At the gates of Lishui Palace.
Ji Minghao stepped down from the carriage and looked toward the sky above Lishui Palace. His eyes went blank.
Shen Mengyun emerged behind him.
Seeing his expression, she followed his gaze.
Above Lishui Palace, nine-colored rays shimmered among auspicious clouds. Radiance flowed, brilliant colors rippled, purple qi swirled, and faint celestial music drifted through the air. Strands of immortal light circled overhead like swimming serpents.
The spectacle could be seen across the entire city.
A vast swath of sky had become a celestial palace among the clouds.
"Your Majesty, this is...!" Shen Mengyun exclaimed, astonished.
"It must be Brother Jiang doing something extraordinary," Ji Minghao said slowly.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Just then,
Chen An strode over, stopped before Ji Minghao, and bowed.
Ji Minghao nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the spectacle above the palace.
The nine-colored rays shifted without cease. Celestial music drifted through a thousand brilliant hues, bathing the entire palace ahead in light until it seemed an immortal paradise on earth.
"Does this spectacle come from the Luo River King?" Ji Minghao asked.
"It comes from the island at the heart of Lishui Lake. His Highness is there now, along with an immortal maiden," Chen An answered truthfully.
"An immortal maiden?" Ji Minghao's eyes sharpened.
The scene he had just witnessed flashed through his mind.
The Immortal Tree's apparition had spanned the sky.
The woman in the plain white dress had been peerlessly beautiful, her bearing untouched by worldly dust, like a goddess from the Nine Heavens descended into the mortal realm.
"The woman from earlier?" Ji Minghao asked.
"I don't know, Your Majesty," Chen An said.
Ji Minghao nodded. "Take me to the Luo River King."
"Your Majesty, I can only take you to the reception hall, then