The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 265 Life Between Heaven and Earth (Part Two)

The entire barrier array's core is hemispherical in shape and was originally invisible.

As Zhang Yi chanted the incantation, activated the entire illusion array, and descended his own Dao domain, the hemispherical barrier instantly turned pitch black, enveloping everything within it.

He possesses the seed of the "Dream" Dao, and his specialization in supernatural powers is illusion. However, "Dream" itself originates from the human heart and is more advanced than external illusion.

Illusions always have flaws; by remaining clear-headed, one can find a way to break the illusion.

But as the poem says, "In a dream, one is unaware that one is a guest"... When a person is in a "dream," they act according to their subconscious. From the very beginning, they accept the settings they have given themselves. Even if there are flaws, they will convince themselves and it is very difficult for them to wake up on their own.

Moreover, they had already investigated and found that Shi Qingguang was least skilled at dealing with illusions.

Therefore, Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the barrier in front of him completely turn black and seal off.

Li Guisu snapped out of his extreme fear in an instant, almost collapsing and falling from mid-air.

He barely managed to steady himself, touched his sweat-dampened back with his other hand, swallowed hard, still feeling the lingering fear and extreme danger brought by the sword strike.

He never imagined that Shi Qingguang would be this powerful...

When she accepted the sword cultivator's challenge, the strength she displayed was less than one percent of that sword strike's power!
Even if they had considered that Shi Qingguang hadn't gone all out, the difference in skill level was still unbelievable.

Yin Jin, the "Lord of Blissful Underworld," was a contender for the top five among the "enlightened ones," yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from Shi Qingguang.

Even a general would be in trouble if he faced her...

"Phew... Thank you, Heavenly Venerable."

Li Guisu let out a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and bowed to Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi sat cross-legged in mid-air, his hands still in the hand seal position, his expression solemn, and he said coldly:

"Don't forget, Li Kan promised that the 'Heavenly Mandate' seed would belong to me."

Li Guisu quickly said:

"Of course, this was agreed upon long ago, and the general will certainly not go back on his word. No more 'enlightened ones' will enter the southwest region."

"But the prerequisite is that you can kill Shi Qingguang here!"

Zhang Yi looked at the dark hemisphere, closed his eyes, and an invisible aura spread from his body, instantly distorting and changing the surrounding scenery, making it as bizarre and fantastical as a dream.

"Don't worry, they've already entered the dream."

He said in a deep voice:

"The illusion she created based on the moment she most wanted to stay in her life, combined with your 'Fleeting Fruit' Dao Domain, will only make her sink deeper and deeper."

When the "Fluid Fruit" acts on a person, it strips away their luck, causing everything to fall downwards. At this moment, the two Dao Domains combined become a true quagmire.

What he wanted to do was to make Shi Qingguang unable to wake up again, and to make him sink into a dream.

Then, trapped in a dream forever, he became a walking corpse.

As for the guy who was also brought into the dream, he was just an insect who wasn't even an "enlightened one".

It's a trivial matter to run someone over casually...

……

Gu Fangchen saw the rapidly closing dark barrier, her hand still covering Shi Qingguang's eyes, and whispered:
"It's an illusion. Don't be afraid, I will bring you back."

Shi Qingguang hummed in response. The next moment, she realized that the hand covering her face had been removed, and dazzling sunlight poured in, stinging her eyes. She heard a little girl's voice behind her:

"You can't play anymore, miss, it's time for class!"

Shi Qingguang raised her hand and rubbed her eyes hard. She looked at her hands blankly.

Those were fair and delicate hands, belonging to a young child.

Each of them wore a dazzling gold ring adorned with gemstones on their wrists, and a peace lock hung around their necks, embroidered with an exquisitely crafted phoenix pattern. A fiery red pearl, faintly shimmering with spiritual light, served as their eye, indicating that it was a magical artifact. Clearly, they were pampered and spoiled by their families.

Shi Qingguang felt a sense of unease rising within him, as if he couldn't remember what he had just been doing.

She frowned and turned her head in confusion:

"What class?"

Standing behind her was a little girl who was a bit older than her. She had a pretty and cute appearance and was wearing a pink dress. Apart from a jade bracelet, she had no other accessories.

Shi Qingguang suddenly remembered that this was Yuzhu, her childhood playmate.

Yu Zhu looked at her mistress's expression strangely, assuming that she didn't want to attend Mr. Bai's class and was pretending to be confused, since that old man was the strictest.

She whispered her advice:
"There's only a quarter of an hour left. If Mr. Bai doesn't see Miss by then, the city lord and his wife will hold us servants accountable."

Mr. Bai?
The city lord? And... his wife?
The corresponding people flashed through Shi Qingguang's mind one by one, and it seemed that he remembered them.

This is Baidi City, where she grew up.

This ancient city, hidden in the heart of the river, is isolated from the world and governed by the Lord of Baidi City. She is the daughter of the Lord and his wife.

