Chapter 296: Chapter 278 Qinghuang Palace

Then, Huang Qingling reached out her hand and beckoned.

The Storage Bag and the Space Ring came into her possession.

The Space Ring belonged to the Zhang Family Patriarch, while the Storage Bag was left behind after the Wu Cai Immortal’s death.

Next, with a wave of her hand, Huang Qingling gathered Elder Bai, Elder Yu, and Zhang Yuan behind her.

However, all three were the same, their eyes tightly shut, with no signs of life or death.

“Are you Qing Ling, friend?”

Lin Jing spoke up, questioning the ‘Huang Qingling’ before him.

Huang Qingling’s eyes curved into crescents, and she smiled at Lin Jing, saying, “Of course I am.”

“Also, just call me Qing Ling, drop the ‘friend’. It gives me a headache,” she added.

After finishing her sentence, the spectral Huang Qingling even gave Lin Jing a sidelong glance.

Hearing these words, Lin Jing immediately felt relieved.

This was undoubtedly Huang Qingling.

“What’s happened to Elder Bai and Elder Yu?”

Lin Jing then looked towards Huang Qingling and asked.

Huang Qingling replied:

“I’ll explain that to you later…”

“I can’t stay out for too long, come back with me…”

Lin Jing couldn’t help but feel puzzled and quickly asked, “Back where?”

Huang Qingling answered, “Qinghuang Palace!”

……

Qinghuang Palace was located at the peak of Tongtian Peak.

It was the very same peak that pierced the heavens Lin Jing had seen earlier when visiting the place to cleanse his spirit.

However.

According to Huang Qingling, this mountain was not called Tongtian Peak, but Qinghuang Peak.

Because this was Huang Qingling’s home.

When Lin Jing heard this news, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

……

Qinghuang Palace was a massive palace, covering an area beyond measure, with its height reaching tens of zhang.

Not to mention the hall where Lin Jing was currently standing – he estimated it to be at least a few hundred acres in size.

After Huang Qingling had finished speaking, she casually drew a Teleportation Array and teleported them inside this palace.

Lin Jing looked around and noticed that although the palace was huge, other than a few black pillars that reached to the top, there were two rows of stone platforms that served some unknown purpose.

At the far end of the hall, a gigantic nine-colored barrier obscured whatever was inside, appearing to protect something.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

The entire hall felt immensely spacious.

……

“Qing Ling, can you tell me now…”

“What exactly happened to Elder Bai and Elder Yu? Why did they suddenly pass out?”

Lin Jing, looking at Elder Bai, Elder Yu, and Zhang Yuan laid out on the stone platforms, asked Huang Qingling.

“Do you want to hear the truth?” Huang Qingling asked, looking back at Lin Jing.

“Of course,” Lin Jing nodded.

Understanding, Huang Qingling then spoke plainly:

“Old Man Bai and Elder Yu, both of them are already dead.”

These words from Huang Qingling left Lin Jing stunned, unresponsive for a moment.

It wasn’t until several breaths later.

That Lin Jing snapped back to reality, hurried over to the two elders, and reached out to check on them.

Upon this inspection, Lin Jing discovered just as Huang Qingling had said, there was no response from the two elders’ bodies, exactly like Zhang Yuan.

Lin Jing’s face turned ashen, then he turned back and looked at Huang Qingling, asking:

“Qing Ling…”

“What… what exactly happened?”

Seeing his reaction, Huang Qingling quickly tried to reassure him:

“You needn’t worry, this has nothing to do with you.”

“Actually, they died before I even met you.”

“It was about seven years ago…”

After hearing Huang Qingling’s words, Lin Jing was dumbfounded, then said:

“That’s impossible, this can’t be?”

“They were all clearly alive, Elder Yu even succeeded in his Tribulation and ascended to the Golden Core Stage,”

“How could they possibly be dead?”

Huang Qingling then spoke,

“Indeed, that’s the case.”

After speaking, she waved her hand, and a scene of light and shadow appeared in front of Lin Jing.

Within that light and shadow were Elder Bai and Elder Yu, both severely injured and on the brink of death. Judging from their wounds, they appeared to have been chased and attacked.

“This is the event recorded using Retrospection Magic…” Huang Qingling said.

Next, the figures within the light and shadow moved…

…

…

After watching, Lin Jing fell silent.

In this projection magic, Lin Jing saw that Elder Bai and Elder Yu had indeed died.

Afterward, Huang Qingling appeared, her body bursting with a nine-colored divine light, similar to when she had healed Zhang Yuan, saving the two of them.

Having watched the projection, Lin Jing was filled with many questions but didn’t know how to ask them.

However, as if aware of Lin Jing’s confusion, Huang Qingling spoke up:

“I saved them and altered parts of their memories, then conjured a split soul to accompany them to Nanshan Market…”

…

“Until, at last, I met you.”

After Huang Qingling finished speaking, Lin Jing remained silent for quite some time.

Only after digesting all this information did he finally lift his head and look again at Huang Qingling standing before him.

However, Huang Qingling was not angry, nor was she in any hurry; she simply smiled as she looked at Lin Jing.

“Qing Ling Dao… Qing Ling…”

“You…”

Lin Jing, for a moment, was somewhat dazed, unsure of where to begin.

The ‘Huang Qingling’ he had met from the very beginning had always been this person.

So who then is this ‘Huang Qingling’? And why did she go to such lengths to save Elder Bai and Elder Yu, then alter their memories and enter Fang Market to live?

Why did she do all this?

Lin Jing could clearly sense that ‘Huang Qingling’ bore him no malice.

“Are you… Huang Qingling?”

After a while, Lin Jing asked this question.

Huang Qingling smiled and then said to Lin Jing:

“I am Huang Qingling…”

“I know that all of this must seem unfathomable to you.”

“Come, follow me…”

With that, Huang Qingling led the way toward the depths of the hall, to the nine-colored light screen.

Lin Jing followed close behind her.

When they reached the nine-colored light screen, Huang Qingling waved her hand and an opening appeared on the screen, just big enough for one person to enter.

Next.

Huang Qingling led Lin Jing through it.

As soon as he entered, Lin Jing instinctively looked up and saw a white jade platform.

The platform emanated a soft glow that enveloped the entire area, and at the center of the jade platform lay a young girl.

However, because they were too far away, and the stone platform was on top of a black podium,

Lin Jing, standing at the bottom, could not see the face of the girl on the platform.

“Let’s go up and take a look…” Huang Qingling then said.

Lin Jing first turned his head to look at Huang Qingling by his side.

Huang Qingling nodded at Lin Jing.

He then stepped onto the steps of the black podium and ascended.

Upon reaching the black podium, Lin Jing turned towards the girl lying on the jade platform and was suddenly startled.

The young girl’s features were somewhat youthful, appearing to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old, yet it was unmistakable that she looked like Huang Qingling.

At this moment, Huang Qingling also arrived beside Lin Jing and then said to him:

“The one you first encountered was a split soul I had conjured.”

“And I am just a strand of the true body’s split soul.”

“What lies before you now is our true body.”