After a whole night of turmoil, Xu Nian finally let go of Li Qingying.

Li Qingying, who was initially shy, gradually let herself go, transforming from her previous cold and haughty demeanor to becoming more charming.

Xu Nian was truly grateful to be the only one who witnessed her charming side.

The feeling of exclusive possession made Xu Nian unable to resist being captivated.

In the following days, aside from handling governmental affairs, Xu Nian was almost always entangled with Li Qingying.

From Li Qingying, Xu Nian sensed a familiar aura.

However, as time passed, the relationship between Xu Nian and Li Qingying became increasingly harmonious.

To Xu Nian, Li Qingying had become utterly devoted.

"Your Majesty, why do I always feel a sense of déjà vu with you, as if we have met in a previous life?" Li Qingying lay in Xu Nian’s arms and said.

"I have the same feeling. I always thought it was my illusion, but hearing you say it, perhaps we truly knew each other in a past life," Xu Nian replied with a smile.

Li Qingying revealed a happy smile: "Maybe we truly did know each other in a past life."

Xu Nian smiled slightly without confirming or denying.

Is there really a past life?

He always felt that there was something amiss in his current life, as if everything was too perfect to be real.

"Your Majesty, can I ask you a question?" Li Qingying hesitated and asked. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Ask without reservation, my beloved," Xu Nian replied with a smile.

"What happened to Shi An? I’m merely curious, with no other intentions, so please don’t misunderstand me, Your Majesty," Li Qingying asked apprehensively.

Xu Nian chuckled, "I didn’t kill him; it’s just that his intentions were impure. Didn’t he want a position in the court? I put him in the Cleaning Room as Chief of Internal Affairs."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingying was shocked.

Does that mean Shi An has become an eunuch?

However, she was merely surprised and showed no regret in her eyes.

Because in her view, the one she loved now was the Emperor, and she felt nothing for Shi An anymore.

Xu Nian observed Li Qingying’s expression and smiled lightly.

He knew he had successfully conquered Li Qingying’s heart.

"Poof!"

Xu Nian suddenly felt a shock in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Your Majesty!" Li Qingying exclaimed in horror.

She hurriedly held onto Xu Nian.

But Xu Nian appeared extremely weak, his life rapidly slipping away.

"Someone, call the imperial physician quickly," Li Qingying shouted urgently.

But her words fell with no response.

"No need to call; no one can save him. The poison I used can’t be neutralized by mere mortals,"

At that moment, a sharp voice echoed from outside the hall.

Soon after, a young man dressed in eunuch attire entered from outside the hall.

"It’s you!" Li Qingying exclaimed in shock, clearly not expecting Shi An to appear there.

"That’s right, it’s me," Shi An replied with a light laugh.

Looking at Shi An before him, Xu Nian’s gaze turned icy cold.

"You poisoned me? Dare you kill me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll annihilate your entire clan?" Xu Nian shouted angrily.

"Ha ha, annihilate my clan? Xu Fenn, it seems you still don’t know that all of this is just a dream; none of this is real," Shi An laughed heartily.

"A dream?" A trace of confusion and doubt flashed in Xu Nian’s eyes.

"Shi An, what nonsense are you talking? Quick, bring the antidote," Li Qingying demanded.

"Li Qingying, oh no, I should call you Mu Yuqing. I can’t believe you are enjoying yourself so much in this dreamscape without noticing anything strange. Don’t you want to obtain your family’s ancestral property?" Shi An’s words seemed to penetrate Li Qingying’s mind like magic.

Li Qingying’s eyes immediately showed signs of bewilderment.

Mu Yuqing?

Such a familiar name!

Mu Family’s Treasure?

Clarity flashed in Li Qingying’s eyes momentarily, but soon, she felt her head ache intensely.

"Mu Yuqing, wake up! You are a Divine-level Expert; this Great Formation can’t trap you," shouted Shi An.

The struggle in Mu Yuqing’s eyes intensified.

Moments later, Li Qingying’s struggle slowly ceased.

She remembered; she remembered everything.

"Am I still within the Houtu Reincarnation Array?" Li Qingying glanced around in astonishment.

Shi An coldly observed the scene beside her.

"Liu Yu, you are Liu Yu?" Mu Yuqing looked surprisedly at Shi An before her.

"That’s right, you finally remembered. I awakened my memory a month ago. Initially, I planned to eliminate both of you. You should know, dying within the Formation means dying in reality as well. But I still need you to find the Wood Origin Heart, so for now, you mustn’t die," Liu Yu laughed softly.

Mu Yuqing’s eyes showed a trace of astonishment.

Liu Yu could break free from the memory seal of this Great Formation on his own?

This guy must have been prepared long ago, right?

If Liu Yu hadn’t forcefully awakened her, she might still be fully immersed in the dreamscape created by this Houtu Reincarnation Array.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but glance at the Emperor beside her.

Is he Xu Nian?

The man she spent nearly a year with as husband and wife in the dreamscape?

She never expected to fall in love with Xu Nian within the dream and become his legitimate wife.

Although it was just a dreamscape, the feeling was still vividly clear in her mind.

"You want to kill Xu Fenn?" Mu Yuqing urgently asked, noticing that Xu Nian was now extremely weak.

"Yes, I want to kill him. He’s just an ant, yet he wants the Wood Origin Heart and made me an eunuch in the dreamscape. So I absolutely can’t let him walk out of the dream alive, and I want you to watch him die, after all, you were a couple for a lifetime," Liu Yu said with a sinister look.

His gaze at Xu Nian was filled with intense killing intent.

New grudges combine with old ones; how could he let it go?

Mu Yuqing’s brows furrowed deeply as she looked at Xu Nian, now like a flickering candle in the wind, with an extremely complex expression.

"Xu Fenn, Xu Fenn?" Mu Yuqing called out his name softly while holding Xu Nian.

Xu Nian’s entire consciousness was gradually becoming muddled.

"Xu Fenn? Such a familiar name! Could all of this truly be a dream? Then what is his existence for?" Xu Nian pondered.

Suddenly, two words popped into Xu Nian’s mind.

"Tranquility! Yes, the tranquility of life! To possess enough strength to protect your loved ones," Xu Nian thought.

This dreamscape created exactly what he had fantasized about in his heart.

Having enough strength to live a peaceful life with his beloved.

For the past year or so, that had indeed been the case.

"Buzz!"

As these thoughts flashed through Xu Nian’s mind, a light instantly enveloped his entire being.

"No... impossible, it’s absolutely impossible. He actually broke through the Formation?" Liu Yu watched Xu Nian, enveloped by the light of the Great Formation, with shock and reluctance.

Mu Yuqing also showed a look of surprise on her face.

Xu Nian wasn’t dead?

And he’s the first to break the Formation?