Chapter Forty-Eight: The Imperial Palace of Siyou Emerges Once More

“You needn’t worry about that!” Bai Mu smiled faintly, waving his hand repeatedly. “I’m already deeply grateful that you’re not trying to stop me.”

“To take the worst-case scenario, I’m not ascending Mount Floating Jade alone. My friend has already entered the Ethereal Illusion, and once we reunite outside the array, we’ll head straight to the Ruins together!”

“Your friend entered the Ethereal Illusion as well?”

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The girl in white shook her head helplessly. “Then let me advise you not to pin your hopes on that. The Ethereal Illusion isn’t something just anyone can pass through.”

“If you hadn’t met me today, you’d likely never have escaped the illusion in your lifetime. As for your friend, I’d wager she’s already met a terrible end!”

“Impossible!” Bai Mu retorted with absolute confidence. “My friend is no ordinary person. A mere Ethereal Illusion wouldn’t trap her. Besides, you mentioned there were heart demons in the illusion, but I didn’t sense a thing!”

“And besides, you and I walk different paths and can’t work together. I’m breaking out of this array now, so you can’t stop me any longer!”

With that, Bai Mu steeled his heart and strode to leap toward the still center of the lake.

From the way the sword energy had entered the lake during their earlier exchange, it was clear the lake was the core of the Ethereal Illusion. He was almost certain that if he jumped in, he would break out of the illusion!

Wait!

Seeing this, the woman in white quickly tried to stop him. “You’re quite sharp, seeing the core of the illusion at a glance. From the way you talk, your friend is a woman—a formidable one, am I right?”

A formidable one?

Bai Mu gave a wry smile and shook his head. “She is a woman, and her beauty is on par with yours. But she’s kind-hearted, not the ruthless sort you imagine.”

“Then may I join you to meet this friend of yours?” the woman asked as she circled behind Bai Mu, secretly wondering who this girl could be, daring to trespass Mount Floating Jade, sacred ground of the God of War.

Bai Mu hadn’t wanted her company, but seeing how familiar she was with the Ethereal Illusion, he realized her presence would make things much safer.

Moreover, her swordsmanship was extraordinary, and her cultivation profound. If she’d wanted to harm him, she could have done so during their earlier clash and taken the Azure Dragon Sacred Sword with ease.

Since she hadn’t struck then, he had even less reason to suspect her now.

Having made up his mind, the two exchanged a smile and dove side by side into the deathly still waters.

As their bodies were fully immersed, there was no chill or discomfort—none of the sensations one might expect.

Instead, faint ripples seemed to drift before his eyes, the air gradually distorting, until at last the woman beside him grew blurry, and his head slowly sank into an ethereal void.

He didn’t know how long he floated in the darkness, but when he opened his eyes, the opulent palace appeared before him once more.

Jade tiles and soaring eaves reached toward the heavens, red walls and blue bricks linked seamlessly—a scene of regal, elegant splendor.

Faint voices of women drifted past his ears, ethereal and tinged with unreality.

“Qingyang, my precious child, grow up quickly. One day you will rule the Kingdom of Siyou. The High Priest will lead you to unify the wild tribes and achieve immortal glory.”

He looked toward the voice, and a familiar scene unfolded once more.

A dignified, beautiful noblewoman stood on the palace steps, cradling an infant.

Her crimson robe was embroidered with lifelike phoenixes, her high coiffure meticulously arranged—she radiated majesty from head to toe.

The infant in her arms was wrapped in blue silk, adorned with golden thread depicting ancient dragons—both noble and imposing.

The distance prevented Bai Mu from clearly seeing the baby’s features, but anyone born to such a noble house would surely grow into a handsome man.

Yet Bai Mu felt something odd—this was the second time he’d seen this scene in a short span.

What connection did this child, Qingyang, have to him? Why did this noble woman and the infant Qingyang always appear before his eyes—so close, yet so intangible?

“Hey, boy, wake up—wake up!”

Just as he was lost in thought, a cold yet urgent girl’s voice sounded in his ear, drawing closer and closer, pulling Bai Mu back to reality.

When he looked again, the grand palace and noblewoman had vanished.

In their place was a steep cliff, a few gnarled pines, and scattered rocks.

“Where are we?” Bai Mu struggled to his feet, curiosity filling his gaze as he surveyed his surroundings.

“This is called the Cliff of Transcendence. Go a few hundred meters past this cliff, and you’ll reach the main gates of our Sacred Hall—the Grand Hall of Completion, which is where you’ll meet your end.”

“My end? I’m not so easily defeated!” Bai Mu replied, instinctively raising his sword hand.

But when he lifted his right hand and looked, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and a chill shot straight to the crown of his head—he was nearly suffocated by shock.

The Azure Dragon Sacred Sword, which he’d gripped firmly before, had vanished without a trace. His right hand was empty—there was no sign of the sword.

She must have stolen it!

Bai Mu glared at the woman in white, suspicion and indignation in his eyes. “Return the Azure Dragon Sword to me!”

“Sword?” The woman smiled faintly, her expression serene, as if she hadn’t taken his accusation seriously at all. “When did I take your sword?”

The calmer and more dismissive she seemed, the more convinced Bai Mu became that she’d stolen the sword while he was unconscious in the illusion.

Normally, people would react with outrage and fury at such a thing.

But as the disciple of the ancient god Baize, Bai Mu possessed a composure and bearing beyond the ordinary.

After his initial anger, he regained his composure and asked calmly, “Was it the heart demons in the lake that caused me to faint just now?”