Chapter 803 Too Bad There Are No Ifs
Ye Xuanyue felt her consciousness blur for a second—then a voice appeared beside her, and a low sigh reached her ears.
That voice…
It was Nuonuo’s voice.
Ye Xuanyue stood motionless in place.
Following that sigh, she suddenly felt as if the world around her had shifted all at once…
She jerked her head around and saw two figures suddenly appear before her, while Leng Moran had vanished.
At first, Ye Xuanyue was slightly startled, but she quickly realized—this seemed to be… an Illusory Realm.
She turned her head in confusion, and when she finally got a clear look at the two figures, she was completely shocked.
The gray-robed young man standing in front was not very eye-catching.
Behind him, however, was a woman in white robes, wearing a veil!
Her face was covered, but when she spoke, the voice that reached Ye Xuanyue’s ears made her pause slightly.
"Is this the place?"
The gray-robed young man softly said yes.
He hesitated for a moment, then turned his face away and lowered his head. Ye Xuanyue heard his voice, low and obscure.
This gray-robed young man was naturally Nuonuo.
As for the woman in white…
Ye Xuanyue’s gaze flickered slightly at first. She had thought it was her mother.
She even thought Nuonuo had come here together with her mother.
But upon seeing this phantom, she realized her guess was wrong—this woman was not her mother.
"You dragged me across thousands of rivers and mountains to this desolate wilderness for what?"
"Cheng Nuo, what exactly is this place?"
Nuonuo lifted his head, looked at the person beside him, and spoke.
"You’ll know soon enough."
But the next second, Nuonuo’s spear mercilessly pierced through the woman’s chest!
Even though she clearly knew this was an Illusory Realm, Ye Xuanyue still felt a jolt of shock.
The woman widened her eyes, as if in disbelief, and pointed a trembling finger straight at Nuonuo.
"You… how dare you…"
Nuonuo’s voice sounded utterly calm.
"Why wouldn’t I dare."
"You’re just a distant branch of the Imperial Family, merely bearing the title of Princess without any real power. Why wouldn’t I dare kill you? Moreover, you once used words to insult her. Those ugly words, once spoken, naturally demand a price!"
The woman’s eyes widened. Blood spilled from between her lips, and her voice sounded fragmented.
"You… you’re downright insane!"
"She committed that shameful act of pregnancy before marriage… bringing disgrace to our Imperial Family…"
"Why shouldn’t I scold her?"
"She can’t even be the successor anymore, why shouldn’t I scold her?"
The woman’s expression grew more and more twisted. Gurgling sounds bubbled from her throat as blood foamed out.
And Nuonuo, on the opposite side, still showed no reaction.
His spear remained firmly impaled in the person before him.
Then his voice sounded low and hoarse.
"So you must die."
With her last ounce of strength, the woman lifted her head, as if rallying one final time, and spat out her last words with effort.
"I thought you truly wanted to marry me… Turns out it was still for that wretched woman!"
"You… you’re delusional!"
"I bet she wouldn’t even spare you a single glance!"
Nuonuo’s expression still had not changed. Calmly and decisively, he pulled out the spear. The next second, a small porcelain vial appeared in his palm.
Nuonuo opened the porcelain vial and poured its contents out.
Then the woman’s corpse before him slowly turned to ashes.
As he did all this, the expression on his face was terrifyingly calm.
Then Ye Xuanyue heard him say,
"I don’t know if anyone else will ever come here."
"If someone can enter, they are likely of the Imperial Bloodline."
"But it doesn’t matter. I killed her, and I know full well the consequences."
"No one else needs to comment."
"And I won’t regret it."
Ye Xuanyue heard his quiet tone.
And suddenly froze—did he mean he intentionally left this scene in the portrait for future viewers? What kind of mindset was that?
Ye Xuanyue stood motionless in place.
Then she heard Nuonuo speak again.
"Also, I will bring her out of the Imperial Family sooner or later."
He said this very softly.
But hearing it, Ye Xuanyue suddenly felt her eyes grow slightly moist.
She knew Nuonuo’s ending… so seeing his words now felt somewhat heartbreaking.
Did he himself know what would happen if he failed?
He left this segment in the portrait…
Had he already prepared to burn his bridges?
When Ye Xuanyue withdrew from the Illusory Realm, the portrait actually began to slowly turn into powder. The powder was incredibly fine, soon becoming nothing but dust on the ground.
Ye Xuanyue’s voice sounded pained.
She spoke softly,
"Let’s go."
Leng Moran did not speak, following the young girl beside him as they walked forward.
Ye Xuanyue kept walking forward. On the platform ahead, she finally saw what the Purple Emperor wanted her to retrieve.
She felt that once she took it, she should be able to leave this place.
At the same time, in the drizzling rain, the Purple Emperor lifted his head, his expression shifting slightly.
Then he frowned.
He seemed to be muttering to himself.
"It should hold a while longer…"
"Forget it, I’d better go check."
The Imperial City also seemed completely enveloped by the drizzling rain. Countless people came and went on the streets.
Chi Liancheng cherishedly shook the wine flask and poured the last drop of wine into his throat, then let out a satisfied sigh.
That kid…
This wine truly was the best he had ever drunk!
Too bad, even though he tried to savor it, he had now finished the entire flask. If he wanted more in the future, it probably would not be possible.
It truly made him a bit regretful.
He tossed the empty wine flask aside, raised his head to look at the drizzling rain, and suddenly heard a voice beside him.
"Are you really that bored?"
Chi Liancheng lifted his head, staring blankly at Yu Wenying, who had just leaped over from outside the city wall. He hesitated, frowned, and then spoke.
"What is it?"
"What do you want to do?"
Yu Wenying looked at him for a while, then said softly,
"Accompany me to light some incense."
Chi Liancheng was suddenly stunned.
He hesitated, then got up, saying,
"Alright."
As Yu Wenying walked outside, Chi Liancheng followed behind her and asked softly,
"What kind of incense do you want to buy?"
Yu Wenying replied softly,
"I heard there’s a kind of incense that can make one forget the past. If I could find it, I would light a stick of that for him."
"But since there isn’t any now, finding an ordinary incense stick will have to do, as a token of our acquaintance."
Chi Liancheng looked at the rain falling heavily outside.
Suddenly, he spoke.
"If he hadn’t done that back then, many things would be different now."
Yu Wenying lifted her head, and then she said,
"Too bad there are no ifs."