"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ground suddenly cracked open, and a massive black mist surged out of the fissure. In just a short moment, the outermost areas were consumed by Death Qi.
Any cultivator touched by the Death Qi found themselves terrifyingly aware that their life force and cultivation were being forcibly extracted. Cultivators below the Lotus Platform Realm were almost instantly drained, reduced to dry corpses and bones.
Cultivators in the Lotus Platform Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm could barely resist, but it only temporarily delayed the process of dying.
Even more terrifying was that wherever the Death Qi passed, trees, rivers, living creatures, blood and flesh, even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, were all annihilated!
Yan Ruo’s gaze was grave; this apocalyptic scene clearly indicated that the Black Soul Hall had meticulously planned for this day.
In this search, Yan Ruo finally detected a trace of obscure fluctuations.
"Yan Lin, follow me."
Yan Ruo’s gaze was sharp as a sword, focusing on the mountain beneath the fake ruins.
The next moment, two Flame Guards acted simultaneously; two overwhelmingly powerful attacks instantly tore the mountain apart.
Within the shattered mountain, obscure array runes emerged.
Through the array patterns, it was faintly visible that the hollowed-out mountain below was filled with stone pillars, and three figures in black robes were within.
"Too late!"
Respectable Five slowly lifted his head, with a mocking look in his eyes.
The next instant, as his hand clenched, the ruins in the sky were suddenly shrouded in black light, and the occasional screams from inside went completely silent.
"Buzz..."
Even more eerie was that the original ruins location had now become a giant black vortex, and an extremely terrifying devouring force emanated from it.
"Oh no, the ancestor’s life token has shattered!"
"Senior Brother!"
Originally gathered below, the nervous cultivators’ faces changed drastically. They sensed that their friends who had entered the ruins had perished within.
...
"Hall Master, an anomaly has appeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains!"
"Starting from the inner area, it’s shrouded in an array and cannot be entered!"
In Mountain Miao Hall, a figure, disregarding etiquette, quickly rushed to the front of the main hall, an anxious voice resounding.
"What?!"
Wang Liweng, who had already sensed the token breaking, trembled violently, his face pale.
After reconfirming, he dared not hesitate and immediately took out the Sound Transmission Stone to report this incident to the Empress.
"Hall Master, with four of the Flame Guards present, nothing unexpected should happen, right?"
Beside him, a Guest Minister asked anxiously.
Wang Liweng did not respond, his expression as dark as water.
Since the anomaly descended deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he had felt something was amiss.
However, this level of phenomenon was too conspicuous, and Mountain Miao Hall could not completely block the news. With the emergence of the ancient ruins, countless cultivators flocked there.
Among them were even those at the Foundation Establishment Realm; the situation had completely exceeded Mountain Miao Hall’s control.
Now, with the Flame Guards shattering his soul token, Wang Liweng finally realized the severity of the matter.
"Notify each Immortal Sect, except for the soldiers guarding the borderlands; everyone else rush to the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter."
Wang Liweng took a deep breath and instructed solemnly.
"Yes!"
A moment later, many powerful figures swiftly flew out from Mountain Miao Hall, and soon, groups of nearby stationed soldiers took to the skies, quickly heading towards the Hundred Thousand Mountains region.
...
Imperial Capital.
The sudden anomaly in the Hundred Thousand Mountains drew the attention of many forces.
To seize an opportunity from the ancient ruins for rapid advancement, various powerful forces dispatched experts, even the Carefree Pavilion was no exception.
Among them, many experts were high-level members of various forces, even ancestors of the Supreme Elder level.
With their life tokens shattered within their families and Immortal Sects, all forces realized a significant change occurred in the ancient ruins of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
For the Carefree Pavilion, the loss of two Guest Ministers at the Foundation Establishment Realm was tremendous.
If not for Qin Yu recently assisting the Bai Family in repairing two ancient arrays, Hall Master Bai Yaoyin might also face penalties.
By comparison, only the Flower Language Building remained relatively calm.
To avoid any misunderstanding by the Empress Dowager, Qin Yu came alone to the small courtyard to deepen his relationship with the Flower Fairy.
"Tributor Qin."
But then, just as Qin Yu was pressing the Flower Fairy’s Jade Foot and pondering how to further advance their relationship, a dignified voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
The Flower Fairy seemed to sense something, instinctively withdrew her foot, a blush rising on her cheeks.
In the small courtyard, hundreds of flowers bloomed, and the array was activated.
Above the small courtyard, a dignified figure was faintly visible.
"Your Majesty."
Qin Yu’s expression turned solemn and he immediately bowed respectfully.
The Flower Fairy was ashamed.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager sensed something and specifically went to tell the Empress?!
Thinking about the Emperor Yan telling her that Qin Yu was Little Ling’Er’s future husband, but earlier they were...
Thinking of this, the Flower Fairy suddenly felt uneasy and apprehensive.
As if caught by someone... just like that.
"Come with me for a trip."
The Empress did not explain much, after nodding slightly to the Flower Fairy, she turned to Qin Yu.
"Yes!"
Qin Yu felt a chill in his heart, sensing the gravity of the situation from the Empress’s tone. Despite his reluctance to part with the Flower Fairy, he dared not hesitate and followed immediately.
