Chapter 657: Bad News from Ice Cloud (Part 2)
At this moment, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Yun Che and Cang Yue walked out side by side. Cang Yue's eyes were red-rimmed, clearly having cried herself out earlier, but her complexion was no longer pale. A faint blush on her face added a moving charm to her noble bearing, and even her eyes held far more dazzling colors than before.
Several people quickly approached. Dongfang Xiu said eagerly, "Your Majesty, you are awake... Do you still feel any discomfort?"
Cang Yue gave a slight smile: "I am fine now. No need to worry."
She turned to Tianxia Diyi and the others, accurately calling out their names: "Brother Tianxia, Xiao Yun, and Seventh Sister, welcome to Cang Feng Kingdom. You are my husband's friends, and I should have treated you with state rites, but instead you have witnessed such a chaotic scene. I feel deeply ashamed."
The empress... uh, big... big sister-in-law doesn't need to be polite with us... If you need anything, please just command us."
Xiao Yun's nervousness made Tianxia Diqi secretly pinch him, then she said gracefully, "Truly worthy of being Brother Yun's wife, indeed extraordinary. What my husband said is right. Sister-in-law doesn't need to be polite with us. Now that Cang Feng Kingdom is in peril, if there is anything we can help with, please just command us."
"Brother Yun has greatly helped all three of us. If you have instructions, we will not refuse even unto death." Tianxia Diyi also said without hesitation.
Cang Yue smiled slightly: "Thank you all... and thank you for taking care of my husband during this time."
"Yue'er, you are currently weak. You should rest well. Leave the rest to me." Yun Che said worriedly.
Cang Yue gently shook her head: "My body is completely fine. Although the Shenhuang army was destroyed by my husband's divine might, the crisis in the imperial capital is not yet resolved. The Shenhuang side must have been alerted. Within twelve hours, a large army will surely gather again before the city gates. Our soldiers, and the city's people, also need to be arranged and reassured. Now is not the time for me to rest."
"Don't force yourself."
"With you here, I fear nothing." Cang Yue said softly. There was no heaviness or gloom in her brows, not even a trace of solemnity, only deep warmth and satisfaction. Because she had not lost anything, because Yun Che was by her side, she already had the whole world and had no more wishes or complaints.
Cang Yue issued a series of troop deployment orders, and the Cangfeng Imperial City quickly entered a state of renewed readiness.
The sky began to darken slightly, and the time approached dusk. During this period, Yun Che gradually understood the current situation of Cang Feng Kingdom from Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang's accounts... It could only be described with the four words "miserable beyond words."
A full ninety percent of the major cities had been occupied by the Shenhuang Empire, and some had even been extensively burned to destruction. The number of Cangfeng citizens who had perished in the flames of war had exceeded fifty million... and this was only a conservative estimate. To take Cang Feng as quickly as possible, the Shenhuang Empire's cruelty and viciousness were beyond description... Perhaps in the eyes of the Shenhuang Empire, although the people of Cang Feng were also human, they were merely insignificant, lowly lives.
Furthermore, countless people were displaced and homeless... The once peaceful and serene Cang Feng Kingdom was now on the very edge of the abyss of destruction... Its struggle for survival was barely a gasp.
"Shen... huang..." Yun Che whispered these two words, and blood almost seemed to seep through his tightly clenched teeth.
"From Tian Jian Villa, there really is no response at all?" Yun Che asked.
"Alas, none." Dongfang Xiu sighed, slowly shaking his head, his face filled with grief: "The late emperor and the current emperor personally wrote letters seeking help from Tian Jian Villa nine times. But Tian Jian Villa completely ignored them, not even giving a perfunctory explanation. The Shenhuang Empire is too powerful, and they feared being drawn into it and suffering national destruction. Perhaps that can be understood... But even if they had just sent a few strong experts to protect the empress..."
