Chapter 292: This Woman Possesses Imperial Fate—Truly Heaven’s Aid to Me

Whoosh...

With a sharp sound, the mechanism beneath the phoenix bed opened.

Qin Qin and Chu Caiyi instinctively took out the sword jades gifted by their master, clutching them tightly in their palms as they stared at the hidden path that had suddenly appeared.

The two exchanged a glance. Qin Qin said, "Junior sister Caiyi, let’s go."

"Alright."

Chu Caiyi responded, and together they began their journey down the secret path.

It was unclear how long they walked before a formation appeared before them—an illusionary mist array.

Confirming that it posed no danger, Qin Qin led Chu Caiyi into the array.

They passed through layers of mist until a dazzling white light struck them, causing severe discomfort.

After a moment, once their eyes adjusted, both women were stunned.

The scene before them was one they had just seen earlier. If they hadn’t known they had entered a formation, they would’ve thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Chu Caiyi asked curiously, "Senior sister, what is going on here?"

Qin Qin looked up at the radiant object in the sky, then smiled slightly.

"So that’s it. We didn’t go to the wrong place—this is just an imitation of the underground palace above. That thing hanging in the sky isn’t the sun, it’s a moonstone."

Chu Caiyi still looked doubtful. "But this place doesn’t seem like a tomb at all?"

"We’ll know for sure once we go inside."

Qin Qin stepped into the familiar palace ahead.

Whoosh...

A breeze passed through—not cold, but it brought a faint chill that made the two instinctively stay alert.

At that moment, whispers reached their ears.

"Look, someone’s here."

"They carry a strong aura of fate. If we could steal it, we could live another life."

"Stop dreaming. How could such fortune fall to nobodies like us?"

Qin Qin turned toward the sound and saw a group of ghostly figures in palace attire peeking at them through the windows.

"Senior sister, I suspect this is a trap."

Chu Caiyi had participated in palace intrigues across several nations and knew the minds of harem women better than anyone.

Even though that remnant soul had just treated her senior sister as a kindred spirit, Chu Caiyi still didn’t fully trust it.

Qin Qin’s face didn’t change in the slightest. She simply said, "Junior sister, if I remember correctly, you’ve never fought anyone before, have you? Why not use these wandering ghosts for some practice?"

???

Chu Caiyi was full of question marks. Was this really the time to ask that?

Of course, Qin Qin understood what Caiyi was thinking. She smiled and explained, "For us cultivators, a smooth path to the peak is impossible. To grow stronger, one must contend—with others, and with the heavens. If a bit of difficulty makes us hesitate, we’ll never be able to stand on our own."

Chu Caiyi wasn’t foolish—she wouldn’t have survived this long otherwise. Her gaze gradually became resolute.

"Senior sister is absolutely right. I was simply being too cautious earlier."

"No."

Qin Qin said, "Caution is a virtue. I just wanted to show you how to survive in the cultivation world."

Chu Caiyi nodded slightly. "Then I’ll take care of these wandering spirits myself."

As she spoke, she drew a three-foot-long green sword from her storage ring and casually slashed it toward the palace ahead.

Clang!

With a single strike, sword intent transformed into a radiant full moon that descended from above.

The ghosts in the palace screamed in terror at the sight of the sword energy.

"Aaaah!!!"

Just as the sword qi was about to enter the palace, a phantom-like giant hand reached out from within and effortlessly dissolved the attack.

"What a murderous aura from the two of you. I wonder what my maids have done to offend you, that you would strike so viciously?"

Qin Qin looked toward the voice and saw the same remnant soul that had appeared earlier now standing in the palace.

No—more precisely, it was the main soul of that remnant. She still had the appearance of a beauty capable of toppling a kingdom, and her ornate palace attire had not changed in the slightest.

The only difference was the terrifying aura and cold pressure she now exuded.

Qin Qin said coldly, "Your maids were plotting to steal the fate from me and my junior sister. Should we not be allowed to defend ourselves?"

"Hmph!"

The woman sneered. "They were merely speaking the truth. What crime is there in that? Besides, trading your fate for the treasure in my possession is a perfectly fair deal, is it not?"

Qin Qin replied with a smile, "And what if we refuse?"

The woman’s tone turned icy. "That’s not your decision to make. Didn't that lowly maid tell you? To enter this underground palace, one must conceal their fate."

"So she wasn't lying to us after all."

Qin Qin seemed to be responding to the woman, but also reassuring herself.

"It’s too late to realize that now."

As the woman spoke, she reached out with her hand. In the blink of an eye, Qin Qin and Chu Caiyi were immobilized as if petrified, unable to move as they were seized by the enemy.

Bang!

The woman casually tossed them to the ground. Qin Qin wanted to seize the chance to activate the sword qi within her jade token, but she couldn’t even move a finger.

This small action didn’t escape the woman’s notice. She laughed and said, "Since you’re in my hands now, don’t even think about struggling. This place was built in my lifetime with the power of the Great Dao. Unless a Saint personally intervenes, with just a single thought, I can suppress anything here."

At those words, the hearts of the two women turned cold.

Qin Qin didn’t give up. In her mind, she was already devising countermeasures.

Beside her, Chu Caiyi slowly closed her eyes, silently waiting for the chance to strike back.

Seeing that the two girls remained silent, the woman wasn’t angered. She casually reached out and grasped a mirror.

She chanted an ancient, obscure incantation, and the mirror emitted a beam of light that landed on Qin Qin.

Immediately, a purple-gold aura of fate radiated from Qin Qin’s body.

"To think that after waiting here all these years, I would encounter a Heaven's Mandate woman. Hahaha! I finally have the chance to see the light of day again. My painstaking efforts in setting up the Heaven-Sealing Reincarnation Array were not in vain!"

As she laughed, she turned the mirror toward Chu Caiyi.

The next moment, the woman’s eyes widened so much it looked like they might fall out of her head.

Because the aura of fate around Chu Caiyi was a pure purple-gold radiance.

"Imperial Fate! This woman actually possesses the fate of an Empress! Heaven helps me—truly, heaven helps me! In this life, I am destined to become the Empress!"

Hearing this, Chu Caiyi slowly opened her eyes, calmly staring at the woman. With her years of experience in palace intrigue, she knew full well—when an enemy is most complacent is when they are most likely to slip.

After a long pause, the noblewoman finally calmed down and turned her gaze to Qin Qin. "You brought me such a perfect vessel. Tell me, how should I thank you?"

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