"Ah!"
"Who touched me?"
Bai Shengyi stood not far away, heard Xia Lingling's scream and a familiar voice, paused, then quickly walked towards the source of the sound, but after only two steps, she found the dense fog before her had suddenly dispersed.
The once icy landscape had vanished, replaced by a bustling ancient street filled with life and activity.
"Shengyi, the space we are in has changed again."
This sudden alteration made Bai Shengyi forget about the voice she had just heard. She frowned instinctively, "Is this not an illusion?"
"It doesn't seem like it. There's a trace of a time channel here." The Reincarnation Brush also sounded perplexed, as this was the second time it had sensed a time channel in such a short period.
The last time was because of its tip, but what was it this time?
"I can't sense Xiaotengye's contract," Bai Shengyi said, trying to summon the Reincarnation Brush, only to find it couldn't emerge from her sea of consciousness. Her heart sank slightly, "Little Reincarnation?"
The Reincarnation Brush, which had just been communicating with her, was as if it had never appeared, offering no response whatsoever. Instead, her own voice echoed around her.
"Little Reincarnation, Little Reincarnation, Hui Hui~"
It was incredibly strange.
However, Bai Shengyi did not remain passively in place. Instead, she prepared to explore the street, hoping to discover something.
She felt a sense of familiarity with this street.
"Huh?"
As her foot landed on the street, it was as if she had pressed a switch. A paintbrush emerged, and the once empty street was suddenly painted with color. The drab flagstones turned into a greenish-brown, and the mottled stone walls, eroded by the wind, gradually regained their original neatness and smoothness...
Immediately, the street was filled with lively noises. Vendors selling candied haws, trinkets, and wontons appeared from nowhere. They pushed their carts, hawked their goods, chattered and laughed merrily. Pedestrians on the street either passed by without stopping or haggled with the merchants.
The street instantly became vibrant and alive.
An old man selling wontons looked up and saw Bai Shengyi. He enthusiastically invited her, "Young lady, is this your first time in our Great Sheng Kingdom? You must try our small wontons; they are the specialty of our Great Sheng Kingdom."
"Don't believe him, little girl! My Yangchun noodles are the true specialty of our Great Sheng Kingdom!" another old man selling noodles gave Bai Shengyi a thumbs-up.
"Great Sheng Kingdom?" Bai Shengyi blurted out, the sense of familiarity intensifying.
But why?
Whether in her past or present life, her memories held no record of visiting this place, nor had she ever heard this name!
Furthermore, wasn't the Divine Revelation Continent only comprised of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom, Great Ning Dynasty, and Qi Zhou Kingdom? Where did this Great Sheng Kingdom come from?
Was this truly not an illusion?
Bai Shengyi's mind was filled with questions, but the two old men before her had already started arguing.
"My small wontons are the best!"
"Old Man Li, show some decency. My Yangchun noodles are the actual specialty!"
"Small wontons!"
"Yangchun noodles!"
...
"How about... I get a bowl of each?" Bai Shengyi said with a smile, "The aromas of both are making me crave them."
"Ah! That's wonderful. Young lady, please wait a moment!"
Hearing this, the two old men stopped arguing and immediately began boiling the noodles and wontons. In no time, a bowl of Yangchun noodles with milky white broth and chopped green onions, and a steaming bowl of small wontons were placed before Bai Shengyi.
As soon as Bai Shengyi touched the bowls, she thought, as expected, these bowls were indeed problematic!
"This bowl is hot, young lady, be careful," Old Man Li said with a smile.
Bai Shengyi withdrew her hand and nodded with a smile, "Thank you for the reminder, old sir."
She did not eat the food from this place but used a diversionary tactic to make them believe she had.
After she finished, Old Man Li came to collect the bowls. "Young lady, are you also here to see the White Tiger divine beast in our Great Sheng Kingdom?"
"Yes, but Great Sheng Kingdom is too prosperous. I haven't found my way yet," Bai Shengyi said with a smile. "Could you trouble yourself to point me in the direction?"
"Heh! You've asked the right person. Let me tell you, I personally saw our State Preceptor strike the White Tiger with a divine artifact and then capture it along with his men!"
"Divine artifact?"
"Yes, our State Preceptor is very powerful. It's a pity though..."
"Old Man Li! What nonsense are you spouting again! Be careful the people from the State Preceptor's Mansion come looking for you!" another old man interrupted him.
Old Man Li's expression changed, and he chuckled, patting his forehead. "Look at me. I'll show you the way. Come, young lady, I'll tell you, that White Tiger is imprisoned in the Star Gazing Tower next to the State Preceptor's Mansion. You go straight this way, and then..."
Bai Shengyi followed Old Man Li's directions towards the Star Gazing Tower. She noticed that the closer she got to the State Preceptor's Mansion, the more vibrant the buildings became, and the fewer people there were.
Just then, a group of soldiers suddenly chased after someone from ahead.
"Catch her!"
"Bai Shengyi?" Xia Lingling shrieked, turning and running in another direction!
Is heaven playing with her? Why did she encounter Bai Shengyi only now!
After touching something fuzzy in the white mist, Xia Lingling was bitten by the unknown object before she could withdraw her hand. The next moment she opened her eyes, she found herself here, her cultivation and spiritual power completely gone, making her like an ordinary person.
To top it off, before she could even figure out the situation, someone accused her of offending the State Preceptor and threatened to feed her to the divine beast!
Xia Lingling now prayed that Bai Shengyi was also in a bad situation and wouldn't come to trouble her at this moment.
However, it seemed the heavens had not heard her prayers, as she suddenly stopped while running.
"Xia Lingling, why are you running when you see me?" Bai Shengyi said with a soft smile. "Don't you want to kill me?"
Xia Lingling adopted a defensive stance, looking at Bai Shengyi with extreme caution, "You know I'm just following orders, Bai Shengyi. This place is incredibly strange. I think we can co-"
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched the sword pierce her heart, a chill spreading from her soles to her head!
Bai Shengyi was even more ruthless than her!
"Sorry, but this young lady thinks we cannot."
The sound of dense footsteps echoed from the alley. Bai Shengyi retracted her Chunhong Sword, cast a cold glance at the fallen Xia Lingling, and only left after confirming she was truly dead, before the constables arrived.
With Xia Lingling dealt with, she no longer had to worry about her suddenly appearing behind her and striking her back. Bai Shengyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, she reached the Star Gazing Tower.
Contrary to Bai Shengyi's imagination, there were nine hundred and ninety-nine steps leading up to the Star Gazing Tower. Looking at it from afar, the building seemed to stand amidst swirling clouds, exuding a mystical and transcendent aura.
Beyond the stairs was a vast beast-fighting arena. At this moment, there were no fierce beasts inside, only a large tiger with its wings spread, letting out a fierce roar.
"Roar! This broken divine artifact, this useless divine artifact, I will definitely have Father and Mother deal with you once I get out of this illusion... Oh no, they might not be able to deal with you. I'll have Uncle Qin deal with you and then smash you into iron mud..."