"Understandable?" Yun Che sneered coldly: "This not only concerns the thousand-year covenant between the Cangfeng Imperial Clan and Tian Jian Villa... but also a national crisis! When the nation is in peril, anyone with a shred of blood in their bones would use everything they have, even their lives, to resist! But they, Tian Jian Villa... the number one profound cultivation force of Cang Feng Kingdom, who should have led the profound realm to form the strongest resistance, actually abandoned family honor and ignored the nation's danger for their own safety... Every single Cangfeng soldier who stayed in the imperial capital and rushed to the battlefield knew that the only consequence of staying was death in battle, yet they still went without hesitation! Those so-called Tian Jian disciples... are not even as good as the most ordinary soldiers of Cang Feng!"
"Yes... The profound realm, if united, should have been the strongest force of resistance. Unfortunately... unfortunately..." Qin Wushang raised his head, his voice equally mournful: "Unfortunately, they possess power far beyond ordinary people and longer lives... but they are also more afraid of death than ordinary people. Wherever the Shenhuang army went, the local powers and families that once ruled the roost rarely resisted. They were often the first to surrender to the Shenhuang army, even proactively offering huge bribes... just to survive and preserve their family foundations. Even the Xiao Sect was like this... The sect master and elders of the Xiao Sect, who could dominate Cang Feng with a raised hand, did not resist when the Shenhuang army arrived. Instead, they proactively went out of the sect to welcome them from twenty miles away, bowing and scraping before the Shenhuang army..."
A national calamity laid bare the ugly reality of these lofty powers. Indeed, they possessed profound power far beyond normal people, enjoyed luxuries ordinary people dared not dream of, and had longer lifespans... but they had long lost the courage that should have flowed in their blood.
"For the strongest sect of a kingdom to act like this in the face of national calamity... it's truly contemptible." Tianxia Diqi said indignantly.
"Indeed. If that were our clan... even if we were spared after the kingdom's destruction, I myself would look down on our own family." Tianxia Diyi said expressionlessly.
"Lord Dongfang, my grandfather and little aunt, are they well?" Yun Che calmed his mind and finally asked... He had not seen Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi in the Cangfeng Imperial City. He was worried about their safety but had not dared to ask, afraid of hearing an answer he didn't want.
Dongfang Xiu smiled lightly: "Rest assured. About two years ago, Her Majesty had Lord Qin personally escort them to Liu Yun City. Liu Yun City is located in the far east, poor in resources and small in size, unlikely to be affected by the war. It should have been the safest place... However, what we never expected was that the Shenhuang army actually dispatched over two hundred thousand troops to directly attack Liu Yun City."
"What!" Yun Che shot to his feet, his face instantly darkening.
"Hehe, no need to worry." Yun Che's reaction was entirely within Dongfang Xiu's expectations: "The city lord of Liu Yun City, following Her Majesty's orders, removed the defending troops and proactively surrendered. The Shenhuang army did not kill a single person in Liu Yun City, and did not even enter the city. Instead, they were dispersed and stationed around Liu Yun City. Her Majesty has been sending sound transmissions to them every seven days, and they have remained safe during this time."
It was as if a massive boulder had been lifted from his heart. Yun Che slowly sat down, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.
Xiao Yun's expression shifted repeatedly, and he finally couldn't hold back, asking, "Big Brother, the grandfather and little aunt you just mentioned, are they... are they..."
Yun Che turned his head and smiled slightly: "That's right..." He stood up again: "I'll go bring them here right now, so your family can be reunited... Grandfather will be very happy and very excited to see you."
"Ah... good, good..." Xiao Yun nodded dazedly, his hands trembling nervously. Grandfather... little aunt... family... his own true blood relatives...
Thinking of meeting his grandfather and little aunt whom he had missed day and night, and thinking that he could finally do something to make his grandfather happy, Yun Che's eagerness became uncontrollable. Although they were safe in Liu Yun City, only by his side would he feel most at ease. He stood up to leave, planning to find a place to use the Primordial Mystic Ark, but as he moved, Dongfang Xiu suddenly called out to him: "Yun Che, there is something I have thought over repeatedly, and I think it's better to tell you as soon as possible. Otherwise... the consequences could be unpredictable."