The next moment, the Empress moved her foot, her figure like a ray of light piercing through the void, disappearing into the horizon within an instant.
The residual warmth on the Flower Fairy’s cheeks had not yet faded. Watching Emperor Yan leave in such haste, she suddenly realized that something major must be happening in the Great Yan Immortal Country.
Moreover, she could sense that above the Imperial Palace, the Empress Dowager was gazing in the direction where the Empress had left. Perhaps due to her agitated mood, a faint yet imposing aura enveloped the entire palace.
Inside the Carefree Pavilion.
"Aunt, hasn’t Qin Yu come over yet?"
Chu Muyin couldn’t help but look out the window and ask softly.
"He’s a Tributor of the Great Yan, he naturally doesn’t have much time to be here frequently."
Chu Liuya explained casually.
Actually, a couple of days ago, Chu Guard had already received news that Qin Yu had returned to the Imperial Capital.
Initially, she was worried that Qin Yu would come to the Carefree Pavilion under the pretext of instructing on arrays and offend the Princess.
To her surprise, over these past few days, Qin Yu only visited Bai Yaoyin’s small courtyard once, and didn’t even come up to the top floor.
For some reason, even Bai Yaosha, the rune fanatic, hasn’t shown up these days.
However, Chu Liuya didn’t mind.
She even hoped that Qin Yu would never come looking for the Princess again, so she wouldn’t have to trouble herself in understanding those headache-inducing array patterns.
"Is that so?"
Chu Muyin lightly pursed her lips, hesitating.
She could tell that her aunt had deep-seated opinions about Qin Yu, but she couldn’t explain them.
"Princess, it’s rather unsafe within the Great Yan Immortal Country’s borders, perhaps we should go back first."
Chu Liuya advised.
She already knew about the intelligence regarding the 100,000-strong mountain.
Though she didn’t know what exactly had transpired there, such a gathering of powerful cultivators indicates a change significant enough to shake the entire Immortal Country.
As the Leader of Chu Guard, she keenly sensed the crisis.
"If Aunt is unwilling to stay here, perhaps you should return first. I can explain to Father myself."
Chu Liuya shook her head, saying.
During her time in the Great Yan Immortal Country, her Spiritual Power prowess broke through to the subtle level, and her understanding of arrays also improved significantly.
Even though she couldn’t accomplish what Father mentioned — winning over Qin Yu — this progress was already enough to excite her.
"You..."
Chu Liuya was momentarily speechless.
If I leave, won’t you be devoured until not even bones remain?
Before, she could comfort herself with the excuse that Bai Yaosha still had her original essence intact, indicating that Qin Yu had his limits.
However, upon returning this time, after secretly observing, Bai Yaosha was already...
She wouldn’t even spare her own sister-in-law!
Chu Liuya couldn’t imagine if she weren’t there to protect, the naive Princess would likely fall into a state of endless calamity.
Especially, thinking that if the Princess brought this corrupting influence back to the Great Chu Royal Family, just imagining the consequences sent chills down her spine.
...
Qin Yu was unaware that a Princess was waiting for him in the Carefree Pavilion.
Of course, even if he was aware, he wouldn’t care too much.
After all, a forced relationship does not yield sweet fruits.
Although Chu Liuya might make extreme concessions to protect the Princess, she was still the Commander of Chu Guard. What situations hadn’t she seen?
She wasn’t as easy to manipulate as Tu Yaoyao.
Instead of wasting time on Chu Liuya, it was better to foster a closer relationship with the Flower Fairy.
Unfortunately, just as progress was about to be made, he was whisked away by the Empress.
It’s uncertain whether the Flower Fairy would have returned to the Elf Race after he got back.
"Your Majesty, what happened?"
Along the way, Qin Yu could only feel the scenery on both sides rushing past quickly.
This time, the Empress didn’t even use a Flying Ship; the speed was astonishing.
If the Empress had traveled with such speed last time when sending him to the border, it wouldn’t have taken ten days to half a month. It likely wouldn’t have even taken half a day to get him there.
"100,000-strong mountain."
The Empress replied casually, without slowing down at all, darting across the sky like lightning.
"100,000-strong mountain?"
Qin Yu’s expression slightly condensed.
He had heard Bai Yaoyin mention the intelligence about the 100,000-strong mountain and knew that many forces in the Imperial Capital had dispatched strong practitioners into it.
It could be said that the emergence of ancient ruins in the 100,000-strong mountain, gathering cultivator elites, was considered the grandest event in the Great Yan Immortal Country over the past century.
"It should be the work of the Black Soul Hall."
The Empress’s voice carried a trace of uncontrollable chill.
"Black Soul Hall?"
Qin Yu’s eyes narrowed, a shudder ran through his heart.
Back at the Piaomiao Hall region, the Black Soul Hall’s plot nearly led to the destruction of an entire domain.
Moreover, that was under circumstances where no one knew; it caused upheaval by infiltrating the Hundred Sword Sect.
If not for Yan Yu’s timely intervention containing the situation within the Hundred Sword Sect’s mountain gates, the consequences would have been unimaginably dire.