Chapter 378: A Gourmet Dish (1/2)

A blood-red downpour mixed with countless pieces of debris fell in torrents in front of Song Qian.

The suspended remnants of broken walls and debris also rained down to the ground, turning the once grand and spectacular imperial palace into a chaotic burial ground.

Song Qian found it difficult to believe everything before her, even though she had just witnessed it with her own eyes. Did the Yan Kingdom Empress really die like this?

Pushed to the brink, humiliated, feeling helpless—did the formidable Yan Kingdom Empress die so suddenly?!

She didn't know which being had intervened and taken the lives of Wei Xinlan and all the living beings in the palace. At this moment, fear began to grow in her heart. She stood still, not daring to move a muscle.

She didn't know if that terrifying being was still nearby or if it would strike again. She was afraid that any sudden movement on her part would attract the attention of that being, turning her into a pile of ashes.

Song Qian felt as if she were incredibly small in this world.

...

At this moment, in a secret dungeon deep beneath the Yan Kingdom Imperial Palace.

The former Empress Yian, Li Xiuling, was imprisoned here.

In this secret dungeon, there was a seclusion formation from the ancient Xianzu clan, and even an Immortal Sovereign would be unable to probe this place with their divine sense.

Wei Xinlan was a follower of the Limitless Sect and learned this lost Xianzu clan formation from the Limitless Sect's leader.

Inside the dungeon, there was a medicinal pool with four black stone pillars erected in it. Li Xiuling, undressed, was immersed in this medicinal pool.

Her snow-white body was spread out in the shape of a large character, with her hands and feet bound by black chains extending from the four black stone pillars.

Both the chains and the black stone pillars were inscribed with runes, sealing the mana within Li Xiuling's body.

Various strange and grotesque worms roamed around her, probing.

Li Xiuling's expression was vacant, and her eyes had lost their former brilliance.

Who could have expected that the once renowned talent, the first Empress of the Yian Kingdom, would fall to such a state?

Next to the medicinal pool, there were a few earth rat demonic spirits. They were under Wei Xinlan's orders, tasked with adding various herbs and worms to the pool at regular intervals.

Wei Xinlan treated Li Xiuling as a premium "ingredient." To ensure she reached the best state for consumption, Wei Xinlan kept her in this medicinal pool for decades, preserving her intact form.

However, Wei Xinlan had no chance to taste the "dish" she had spent so much time and resources "cooking."

When Song Ye's divine sense infiltrated the entire imperial palace, he inadvertently sensed this secret dungeon.

The seclusion formation from the Xianzu clan within the dungeon couldn't block Song Ye's divine sense, and thus, he sensed a familiar figure within.

After a brief investigation, Song Ye's mind formed a somewhat familiar face—the former Empress Yian, Li Xiuling.

The face and bone structure of that figure were remarkably similar to Li Xiuling.

Song Ye had heard that Li Xiuling had become a prisoner under the Yian Kingdom after her defeat. It seemed she was imprisoned here.

Chapter 378: A Gourmet Dish (2/2)

In fact, it was impossible for Wei Xinlan to let Li Xiuling go at this time. Unless she enjoyed Li Xiuling as a delicacy first.

Since Song Ye inadvertently sensed Li Xiuling imprisoned here, he decided to release her casually.

The black stone pillars and chains in the medicinal pool instantly shattered under Song Ye's control, and the inscriptions on them dissipated.

In that instant, Li Xiuling's eyes burst into a lustrous radiance, and the flow of mana within her body began to recover.

At this moment, she discovered that the mana in her body seemed much richer than before. Although her cultivation hadn't broken through, she felt closer to crossing that insurmountable barrier.

She temporarily had no idea how her body had changed during these many years of being kept by Wei Xinlan.

But now, she had no time to contemplate these matters. Although she didn't know who had secretly intervened to rescue her, this was an extremely rare opportunity for her to escape.

With a burst of golden light, Li Xiuling soared from the medicinal pool and broke through the ground. As she ascended into the air, she caught a glimpse of the once flourishing imperial palace turned into ruins, with blood staining the earth.

She wasn't sure what kind of cataclysm had occurred here.

Perhaps it was this upheaval that enabled her escape.

However, without a moment's hesitation in the air, Li Xiuling turned into a streak of light and flew toward the capital of the Yian Kingdom.

After all, she was still undressed.

At this moment, Song Qian, who was still standing at the palace gate, noticed this figure emerging from the ground and flying south. The person's cultivation seemed to be close to her own.

When Li Xiuling was imprisoned by Wei Xinlan, Song Qian had not yet been born, so she naturally did not recognize this figure as the former Empress of Yian.

Seeing that Li Xiuling could leave unharmed, Song Qian assumed that the terrifying presence that destroyed the palace should no longer be nearby. Or perhaps, that being had already achieved its goal and no longer bothered to intervene.

Suddenly, Song Qian seemed to think of something.

With such a monumental change in the imperial palace, important figures in the city would gather here soon. And she happened to be at the palace gate.

At this moment, she had the advantage over those people.

This kind of opportunity was extremely rare.

She had to seize it.

So, Song Qian's figure teleported into the ruined imperial palace.

She found the remaining half of Wei Xinlan's face amid the debris.

Song Qian had always detested this face, and now, it looked even more grotesque. Immediately, she raised her right foot and stomped fiercely on that half of the face to vent her private resentment.

Of course, she didn't come here just to step on that face.

At this moment, Wei Xinlan's divine sense was dissipating. Soon, her personal storage space would be permanently closed, never to be opened again. Afterward, no one would be able to access it.

However, within the three seconds after her death, her storage space was still in the process of closing. During these three seconds, it belonged to a masterless state, and someone with powerful mana could briefly open it and randomly take something from it.

Of course, more advanced cultivators, sensing the danger to their lives, would seal their storage spaces in advance to prevent their personal belongings from falling into others' hands after their death.

Therefore, it was highly likely that Wei Xinlan had already sealed her storage space before her death.

However, Song Qian had to give it a try.