Chapter 212: Sikong Zhen's Dream

Su Mu handed over the intelligence. Yang Dongqing read it with frantic urgency. As his eyes scanned the page, his face grew paler and paler until he was trembling uncontrollably.

"What... what is this supposed to mean!?" Yang Dongqing asked in disbelief. "Jasmine... Jasmine is dead?"

Watching him near a total breakdown, Nangong Mengli felt a twinge of pity and spoke gently. "We can't be sure of Jasmine's fate just yet. After all, no one knows what methods the Imperial Family used. She might just be imprisoned in an alternate dimension for all we know."

"Right, right, right! You're right! Jasmine isn't a traitor, she's just a victim! The ones who deserve to die are those nobles, it's Murong Yun! Besides, if she were dead, how could there not even be a body? The Imperial Family arrested the wrong person! I'm going to the Imperial Capital. I'm going to tell them Jasmine was framed!" Yang Dongqing muttered in a frenzy, desperately trying to convince himself.

He bolted for the door, intending to head for the Imperial Capital and bring Jasmine back.

Nangong Mengli watched Yang Dongqing's receding figure, then turned to Su Mu. "Are you just going to let him go to the Imperial Capital like this?"

In truth, she knew full well that Jasmine was likely dead. For the Chiyan Imperial Family to dare issue such a public declaration to the Blood Moon Empire, they naturally possessed absolute certainty that every member of the Blood Clan within their borders had been wiped out.

Su Mu watched Yang Dongqing disappear and spoke mildly. "Once a man like him sets his mind to something, he will see it through. Unless he dies, there's no stopping him."

"But..." A trace of worry surfaced on Nangong Mengli's face. "If he marches into the Imperial Capital like this, he'll likely be executed as a Blood Clan accomplice."

Su Mu shook his head slightly. "He promised to work for me for three years. Since that three-year term isn't up yet, he won't die.

"Anyway, setting that aside, do you know what kind of power the Chiyan Imperial Family used?"

"I don't. Although I am a noble, I'm only from a border territory, and an illegitimate daughter at that. When it comes to the secrets of the Chiyan Empire, I probably know even less than Murong Yun."

Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, intrigued by this power that rivaled a God. Satisfying his curiosity was one of his few remaining pleasures.

That night, Su Mu slipped directly into a dream to find his answer.

Within Sikong Zhen's dream.

Su Mu found himself standing in absolute nothingness. As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast, empty void; absolutely nothing existed here.

This meant Sikong Zhen wasn't currently dreaming. That was fine, however. Su Mu could help him dream.

Under Su Mu's manipulation, the dreamscape gradually began to shift, and Pride materialized!

Sikong Zhen fled in sheer panic while Pride shadowed him like a phantom, following at a leisurely, unhurried pace.

"Lightning Radiance of the Nine Heavens!"

Boom!

Countless bolts of twisting lightning suddenly erupted within the dense darkness of the night. They crashed downward, striking fiercely toward Pride in an apocalyptic display of destruction that illuminated heaven and earth.

Yet, in the face of such a devastating attack, Pride merely offered a gentle wave of his hand. Instantly, the sky full of lightning was entirely erased.

Sikong Zhen's eyes split with terror. Without even glancing back, he sprinted desperately toward the Imperial Palace.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" he roared toward the Imperial Palace. Within moments, countless Transcendent guards poured out of the gates, rushing to besiege Pride.

Just as Sikong Zhen let out a slight sigh of relief, Pride pressed a single hand downward. The dense night sky began to churn as the surrounding darkness gathered in a frenzy. It condensed until it was almost tangible, eventually forming a massive, pitch-black palm that crashed down from the heavens.

Boom!!

Under the crushing weight of that palm, countless guards were killed or injured. Even the magnificent Imperial Palace collapsed, reduced to a field of rubble.

"What!?" Sikong Zhen cried out in horror, clearly frightened out of his wits by Pride's monstrous strength.

Pride walked toward him step by step, the disdainful smile carved into his Silver-White Mask piercing straight to the soul. "Sikong Zhen, you cannot escape. In this world, no one can save the person I wish to kill!"

Those words seemed to jolt Sikong Zhen awake. His pupils contracted, and he screamed toward the ruins of the Imperial Palace, "Your Majesty, King Chi! Save me!"

A moment later, a peerlessly elegant young woman dressed in a dark gold phoenix robe emerged from the rubble. Her footsteps were light and graceful. The shattered stones on the ground offered no hindrance, for wherever she stepped, the debris was instantly melted by a terrifying, searing heat.

As she drew closer, the dark gold phoenix on her robe seemed to come alive. A streak of scorching flame suddenly flared upward, its terrifying radiance illuminating the pitch-black night as if it were broad daylight!

Beneath the Pride Mask, Su Mu narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the legendary King Chi, the supreme ruler of the Chiyan Empire.

He didn't know King Chi personally, but it was enough that Sikong Zhen did. This was Sikong Zhen's dream; Su Mu only needed to guide him slightly, and the man's subconscious would naturally conjure everything else.

To his surprise, King Chi was actually a woman.

Su Mu could feel the waves of overwhelming pressure radiating from King Chi. The suffocating weight of it was like the sky itself collapsing. She walked out from the sea of fire like a supreme empress of the flames, born to dominate the world.

Su Mu had no idea how powerful King Chi actually was in the real world. However, judging from Sikong Zhen's dream, she had to be incredibly strong. Such a terrifying aura would only manifest in the dreamscape if Sikong Zhen's subconscious truly believed in her absolute might.

Still, no matter how strong she was, it was useless. Had this been reality, Su Mu would have readily admitted her supremacy. Unfortunately, this was a dream. Against him here, she still had a lot of practicing to do.

King Chi gently raised her hand. The surrounding sea of fire instantly converged, forming a massive, hundred-meter-long fire phoenix. The terrifying heat it radiated was so intense it warped the very space around it.

The next moment, the colossal fire phoenix let out a piercing cry. Beating its flaming wings, it dragged a long, blazing trail across the sky as it charged directly at Su Mu.

Su Mu didn't even spare it a glance. He simply clenched his fist in the air. The dense darkness surrounding them surged frantically, transforming into millions of pitch-black threads that bound the fire phoenix tight. They completely engulfed the beast, sealing it within a massive black sphere. As Su Mu tightened his grip, the black sphere violently contracted, obliterating the fire phoenix in an instant!

Pfft!

King Chi suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her peerlessly elegant face turning pale.

Sikong Zhen stared at the scene unfolding before him in absolute disbelief. He couldn't fathom that King Chi was actually incapable of withstanding even a single strike from Pride.

"And you think you are worthy of being called a King?" Pride's arrogant, mocking voice echoed across the heavens. He walked toward King Chi, one measured step at a time. "If you have any hidden trump cards, you'd better play them now. Otherwise, you won't get another chance."

Triggered by that subtle suggestion, King Chi reacted exactly as Sikong Zhen's subconscious dictated.

She slowly pulled an archaic, dark gold ring from her robes, her expression solemn as she slipped it onto her slender ring finger.

"Pride, you are indeed incredibly powerful. But no matter how strong you are, it is utterly useless in the face of the Royal Power Artifact, Supreme Heaven! Burn in Hell!"

King Chi pointed a delicate finger at Pride. An inexplicable, mighty force instantly descended upon him. To an unseen observer, it was as if an invisible eraser had manifested, wiping Pride's body from existence inch by inch.

After eradicating Pride, King Chi seemed entirely drained. Her body swayed unsteadily, prompting Sikong Zhen to hurriedly rush over and carefully support her weight.