Chapter 199 (Chapter 198) Bright Moon

As an archaeology graduate, Yan Shi had naturally read about Empress Xuan in historical records.

The last emperor of the previous dynasty was quite diligent in his duties. Empress Xuan had known him since childhood, and even after their complete falling out, no second woman entered that emperor's harem.

Therefore, it was impossible for the emperor and empress to be without feelings for each other.

Therefore, Yan Shi couldn't understand why Empress Xuan, who clearly knew what had happened, could just watch helplessly as chaos reigned in her former home.

All I can say is that, regardless of race, creatures that live a long time are all strange and unusual.

"Do one good deed every day." Empress Xuan slowly repeated Yan Shi's words, her gaze slightly lowered. "How do you intend to do one good deed every day, even if it means going against heaven and earth?"

Yan Shi: "Tell them to get out."

"Oh?" Empress Xuan lowered her eyes upon hearing this, then suddenly smiled after a moment: "They've arrived."

With a smile, the coldness in his eyes dissipated, and his charisma swayed, causing Yan Shi to be momentarily stunned.

Yan Shi: "Who?"

Empress Xuan turned her head, and Yan Shi followed her gaze to look out the window.

The sky was overcast, and the wind that had been howling inside the Summer Palace suddenly stopped.

Everything seemed to have come to a standstill.

In mid-air, ripples appeared out of thin air, like a drop of ink falling onto gray rice paper. The ink then spread, creating a black hole from which figures gradually emerged.

A woman wearing a long, wide-sleeved robe with cloud patterns was the first to step out. She had white hair and dark eyes, and carried a rusty sword on her back. Ancient inscriptions were engraved on the sword, as if it were covered with the ashes of war.

She looked down and met Yan Shi's gaze directly. Her eyes were calm, yet brooked no argument.

"It's...it's the Ancestor?" Qin Yu, who had been sitting quietly on Yan Shi's shoulder, suddenly exclaimed. She then took off the scroll she was carrying, jumped up, and transformed into a streak of light, flying into the air.

Yan Shi: ?

who?

Before she could react, the woman in the air had already reached out and caught Qin Yu steadily.

Qin Yu's figure merged into her scroll, transforming into a vast, unfolding painting depicting the scenes of the Summer Palace. Then, the scroll closed, and the newcomer took it into their arms.

"Changming, what are you looking at?" Behind her, a woman dressed in plain white robes, wearing a phoenix-patterned crown, and with a red dot on her forehead patted her shoulder.

Changming shook his head and said, "With the Summer Palace in this state, and countless of our kin trapped here, the Bureau of Alien Affairs should give us an explanation."

The space was quiet, and the sound of the ever-burning lamp rang clearly and far.

Beside her, countless figures, some old, some young, all carrying strange artifacts on their backs, shrouded in spiritual light, all looked down at her.

Empress Xuan stopped smiling and turned to look at Yan Shi: "How do you intend to deal with this?"

"Yanlan." Sheng Chunqiu, who was standing to the side, sighed and said seriously, "Don't get involved in this mess."

Yan Shi curled his lips, his face showing only indifference, "I must do this good deed again someday."

As she spoke, she stepped onto the table, crossed the chessboard, her hem brushing against the pieces as they scattered and fell with a crisp sound, before vaulting over the windowsill.

Once it's turned out, the view is much wider.

Only then did Yan Shi realize that most of the various cultural relics that had been rampaging along the palace road had now fallen silent, lying on the ground, emitting wisps of black mist, as if they were wailing.

The array set up by Sheng Chunqiu gathered suppressed emotions in the Summer Palace, causing the nascent spiritual artifacts to go out of control, and also nurturing miasma and ghosts.

Gray smoke filled the air, and the whole world was filled with sorrow and despair.

A faint sound of weeping could be heard coming from the palace.

"Why..."

"The world is so unfair..."

"Tear them apart..."

On the palace path, only Yan Shi stood alone.

“...Yanlan!” She heard a familiar voice calling her from afar.

Yan Shi turned to look. Gui Ge Mu, using some unknown method, finally managed to pass through the bronze statues at the entrance of the Summer Palace and head towards this place.

"Yanlan," Changming called from above, his tone calm, "Have your sister, Director Yan, come here."

