A Prison Stronger than the Palace Dungeon

So, Wendy Zhu led them straight to the back garden.

The back gate of the garden was open. Wendy Zhu took them out, passing through two massive stone gates inscribed with magical formations. When they reached the third stone gate, Wendy Zhu stopped and said, "There are the Spirit Trees. Go take a look!"

The three of them stepped out through the final stone gate, one after another.

Then Grace finally saw the Spirit Trees.

There were six Spirit Trees here, arranged in a semicircle.

Legend has it that the Spirit Trees came from the Divine Realm, and they truly looked nothing like ordinary trees.

Their bark was deep green, their shapes graceful and ever-shifting. The crowns were like round mushrooms, with dense branches and leaves. From afar, they seemed to glow with a gentle green mist, giving off an unusually tranquil and profound aura.

These six Spirit Trees were a reward from the royal family of the Vermilion Kingdom, given to the ancestors of the Blue Moon Kingdom for their great achievements.

And the Spirit Trees in the Vermilion Kingdom were also gifts from an even more powerful empire they once served.

Actually, on the Ten Wilds Continent, being granted a Spirit Tree meant you had your own fiefdom. It meant spirit practitioners would flock to you, and it was basically the foundation of a kingdom.

Grace gazed up at the Spirit Trees before her, feeling a strange sense of freshness and tranquility, mingled with awe and reverence.

Spirit Trees really were a miraculous existence...

...

"Grandmother, Mother, Sister." Suddenly, Wendy Zhu's voice snapped Grace back to reality.

Grace turned around and saw Wendy Zhu standing inside the last stone gate, never having stepped outside.

"Big things are about to happen soon—you all know that, right?" Wendy Zhu asked.

"We know, Your Majesty," the Dowager Lady replied calmly.

"There's a house over there, fully equipped with everything you'll need." Wendy Zhu pointed to a wooden cottage nestled between two Spirit Trees. "You'll stay here for a while. When His Majesty returns victorious, you'll be released."

"Ha! This place is actually quite nice!" the Dowager Lady remarked, looking around. "Not only is the spirit energy abundant, but the scenery is gorgeous."

Wendy Zhu smiled and said, "His Majesty even arranged for Gavin Gao to personally look after you. He'll bring food and supplies, and if you need anything, just let him know."

The Dowager Lady nodded.

"Well then, I'll head back now. You all settle in and get comfortable."

The three of them bowed. "Farewell, Your Majesty!"

Wendy Zhu turned gracefully and walked away, her aura regal and commanding.

"Strange, if they want to imprison us, why let us live in such an open place?" the Dowager Lady wondered aloud.

This place was already outside the palace, in the area between the palace walls and the distant Longevity Mountain.

From here, you could see the palace ahead, the cliffs behind, and forested hills sealing both sides.

"Yeah! Wouldn't it be easy to escape from here?" Lena asked, equally baffled.

Grace shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple."

She walked over toward the Spirit Trees.

When she reached the trunk, Grace didn’t stop—she kept going forward.

Suddenly, she bumped into a force—soft yet unbreakable. She couldn’t take another step.

This was called a Spirit Barrier.

Last time, the Imperial Advisor’s residence activated a magical barrier to keep Grace out.

This one felt exactly the same.

Grace had once asked Evan Xiao about barriers.

Evan Xiao said that, for any spirit practitioner, a Spirit Barrier was absolutely unbreakable.

Even he couldn’t break it.

"Grace, what’s wrong?" Lena asked.

"Grandmother, Mother," Grace said. "This place is an even more secure prison than the Palace Dungeon..."