A thousand years ago, a clan that served the phoenix planted a giant parasol tree here, waiting for the phoenix to visit once every thousand years. They built a magnificent city, and the clan leader became the city lord.

Before the phoenix arrived, people lived a self-sufficient and leisurely life, cultivating themselves and living like in a paradise.

However, in reality, the clan that serves the phoenix is ​​surnamed Bai.

The rest were people who came with this clan and were protected, as well as some outsiders who had encountered accidents on the river and drifted to Baidi City.

Shi Qingguang's mother, surnamed Bai, was originally the city lord of this generation, but she had no talent for cultivation. After becoming pregnant with Shi Qingguang, she handed over the position of city lord to her husband.

However, the couple had no disagreements, and she enjoyed being a good wife and mother.

Shi Qingguang was the apple of their eye from birth, spoiled rotten, and ran rampant in Baidi City, a veritable devil incarnate.

But what she feared most was the old man Bai who taught her cultivation.

This old gentleman was the most senior clan elder in her mother's family. He was a rigid and strict man who would punish someone without hesitation, and no one could persuade him otherwise.

"Okay! Let's go!"

The little girl pouted, kicked the shuttlecock off the ground, and walked away.

She hated going to class and wanted to play a little longer to annoy the old man and see him glare at her.

But for some reason, she suddenly felt that she could no longer be willful and that she should study hard.

Learn magic, learn swordsmanship, learn anything that can make you stronger.

It seems like I'll definitely regret it if I don't do it this way...

Her steps quickened.

Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bent down to follow.

"Jingle Bell……"

Shi Qingguang suddenly heard a crisp clanging sound behind him. He turned around and saw a string of wind chimes hanging on the eaves of the corridor.

The wind chime was strung with small sword-shaped metal pieces on a red string.

Swaying gently in the wind, reflecting the brilliant sunlight, it gradually fades into the distance amidst the sound of the river tide and the swaying green shadows of the trees.

……

"You arrived right on time today."

Mr. Bai stroked his beard, somewhat surprised to see the little girl walk up to him and sit down properly, without a trace of mischief.

Shi Qingguang raised his head, his round, dark eyes quite endearing, and glared at him unhappily:
"I'll never be late again! Don't even think about hitting my hand again!"

The old man with white hair and beard chuckled; so that was what it was about.

Actually, because he had a magical artifact protecting him, his strike on Shi Qingguang's palm didn't cause any real damage; the pain subsided after an afternoon.

However, as the only daughter of the city lord, she probably has her own pride and doesn't want to lose face.

In short, it's a good thing.

I just don't know how long I can hold on this time... I guess I'll fall asleep during this class, right? Old Master Bai picked up the exercise manual and began to explain it in detail.

Halfway through his speech, he looked up and saw that Shi Qingguang's head was nodding off, and he was drowsy, but he was still forcing his eyelids open and reciting the contents of the cultivation technique in fits and starts.

Mr. Bai was genuinely surprised this time, and even began to reflect on whether he had really hit the child too hard and frightened him so much!
He walked over and said softly:

"Kiyomitsu, what's wrong? Did Grandpa Shiro hit your hand and hurt it? Or did someone bully you?"

As an elder of the Bai family, he actually doted on Shi Qingguang, a younger generation member. When he wasn't in class, he would have Shi Qingguang call him "Grandpa".

At this moment, he suspected that perhaps some of the younger members of the collateral branches, out of jealousy, had bullied the young girl because of their cultivation level, which had inspired Shi Qingguang's ambition.

Over the years, Baidi City has accepted too many outsiders, resulting in a mixed bag of people. There are even rumors that the existence of Baidi City has been exposed to the outside world.

The internal atmosphere is becoming increasingly restless, and such a thing is very likely to happen.

Shi Qingguang rubbed his eyes, looked up, shook his head, and muttered:

"No, Grandpa Bai... I just feel that I can't play like this anymore, I have to study hard."

Her voice lowered:

"Otherwise... I'll definitely regret it."

Mr. Bai was taken aback, but felt a surge of relief. He squatted down and said:
"Little Qingguang, do you really think so? Good, good, you've really grown up! You've become sensible! There are more and more unruly people in Baidi City. If you don't study, you'll be bullied in the future."

"However, if Kiyomitsu wants to play, he should play properly..."

Shi Qingguang was somewhat dazed as he listened to Grandpa Bai's sudden change in temperament, his kind and rambling words.

She didn't actually know what she would regret, but it must be much more serious than this.

……

The days of cultivation are very boring, much less fun than when I used to play freely.

But Shi Qingguang dared not relax for a moment.

She didn't know why she felt so urgent, but she was getting more and more anxious and panicked, as if a tiger was chasing her.

When I finally catch up with her, it's like I'm going to bite her hard...

The unusual behavior of their beloved daughter naturally caught the attention of the city lord and his wife, who secretly investigated the matter. To their surprise, they discovered that Shi Qingguang had not been affected by anyone; she had simply changed into this state all by herself.