"Give us an explanation."

"Why is everyone looking for her?" Yan Shi finally looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly. "What explanation do you want? I'll give it to you."

Changming: "It's not that we want an explanation, but rather..." She shook her head slightly, her gaze falling towards the entrance of the Summer Palace.

"Do you know what would have happened to the Summer Palace if I hadn't been suppressing it now?" Changming asked.

"Changming, why bother saying more?" The woman in white beside her had lost her patience and suddenly raised her hand. "Yanlan, if you don't believe me, then come and see for yourself."

As soon as the words were spoken, the previously silent Summer Palace suddenly erupted into a commotion.

Or rather, it's more than just noise.

After the appearance of Changming, the cultural relics that had been lying dormant on the ground became active again.

The thousands of troops that emerged from the painting exuded murderous intent; the monster bound with the seal of mountains and rivers had blood-red eyes that churned with resentment, chaos, and madness accumulated over countless years.

In the air, some strangely shaped creatures began to appear, baring their teeth and twisting their limbs, about to pounce on Yan Shi; at the same time, a bone-chilling cold spread rapidly in the air, carrying a sticky malice, and quietly wrapped around her throat.

Yan Shi frowned and raised her hand. The spiritual energy in the air was not dense, but rather very thin. She struggled to extract a few strands of watery spiritual energy from it, dispelling the suffocating feeling that was pressing down on her throat.

Yan Shi started screaming inwardly.

Help me! (Image)

She staggered back a few steps, narrowly avoiding several arrows aimed straight at her vitals, and dodging a giant axe that was slashing at her face from the side.

It's common knowledge that fighting games are more fun when played through a screen using a keyboard. Multiplayer offline fast-paced fighting is pure horror.

Before she could move much, Yan Shi felt her limbs growing heavier and heavier. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, narrowly dodging another slashing sword light.

The tidal blessing emanated a coolness from her chest, gathering into tiny streams that formed a thin barrier around her, resisting some of the impact.

Yan Shi: "That's a bit too much."

With a blank expression, she took out the Necromancer's Halberd from the spatial gap and stabbed it at everything she could reach.

The tip of the Undead Halberd pierced through the ghostly miasma, easily cutting through the surging malice in the air like slicing tofu. The "monsters" that had been frantically rushing towards them were instantly torn apart and scattered.

Yan Shi felt a sense of relief throughout his body.

My fingertips are numb.

The Undead Halberd also carried a bone-chilling cold, because the surrounding spiritual energy was very thin, and the water spirit could not gather enough to envelop the halberd. Yan Shi could feel the chilling cold creeping up his fingertips and down his body, seeping into his bone marrow little by little through his blood.

It's just as painful.

But it's better than getting beaten up.

Shamelessness.jpg

She gripped the necromancer's halberd, preparing to unleash a powerful blow on the crazed artifacts around her, when suddenly she felt a weight settle around her again.

Unlike the sticky malice of the past, this time the heaviness carries an absolute and irresistible suppression.

"According to the Peace Protection Regulations jointly signed by the Inner and Outer Worlds, no being from the Inner World or its affiliated organization may use spirit on a large scale in the Outer World with the intent to cause lethal destruction." A somewhat familiar voice came from mid-air.

"Violator, Yanlan. Do you plead guilty?" The last sentence was quite heavy, resounding directly in one's mind.

"It's going to be really lively tonight." Yan Shi stopped under the pressure and looked up.

In mid-air, not far from Changming and the others, a door appeared out of thin air.

The golden, arched doorway of the Destiny Altar is inlaid with intricate runes.

Lin Xuya stood in front of the door, wearing a long red robe with intricate runes embroidered on the sleeves and hem, matching the style of the door. She looked down at Yan Shi.

Yan Shi: ?

Why did Lin Xuya come out of the Heavenly Fate Platform again?

Didn't she remember taking Lin Xuya home before she fell unconscious?!

Lin Xuya: "Yanlan, do you plead guilty?" She repeated it slowly.

Yan Shi: "Am I guilty?" She chuckled softly.

The chilling aura of the Undead Halberd had gradually spread from her arm to her chest. She gripped the halberd tightly, and the Blessing of the Tide radiated a warm glow on her chest.

