with bluestone upward.

Both sides of the path were planted with ancient trees she could not name. Their dense branches and leaves covered most of the sky.

Mottled light and shadow fell across the stone steps, swaying with the mountain breeze like countless tiny golden fragments.

There was no one along the way.

It was quiet to an almost eerie extent.

After walking for about the time it took to burn half an incense stick, Ancient Venerable Chi Ji suddenly saw the view open up before her.

A palace stood atop the mountain.

It was built entirely from a kind of glazed crystal she did not recognize.

The palace walls were not tall, and its upturned eaves were elegant. Every line was simplicity itself, yet they carried an indescribable sense of rhythm.

A woman in a white dress stood before the palace gates.

She looked barely over twenty, with delicate features, but her gaze was as steady as a thousand-year-old well.

The aura of a One-Lotus Saint circulated around her. Though she had restrained it, it could not escape Ancient Venerable Chi Ji's senses.

"Ancient Venerable Chi Ji."

The woman in white dipped slightly, offering a simple greeting to welcome a guest.

"The Palace Master is waiting in the