This is certainly a good thing, but Shi Qingguang's personality has also changed as a result; he is no longer as lively and cheerful as before.

This forced the city lord and his wife to put in more effort to get Shi Qingguang to spend more time with them, and they ended up playing with her instead.

Completely different from before.

However, they soon ran out of time again.

As the legendary phoenix's arrival, which occurs only once every thousand years, drew near, the evergreen phoenix trees in Baidi City began to wither. Suddenly, rumors spread that the phoenix had been reborn and would never return to Baidi City.

Baidi City was created from the very beginning to serve the phoenix.

They chose to settle in the middle of the river to maintain their faith and inner purity and devotion, and to cut off all contact with the outside world.

In other words, if the phoenix is ​​reborn from the ashes, the significance of their White Emperor City's isolation from the world will have disappeared.

In an instant, the worldly faction, which was already gaining momentum, became even more rampant.

Baidi City had been isolated from the world for too long, and as the number of outsiders increased, their curiosity about the outside world grew stronger and stronger, eventually reaching a certain point.

The withering of the parasol tree became the fuse.

After a period of arguing, the Lord of Baidi City finally decided to summon the clan elders to discuss whether Baidi City should be allowed to enter the mortal world.

in the corridor.

As Shi Qingguang watched the once lush and verdant trees now fall, their leaves a desolate sight, and the wind chimes jingled erratically, his unease finally reached its peak.

She had a vague premonition that if Baidi City were to enter the mortal world, it would surely end badly.

……

The last discussion did not reach a clear conclusion. Everyone held their own opinions and the meeting ended in discord. They decided to wait until that thousandth day.

If the phoenix truly does not descend, then we can discuss opening the city gates.

Shi Qingguang suddenly discovered something strange.

Or rather... he's a strange person.

He was a young man in white robes that only she could see, always standing in the shade of a tree, or sitting on a branch, or lying on a rooftop...

What they had in common was that every time he appeared, he was lazily weaving the blades of grass in his hands, but his eyes were fixed intently on him, with a subtle smile on his face.

Despite the heavily guarded Baidi City, where the atmosphere had become increasingly tense recently, this young man appeared casually everywhere, and no one noticed him.

This is clearly a very strange and dangerous thing.

But Shi Qingguang felt inexplicably close to this guy. As long as he was by his side, the endless anxiety in his heart seemed to be relieved a little.

After striking up a conversation with the guy out of curiosity, they naturally became secret friends.

She was used to taking time out of her busy training to chat with this secret friend about the outside world or play games like kicking shuttlecock.

Only at this moment did Shi Qingguang feel that he was still a child.

One day, the young man saw Shi Qingguang wearing an unprecedentedly gorgeous red dress, embroidered with phoenixes woven in gold thread, dazzling and eye-catching. His eyes flickered, and he asked:

"The millennium has arrived, hasn't it?"

Shi Qingguang nodded and said in a low voice:
"The phoenix will land in Baidi City today... or maybe not. In any case, after today, the elders will be able to decide whether Baidi City should enter the world."

The young man didn't say anything, but simply tossed the shuttlecock aside, gesturing for her to look at it, and murmured:
"Is this why you want to stay?"

……

Shi Qingguang returned, lifting her skirt and kicking her embroidered shoes aside. Her face flushed, she happily told him:

"Gu Fangchen, the phoenix has descended! It landed on the parasol tree, and the parasol tree, which had lost all its leaves, has revived and grown new leaves!"

"Tomorrow, the clan elders will establish new rules to drive out all outsiders and no longer take them in."

This means that Baidi City will continue to be secluded from the secular world, becoming a paradise.

The young man reached out to support her. She swayed, let out a hiccup, covered her mouth, and blushed even more, whispering:
"While the adults were celebrating, I secretly drank a little bit of alcohol... just a tiny bit!"

The young girl, already as tender as a budding flower, nestled in his arms, tugging at his sleeve, pointing outside, her eyes glazed over, and said:

"Look, the phoenix has really descended; it's so beautiful..."

Gu Fangchen turned around and saw phoenix tail feathers hanging down from the huge sycamore tree, dazzling and beautiful, like a golden waterfall covering the entire Baidi City.

The tender leaves on the sycamore tree rustled in the wind.

The entire city of Baidi was filled with jubilation, laughter, and excitement.

But in reality... it should have been destroyed today.

The young man squatted down, patted her head, and sighed.
"So that's how it is... This is your inner tribulation."

If you can't overcome the mental tribulations, then you become a demon in your heart.

When she dwells on the past instead of focusing on the present, her words and actions contradict her inner thoughts.

The inner demons that arise from this will forever trap her in the past, causing her to perish along with this long-dead, empty city.

If Shi Qingguang is to overcome this inner demon, he will have to wake up and realize that everything is an illusion.

How can I regain my senses?

Perhaps the only solution is to destroy all of this again.

Gu Fangchen looked at the girl sleeping soundly in her arms and fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)