"I am guilty." Yan Shi's chuckle slowly turned into a loud laugh. "What crime have I committed?"

Lin Xuya glanced at the necromancer halberd in Yan Shi's hand, then looked at the chaotic dance of demons in the Summer Palace, her tone tinged with anger: "The facts are right here, why won't you admit your guilt?"

"According to the Peace Protection Ordinance, violators will have their internal spiritual energy circulation abolished and will be confined to the void realm for life without ever being released."

Yan Shi finally stopped smiling: "I don't admit it."

Lin Xuya: "You have no right to argue."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, and golden light gathered from her palm, about to rush towards Yan Shi.

“God said,” Yan Shi said calmly, “the curse has stopped.”

Although the ability only expired this morning at the Destiny Platform, a whole day has passed. Even if the ability bar is blue, it should have recovered by at least one bar by now.

She was thinking of giving up.

Fortunately, the law responded to her request.

The golden light in Lin Xuya's hand disappeared in mid-air.

Yan Shi remained standing there expressionless: "Wow."

Lin Xuya: "...You!"

"You're just relying on Director Yan's protection!" she muttered under her breath.

"The priests from the Heavenly Mandate Altar have all arrived." Changming watched the commotion for a while before finally speaking leisurely, "Is Director Yan still not coming?"

Yan Shi: "I'm enough."

She looked up at the sky.

The clouds hung low and heavy. On the left were countless spirits who had cultivated themselves into great powers from the bodies of cultural relics, led by Changming; on the right was Lin Xuya, who stood solemnly in front of the Heavenly Fate Platform.

The area above was densely packed with people.

Not far away at the entrance of the Summer Palace, the Bureau of Exclusion's enforcement team finally found a breakthrough solution to the huge bronze statue blocking their way. They broke through the barrier and rushed towards the entrance.

Inside the library, Empress Xuan and Sheng Chunqiu remained seated at the table, quietly reading.

There were also a dense crowd of people behind me.

Yan Shi slowly exhaled.

“Since Lan is a blessing,” she murmured to herself, “tidal blessings are also one of the powers of the spirits, let me feel some blessings.”

"Why is there no moon tonight?" Yan Shi thought. "The weather is so nice today, this is not good."

"The moon is approaching."

As soon as the words were spoken, a narrow slit appeared in the clouds in the sky, and a ray of pure white moonlight pierced through the heavy weight, gradually brightening the Summer Palace.

A new moon, split off from the manifested moon, fell down, and suddenly split open above Yan Shi's head, scattering silvery-white light in all directions.

The moonlight spread a layer of pure white light on the ground, slowly accumulating and growing brighter, then surging and covering the entire summer palace.

The tide is coming in.

The tide swallowed the malice in the air, swallowed the shadows in mid-air, and slowly began to engulf the artifacts that were rampaging through the Summer Palace.

Yan Shi walked towards Chongming Hall.

That was the center of the entire Summer Palace, and if she wasn't mistaken, it was the core of the array that Sheng Chunqiu had set up.

The closer she got to Chongming Hall, the deeper the despair she felt, until she reached the courtyard gate.

The chill had thickened to the point of solidification, enveloping everything in a dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Yan Shi pushed open the courtyard gate.

step.

All things fell silent.

She looked at no one else; only the tide roared around her.

Step two.

The more intense the wailing, the black mist driven away by the moon tide transformed into a sharp shriek, sweeping across her cheek, and blood seeped from her skin.

Three steps.

The entire Summer Palace began to tremble, like an old dream falling asleep. Decades of despair, anger, and pain were all submerged by the tide, turning into calm.

No one spoke again.

The world was completely silent.

The wind stopped.

The snow fell.

Finally, Yan Shi arrived at the gate of Chongming Hall.

She rarely felt a surge of pain and sorrow welling up in her chest.

He could barely hold the halberd anymore; his fingertips were almost transparently white.

But she still raised her hand and thrust down with her halberd, slaying the last gray miasma nurtured by the formation in front of the palace.

Now there is nothing in front of the hall except for a ground covered with blue bricks covered in snow.

She paused, then knelt on one knee before the hall.

The halberd slipped from her fingertips and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Yan Shi chuckled softly, "The moon is out now."

Author's Note: I'm back to updating after finishing my exams.