With the radiant light from the Empress of the Divine Clan shining, everyone trapped in the Beautiful Nightmare illusion regained their clarity.
Gongsun Yarou, the Demon Empress, felt extremely irritated at this turn of events. The Empress of the Divine Clan had chosen the perfect moment to intervene, clearly opposing her. But even so, did they think they could stop her? Whoever showed up, it wouldn't make a difference!
No matter if the Empress of the Divine Clan was from the celestial Divine Clan, with the celestial road severed and celestial energy in the lower world dissipated, her strength was at best equal to hers. If the Divine Empress could break her illusion, she would just resort to personally slaughtering these people.
As Gongsun Yarou prepared to massacre the earlier group, divine light enveloped her, emanating a serene and holy aura.
"Demon Empress, your goal is to take Xiao Fan, the Nether Demon Emperor. Why torment these innocent beings?"
A clear, ethereal voice resonated from the Divine Empress, washing over Gongsun Yarou like a soul-cleansing stream.
Under the serene and holy aura, Gongsun Yarou's killing intent vanished, her emotions suddenly calming down.
Standing still, Gongsun Yarou's eyes were filled with apprehension as she looked at the Divine Empress, bathed in divine light and shrouded in mystery. This Divine Empress was extraordinary, able to forcibly calm her down!
However, calming down did not mean she would abandon her intent to take Xiao Fan. She realized that besides the Empress of Yaochi, the Northern Sea Empress, Lunar Empress, Heavenly Fire Empress, and Dragon Empress were also significant obstacles.
They wouldn't sit back and let her take Xiao Fan. She needed to devise a new plan.
First, she had to determine if there was any unknown grudge between the Divine Empress and Xiao Fan.
"Divine Empress, why are you stopping me? Are you simply saving these people, or do you have some unknown grudge with Xiao Fan?" Gongsun Yarou asked.
All eyes turned to the Divine Empress. Given the previous revelations, it wouldn't surprise anyone if the Divine Empress had her own history with Xiao Fan.
The Divine Empress shook her head. "I have no prior acquaintance with the Nether Demon Emperor, nor any grudge. If there is any, it's that he severed the celestial road, preventing my return to the celestial realm. Beyond that, my knowledge of him is limited to what the world says."
Her voice was calm and genuine, without a hint of falsehood.
"But I did not expect that the accusations against the Nether Demon Emperor would have such hidden depths," she continued, her tone shifting. "I am very curious about the reason he severed the celestial road."
Turning to Gongsun Yarou, she added, "Demon Empress, would you give me the courtesy of waiting a bit longer?"
"I can promise you, regardless of the outcome, I will help you take Xiao Fan."
Gongsun Yarou pondered for a moment. With the Divine Empress's help, her chances of taking Xiao Fan would significantly increase.
"Alright, I'll give you this courtesy."
Now, the factions competing for Xiao Fan had split into two. Despite Gongsun Yarou aligning with the Divine Empress, the alliance of the Northern Sea Empress, Lunar Empress, Heavenly Fire Empress, and Dragon Empress was still stronger.
They felt confident that after the truth was revealed, they would rightfully take Xiao Fan.
In the void above, the Empress of Yaochi watched with a cold smile. Watching these women dream, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Indeed, if all the truths were revealed and Xiao Fan's alleged crimes were found to have justifications, she would open the Immortal Execution Array and let them take him.
But they didn't know that Xiao Fan was on the verge of complete spiritual and physical annihilation, sustained only by the supreme power of the Haotian Mirror. Once his memories were fully revealed, without the Haotian Mirror's support, he would immediately cease to exist.
Imagining their reactions, she felt immense pleasure. By then, she would have found the soul bottle containing her husband's soul, rebuild his body, and live a blissful life, free from worldly concerns.
Meanwhile, these foolish women would be left to wallow in their misery.
Eagerly, the Empress of Yaochi activated the Haotian Mirror to continue revealing Xiao Fan's memories. Yet, after Xiao Fan's image vanished from the Demon Emperor's relic, the Haotian Mirror showed nothing but emptiness.
"What's going on?"
Everyone was puzzled, including the Empress of Yaochi.
Despite her repeated efforts, the Haotian Mirror remained unresponsive.
Could Xiao Fan be truly dead?
But that didn't make sense—he was still alive now.
Frustrated, the Empress of Yaochi was at her wits' end.
Suddenly, the Divine Empress released a strand of celestial light into the Haotian Mirror. This celestial energy, drawn from the source that once sealed her, was her greatest asset, precious and limited.
With her celestial light, the Haotian Mirror finally began to display new images as the Empress of Yaochi activated it.
The Divine Empress explained, "The Haotian Mirror is a chaos artifact, a supreme treasure even in the celestial realm, only fully activated with celestial energy."
"The reason it couldn't show Xiao Fan's current memories might be because he no longer exists in a physical or spiritual form."
In other words, the Empress of Yaochi's abilities were insufficient.
While explaining, the Divine Empress felt a sense of puzzlement. If Xiao Fan no longer existed in any form, he should be completely gone.
It was truly strange.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8