"My apologies, Your Majesty, for my late arrival. I beg your forgiveness!"
Xue Zining turned to see Lin Xingzhi, the commander of the Imperial Guard, kneeling on the ground. His clothes were already stained red with blood, making it impossible to tell if it was his own or someone else's.
"Get up!" She stepped forward to help Lin Xingzhi.
Lin Xingzhi was taken aback. He truly hadn't expected the Empress to personally help him up. Frightened, he quickly stood and retreated several steps. "Your Majesty, I can rise on my own!"
"Your Majesty, how shall these traitors be dealt with?" Lin Xingzhi asked, looking at Xue Zixuan's men, who were now surrounded by the Imperial Guard he had brought.
Xue Zining turned and walked forward. Gazing at the soldiers who had surrendered their weapons, she let out a long sigh. "Exile them to the wilderness."
Lin Xingzhi was stunned. He instinctively looked up and saw a faint sadness on the young woman's beautiful face. The words he was about to speak got stuck in his throat.
"Your Majesty, I obey!" Lin Xingzhi waved his hand, and the Imperial Guard led the captured soldiers away.
At this moment, only she and Yan Zhao remained in the Zhaoyuan Palace.
She saw Yan Zhao gazing in the direction where the fake Yan Zhao had departed, lost in thought.
She walked up and asked, "Is there something wrong with that person?"
Yan Zhao turned back and replied, "No, nothing is wrong."
As the words fell, Xue Zining realized she didn't know what to say. If she hadn't relived her past life, she would never have known that the Yan Zhao who betrayed her was a fake.
"Yan Zhao, I..."
"Your Majesty, you need not apologize to me."
Yan Zhao interrupted her.
She was startled and looked up to see the dazzling starlight in Yan Zhao's dark eyes, shining brilliantly.
"But, Your Majesty, when you see me again, could you not be so cold?"
Xue Zining froze. Yan Zhao looked up at the night sky and slowly said, "In the next life, will you give me a chance?"
After a long silence without an answer, he turned around and found that Xue Zining was no longer there.
He chuckled softly, gently placed a hand on his chest, and suddenly, a white light flashed, and he vanished from that spot.
Xue Zining felt her vision darken, then brighten again. After adjusting, she opened her eyes and realized she had returned.
The book in her hand suddenly became scorching hot, so much so that she had to throw it on the ground. The book began to flip on its own, finally stopping on a blank page. Immediately, lines of black text appeared on it.
She rushed forward to read it, but unfortunately, she only saw two words: Hong Lian...
A spark fell onto the book, turning it to ashes in an instant.
Xue Zining blinked, stunned. If it weren't for the ashes on the ground, she would have thought it was just a dream.
She walked forward, bowed, and said softly, "Thank you. Without you, I would never have known the truth."
Before she finished speaking, the ground began to shake violently. She could no longer stand steadily and instinctively looked up, finding that the books that had been firmly placed on the bookshelves were now falling down.
Greatly alarmed, she used her power to retreat, but the falling books seemed to have eyes, attacking her.
Their speed was so great that she couldn't dodge them. The books had become sharp swords, and the pages filled with text rapidly slashed her arms, her back, and even the back of her hands.
Blood stained the books.
Xue Zining gasped for breath, lowering her head. She saw her body covered in shallow but deep bloody marks. Every movement sent pain throughout her entire body.
Books as weapons – this was unprecedented. The divine hall was truly a place of no return.
Xue Zining looked at the faintly visible staircase at the top of the books, a floating staircase leading to the third floor, suspended above the second.
Gritting her teeth, she leaped towards the staircase. Tens of thousands of books, as if knowing her intentions, attacked her one by one.
She was shocked, dodging one, then two, but she couldn't dodge book after book.
The wounds on her body deepened, and the blood flowed more and more. Eventually, her vision began to blur.
Suddenly, she noticed that the suspended staircase seemed to be becoming transparent. Was it about to disappear? She had to hurry.
She looked up at the books floating in the air around the suspended staircase, seemingly ready to attack if she dared to approach.
Xue Zining knew her time was running out, and her body couldn't withstand the onslaught of these books. She had to go all out.
She bit down on her hair, which had been scattered by the books, and tore off a corner of her skirt. She wrapped her face, believing that other parts of her body could be disfigured, but her face could not.
Having done this, she took a deep breath and, like an arrow released from a bow, she rushed towards the suspended staircase.
Her speed was lightning-fast, but the books were even faster. Finally, seeing her apparent disregard for life, they changed their formation, piling up one by one until they formed a massive mountain that surged towards Xue Zining.
Under the flickering candlelight, Xue Zining felt a huge shadow overhead. She instinctively looked up and saw a mountain pressing down on her.
Her heart leaped. Being crushed by this would leave her dead or crippled.
But she couldn't outrun these books. The staircase was right in front of her, yet the mountain of books was bearing down on her.
She felt an immense weight fall upon her, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her internal organs seemed to be struggling to their limits.
If she were to be crushed to the ground, she would likely lose her life.
She strained her eyes, looking at the slowly disappearing staircase. She gritted her teeth, her heart aching. The passageway was so close, yet she couldn't ascend.
"Ah..." A scream pierced the sky.
Suddenly, a white figure swiftly approached.
Xue Zining felt herself being swept away by a gust of wind. When her feet touched the ground, she collapsed, spitting out another mouthful of blood.
"Was it worth it?" a cold voice drifted from above her.
She struggled to lift her head and saw two eyes, black as night, beneath a silver mask. There were no stars, no brilliance, only a deep abyss.
Was it worth it? She didn't know. She only knew that she couldn't stand by and watch the person closest to her leave.
"The divine hall's ultimate treasure, I must obtain it," she said, gritting her teeth, word by word.
"And if I forbid it?" he asked slowly, his gaze as clear and cold as frost.
She chuckled softly. "Then I will fight until you permit it."
For some reason, Xue Zining felt a flicker of starlight flash in his eyes, a hint of faint sadness.
"You cannot reach the third floor now, and the third floor is even more difficult than this. Are you... still resolute?"
"Yes."
Xue Zining saw him smile faintly. Although the silver mask hid most of his face, she could still feel the breathtaking effect of that smile, though it was a smile that wasn't quite a smile.