Chapter 478: Empress Cang Yue
Ice Flame left Yun Che's palm, attaching itself to the stone door. Without the roar of power, without the eruption of Phoenix Flame or Ice God's Divine Art, without even the slightest sound or the light of released power, it silently and slowly extinguished and disappeared.
And on the part of the stone door where the Ice Flame had attached, there was now a depression as large as a fist!
This depression presented an extremely regular hemispherical shape inward, its surface smooth and polished to the extreme, comparable to the most flawless mirror, as if it had been ground out by the world's most exquisite craftsmanship.
Looking at the depression so close at hand, Yun Che's face revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. Previously, he had opened Purgatory, used his strongest attack, and even shattered Dragon Gate, yet only managed to create a gap the size of half a fingernail, which gave him just a glimmer of hope of getting out of here. But now, the miracle created by the Ice Flame... made him almost clearly see the day he would walk out of this place!
"Great!" Yun Che excitedly clenched his hands: "In this way, said a sentence: 'Yue'er, you have suffered...'" Then his gaze fixed, old tears fell, and he died with his eyes open.
Indeed, she had suffered. She bore the pain of losing her husband and the calamity of her nation's fall... For an ordinary woman, it would be impossible to bear. But she bore it. After ascending the throne, she shed no more tears, and her temperament changed completely... Or rather, before the national crisis, she had to change.
Now, she had been on the throne for a year and a half, and what she had experienced and endured far exceeded what Cang Wanhe had in decades. And her current majesty and imperial demeanor were in no way inferior to the original Cang Wanhe. Every word and action was filled with imperial authority.
Dongfang Xiu did not know whether to be relieved or heartbroken.
"General Feng, immediately lead all the iron cavalry under your command southward. At the same time, send a sound transmission to Geng Wanli, the Lord of the Great Desert, telling him to abandon the northwest and depart for the south immediately... Travel day and night, and assemble at the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range north of New Moon City within fifteen days! Then hide separately on both sides of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, and when the Shenhuang Army arrives, attack from left and right!"
"Remember! The deeper you go into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, the fiercer the profound beasts become. So hide only at the outer edges, and never venture deep!"
When she mentioned the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, Cang Yue's heart trembled... because it was in the shared trials of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range that their feelings for each other had first blossomed.
"This general receives the order!" A dignified and imposing general in silver armor stepped forward and saluted, then raised his head and asked: "Your Majesty, if Geng Wanli wants to go south, he will pass through the Tian Jian Mountain Range. Should we ask him to seek help from Tian Jian Villa again?"
Empress Cang Yue's delicate brows furrowed sharply. She turned her gaze in the direction of Tian Jian Villa and said coldly: "A thousand years ago, the Cang Feng ancestor and the Tian Jian ancestor were sworn friends who supported each other—one held the power of the world, the other the influence of the world. They made a blood oath to live and die together: if one faced destruction, the other must give full assistance... In those years, when the Cangfeng Imperial Clan was in turmoil and my imperial father was poisoned by treacherous villains, they turned a blind eye and did nothing. That was already an act of heartlessness and dishonor. But at that time, the Imperial Clan was not facing a crisis of survival, so they could still be forgiven."
"But now, when Cang Feng is on the verge of destruction, we have sent nine pleas for aid to Tian Jian Villa over two years, even stooping to humble entreaties, yet they have closed their villa and ignored us completely. Since they have already broken faith, why should we humiliate ourselves further!"
General Feng slowly nodded: "This general understands. This general takes his leave."
"Wait!" Empress Cang Yue turned around: "Though our ties of gratitude are severed, Tian Jian Villa still needs one more visit."
Empress Cang Yue's voice fell, and a pale golden silk scroll had already spread out before her. She gathered profound force in her fingers and wrote quickly on the silk...
"Among the hatred of heartlessness and the enmity of neglect, this emperor shall remember! If Cang Feng does not fall this time, Cang Feng and Tian Jian shall have no past kindness left—we shall be eternal enemies!"
When Empress Cang Yue wrote, she did not conceal it. Those close by could clearly see what she was writing on the silk. After finishing, she folded the silk and handed it to General Feng: "Send someone to Tian Jian Villa. No need to meet anyone—just throw it directly at the foot of the Tian Jian Mountain Range! Regardless of whether Cang Feng survives or falls this time, this emperor's words shall never be retracted!"
Looking at the elegant yet imperially authoritative handwriting on the silk, General Feng nodded heavily, tucked the silk away, and quickly withdrew.
Empress Cang Yue watched him leave, then turned around and gazed into the distant horizon. No one knew what was on her mind.
"...I am a daughter of Cang Feng, the wife of Yun Che. Even if I die, I will never tarnish the reputation of my clan and my husband!"