Myth Beyond Heaven

Chapter 2533: Chess Pieces (1)



Xi Baihe's gaze lingered on Yun Lintian for a moment longer before she turned towards Xi Xurou, her demeanor shifting subtly. The cryptic pronouncements and veiled allusions were replaced with a more direct, commanding tone, the tone of a ruler addressing her subject.

"Xurou," she said, her voice firm and clear, "I need to recuperate. The journey to the secret realm has taken its toll on me. See to it that our guests are escorted back to their quarters. And Xurou," she added, her voice dropping slightly, "gather the elders. I have matters to discuss with them, matters of great importance."

Xi Xurou, though still bewildered by her master's sudden reappearance and cryptic pronouncements, bowed her head in obedience. "Yes, Master," she replied, her voice filled with respect. "I will see to it immediately."

Xi Baihe nodded, a faint smile gracing her lips. She turned towards Yun Lintian, Xia Nongyue, and Cai Xieren, her golden eyes seemingly appraising them. "Until we meet again," she said, her voice soft yet filled with an undercurrent of something Yun Lintian couldn't quite

decipher.

With that, she turned and walked away, her silver hair flowing behind her like a river of moonlight, disappearing into the depths of the palace.

Xi Xurou, after a moment's hesitation, gestured for Yun Lintian, Xia Nongyue, and Cai Xieren to follow her. They walked in silence through the palace corridors, the weight of the recent encounter heavy in the air. The grandeur of the palace, with its intricate carvings and shimmering light, seemed to mock the unease that filled their hearts.

Once they were back in their quarters, a comfortable yet somewhat isolated part of the palace, Xi Xurou excused herself, promising to return later. As the door closed behind her, the silence in the room became even more profound, punctuated only by the soft crackling of the magical flames in the hearth.

Yun Lintian was the first to break the silence, his voice low and thoughtful. "That was... strange," he said, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames, his mind racing, trying to piece together the puzzle that was Xi Baihe.

Cai Xieren, who had been unusually quiet since their encounter with the Divine Light Empress, finally spoke. "It's her eyes," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "They were... empty. Like there was nothing behind them."

Yun Lintian turned towards Cai Xieren, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Empty?" he repeated, his voice probing.

Cai Xieren shivered, as if a cold wind had swept through the room. "I don't know how to explain it," she said, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and confusion. "It was like looking into a void, a bottomless abyss. There was no warmth, no emotion, no...soul."

Yun Lintian's suspicions, already simmering beneath the surface, now boiled over. Cai Xieren's words confirmed what his intuition had been screaming at him all along. The woman they had met was not the real Xi Baihe. It was an imposter, a puppet, a being wearing the Divine Light Empress's skin.

"She's not Xi Baihe," he declared, his voice firm and resolute. "That woman is not the Divine Light Empress."

"But...how can that be? Her aura, her power, it was all so..." Cai Xieren frowned deeply.

"Real?" Yun Lintian finished, his lips curling into a grim smile. "Yes, it was. But it was also a perfect imitation, a carefully constructed facade. Whoever that woman is, she's a master of deception."

He began to pace the room, his mind racing, trying to make sense of the situation. "Think about it," he said, his voice urgent. "Her sudden reappearance, her cryptic pronouncements, her convenient excuse about a secret realm. It's all too perfect, too contrived."

"Then...who is she?" Xia Nongyue asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Yun Lintian stopped pacing and turned toward them, his expression grim. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice heavy with a sense of foreboding. "But I intend to find out. And I have a feeling," he added, his eyes narrowing, "that we're not going to like what we discover."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xia Nongyue and Cai Xieren, his resolve hardening. "Did you know about Yao Xi? According to the Ice Phoenix Empress, she left her place and headed to the Divine Light Kingdom but disappeared midway."

Cai Xieren and Xia Nongyue were shocked. They had never heard anything about Yao Xi.

"She came here?" Xia Nongyue asked quickly.

"From what I know, she also jumped into the Endless Abyss years later, after your disappearance with the Beyond Heaven King. Since then, there has been no news about her," Yun Lintian explained.

Suddenly, Xia Nongyue thought of something. "Yao Xi... Her power is the profound light element. Could it be...?"

Cai Xieren's expression turned solemn. There was a high possibility that Yao Xi's disappearance was connected to the Divine Light Empress.

"We need to find out," Cai Xieren said anxiously. The thought that Yao Xi had been killed by the Divine Light Empress suffocated her. She couldn't accept it.

"To tell you the truth, I believe that Senior Yao is the inheritor of the God of Light," Yun Lintian said with a serious expression. "Your conjecture is not without a clue. There's indeed a chance that Xi Baihe had a hand in her disappearance."

"The problem is..." He paused briefly and said in a deep voice, "Who else possibly possesses such absolute control over the information here in the Realm of Chaos?"

Xia Nongyue and Cai Xieren responded almost simultaneously. "The Lord of Chaos."

Yun Lintian nodded slowly. "It seems the trip to the Haven is inevitable."

***

Meanwhile, in the boundless expanse of the Haven, a realm of ethereal beauty and unimaginable power, Dian Lun traversed through the swirling mists of chaos.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Compared to his casual look when he met Yun Lintian, his dark armor, etched with the ominous symbol of the Eight-Pointed Star, shimmered faintly as he moved with a swiftness that defied the chaotic energies surrounding him.

As he approached his destination, the swirling mists parted, revealing a structure of awe- inspiring grandeur. It was a fortress, a citadel, a palace construct that defied mortal comprehension. It was a place where the laws of reality seemed to bend and break, where the very fabric of existence was woven and unwoven at the whim of its master.

This was the Abode of Chaos, the dwelling place of the Lord of Chaos himself.

Dian Lun landed gracefully before the colossal gates of the Abode, his dark armor clinking softly as he knelt, his head bowed in reverence.

"My Lord. I've returned."