Dongfang Xiu's solemn tone made Yun Che stop. He looked at Dongfang Xiu and said gravely, "Lord Dongfang, please speak."
"It's about Bing Yun Fairy Palace."
"Bing Yun Fairy Palace? What happened to Bing Yun Fairy Palace? Was it also affected by the war?" Yun Che frowned slightly. He hadn't forgotten that he was still a disciple of Bing Yun Fairy Palace.
Dongfang Xiu slowly shook his head and said, "Although Bing Yun Fairy Palace did not send forces to resist the Shenhuang army these past three years, they continuously sent us their thousand-year accumulated resources, including spirit medicines, offensive profound artifacts, profound crystals, profound formations... providing us with tremendous assistance. At Tiantong Pass, we were able to hold off the Shenhuang army for a full three months thanks to the thousands of offensive profound crystals containing wondrous profound formations from Bing Yun Fairy Palace. We never dreamed that before the national calamity, the one that would exhaust all their strength and even use their foundations to help us would be Bing Yun Fairy Palace, with whom we had the shallowest relationship."
"...What exactly happened there?" Yun Che asked. He vaguely felt that Bing Yun Fairy Palace's all-out effort must be because of Xia Qingyue.
"Six months ago, Ice Moon Fairy Xia Qingyue sent a sound transmission to Her Majesty with only a few short words. The content was that Bing Yun Fairy Palace had suddenly encountered a great calamity and could no longer assist the imperial clan in the future, and that Her Majesty should take care of herself..."
"What?" Yun Che's heart tightened, and he stepped forward urgently: "Then what? What exactly did Bing Yun Fairy Palace encounter?"
"No one knows." Dongfang Xiu shook his head: "After that, no matter what method Her Majesty used, she could no longer contact anyone from Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Additionally, the battle situation was frequently urgent, and Cang Feng was in imminent danger. Her Majesty simply had no time to attend to other matters... Now, there is no information at all about what has become of Bing Yun Fairy Palace."
"Could it have been attacked by the Shenhuang army?" Xiao Yun immediately said.
"No, impossible." Yun Che shook his head directly: "The Ice Extreme Snow Domain where Bing Yun Fairy Palace is located is bitterly cold all year round and covered in ice and snow. It is absolutely not a place suitable for an army to set foot, especially for a Shenhuang army that fears the cold. Moreover, besides Bing Yun Fairy Palace, there are no cities there, not even residents. The Shenhuang Empire has no reason to attack it."
A thousand-year calamity?
Yun Che suddenly remembered the four words that Supreme Palace Master Feng Qianhui had told him back then. This was not just four words, but a thousand-year prophecy concerning the life and death of Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Feng Qianhui had also admitted back then that the reason she accepted him, a male disciple, into Bing Yun Fairy Palace was entirely to deal with the prophecy of the "Thousand-Year Calamity."
What had happened to Bing Yun Fairy Palace... Had that prophecy of the "Thousand-Year Calamity" really come true?!
And it had already been six months since Xia Qingyue's sound transmission said they had "suddenly encountered a great calamity"... a full six months!
Yun Che's heart was instantly shrouded in a deep shadow. Today was his first day back in Tian Xuan Continent. Instead of tearful reunions, he had received one heavy piece of news after another.
"I'll go to Bing Yun Fairy Palace immediately!" Yun Che said with a frown. Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi were at least safe in Liu Yun City, but Bing Yun Fairy Palace... if he didn't go see what had happened right away, he would be unable to rest easy.
"Within today, more Shenhuang troops will surely arrive. When they do, make sure to send me a sound transmission immediately. I have the mystic ark, so I can return in an instant!"
"Go without worry. We are still here, so nothing will happen." Tianxia Diyi nodded solemnly.
Yun Che could wait no longer. He quickly condensed his profound force to send a sound transmission to Cang Yue, who was personally deploying the battle strategy in the next hall, then rushed out of the room, flashed into the sky, summoned the Primordial Mystic Ark, locked onto the general direction and distance of Bing Yun Fairy Palace, and with a spatial shriek, disappeared there along with the Primordial Mystic Ark.