Chapter 104: 104
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The moon was reflected on the water, its image so pristine like a mirror's impression with plumes of clouds clustered together like a fortress in the sky.
The waters of the 3000-mile long Luo River had flooded the subterranean Imperial Mausoleum, turning the place into an underwater necropolis, lost and submerged in the depths.
Ye Que swam with Red Bean on his back, passing Lake Mingjing, the forest of obelisks, the passage of mermaids, the apothecary furnaces around the Giant Tree, and the halls of the golden mountain. Finally, he reached the main portcullis of the golden palace. He had encountered not a single person on his way there; everyone else he had encountered along the way before had disappeared and there were no corpses too, as if they never existed.
As if everyone and everything had been consumed by this huge magical formation.
Everything around him was colorful yet peculiar in the mysterious blue world of the underwater Luo River. Nevertheless, Ye Que retained sufficient confidence that he would be able to handle anything he would face.
His physique and his pool of spiritual energies were utterly transformed and revamped by the Divine Book. He could now feel the immense strength coursing in his veins, the very same sensation of his peak condition he once felt during his youth. He now felt completely different compared to before entering the Imperial Mausoleum.
He was sure; he was now nearing the Realm of Starburst!
Ye Que was positively confident that with his current strength, he would surely be able to slay Jiang Liuyun, the prodigy from Mount Shu, in a mortal combat.
Then again, he would have to plea incompetence before the collective might of the eight cloaked strangers of Mount Shu. They were, after all, warriors of the Formless Realm. He would also never dare to antagonize Nan Fengxiu; never did he expect that the woman would carry with her a conjured double of the Demon King Ye Fanghua. He could only thank the stars that he had not been on her wrong side, lest he would die a most painful death. Not even the former Ye Que, the warrior who reigned supreme across the Three Realms could ever hope to best the Demon King in battle.
A simple person of relatively modest background like Ye Que never be accorded an audience with the Demon King. Rumors has it that the Demon King was already a near-omnipotent being during the time of Ye Que's former life, the ultimate champion of the Demon World that all worshipped and feared. It was beyond any doubt that the present Demon King has yet to reach his former strength. Still, he must have encountered a string of fortuitous encounters that enabled him to reach his present level of strength in these centuries.
With his Divine Energy now replenished, Ye Que penetrated through the underwater currents with no difficulty, tearing swiftly out of the golden hall.
Behind him, Red Bean remained unconscious but Ye Que was no longer transferring Divine Energy to her. He had inadvertently found out that she was different to normal humans, being able to breathe underwater through her skin.
Instead resembling a human, Red Bean was more like a fish underwater that she may even enjoy being underwater more than other aquatic life forms.
Ye Que had felt it heavy when he was carrying her on his back at the subterranean hall. Yet since entering underwater, she was as light as a feather that he barely felt himself carrying her, especially when he failed to notice her breathing.
"She has so many secrets..."
"I'm a little curious to find out, I admit."
"What exactly are you? Are you a mermaid? That's unlikely, since you were so good at fighting," Ye Que wondered to himself.
Ye Que stepped outside the gates of the golden hall and suddenly, a huge blast came from behind. Something was rumbling under his feet and out of the blue, a huge, invisible force erupted from below, propeling him towards the water surface.
"Something must've happened in that cave!" His first guess was that something had gone wrong with the Divine Tool.
They had just emerged above the surface of the water when the structure of the golden palace below him began shaking violently and the whole underwater edifice collapsed and crumbled in the powerful quake that crevices and chasms began to crack open on the river bed around the rubbles of the fallen palace!
Another huge force swelled from underwater. Realizing his chance, Ye Que waited and pushed off his feet when the rush of explosion rose from the depths, using it to springboard himself out of the water and into the air, while quickly conjuring the Pacifism. Despite being a little more than a feet, Ye Que had no difficulty in riding it into the air with the spirit sword that radiated a 3-feet wide Sword Qi around it.
Flying against the wind on his sword and with Red Bean on his back, Ye Que tore away from the vicinity of the Imperial Mausoleum in the direction his memory was directing him to.
But unbeknownst to him, a faint, dark shadow glided out of the water silently just when the underwater palace caved in.
It leaped out of the surface of the water and zipped into the sky, flying past mountains and clouds before it escaped the gigantic magical circle of the Imperial Mausoleum. With another violent convulsion, it picked up its pace and disappeared into thin air.
So gone the dark shadow from the depths of the water.
Tens of thousands of miles away,
In a valley shielded from sunlight, was a group of silent men. Huddled together in utter reticence and a gloom completely devoid of any radiance from the Sun, a glimmer of light suddenly burst into life; not of warm orange-crimson, but a purple-black glow from an oil lamp. The morbid flame flickered gently, revealing the advent of a dark shadow that turned into a black-colored eye looking so ghoulishly foul as if its gaze could penetrate all things and all men alike.
The silent crowd stared at the lamp and its flame before their gazes fell upon the eye.
Immediately, the group fell on their knees reverently, prostrating themselves with utmost deference.
Their expressions conveyed the very same message: these were devotees witnessing their own God.
A peal of black ravens tore out of the dark valley. The birds scattered; some flew towards the prairies of the great Kingdom of Yan and the ancient realm of Nanzhou and Dongyue, while some other flapped their wings frantically towards the mythic domains of Qingqiu and the Demon World. A great portion of the rest, however, flew towards the capital of the Tang Empire, Luo Yang.
The black ravens flew as quick as they could, with speeds comparable to common birds at first until they began to pick up more speed, rivaling even the supersonic sword of Mount Shu.
The ravens arrived at Luoyang at just two-hours of flight, a mere fraction of the time that ordinary pigeons needed to cover such distances. One of them flew into the General's Residence, and dove straight for the chambers of the second lady of the household, Xiao Huating's room, and was caught by the lady herself.
The raven looked at Xiao Huating, then nipped gently at the center of her palm before disappearing in a burst of black fumes that left only a little strip of message in her hand.
Xiao Huating's eyes went wide as she read the message. She stood up instantly, not being able to hide the excitement throbbing in her eyes. "It finally appeared... It finally appeared..." She repeated to herself profusely, "At long last, I can finally leave this god-forsaken place and this accursed city!"
"Servant!" She called loudly.
A servant stepped into her chamber, heads bowed, and came to her, awaiting her orders.
"Get the carriage ready, I'm paying a visit to the Second Prince."
The servant turned. But he barely took a few steps when Xiao Huating stopped him. "Wait. I'll go with you directly."
Before long, a carriage, bearing the mark of the Residence of the General of the Imperial Armies, stormed down the cobblestones of Yong'an Street, with a series of rapid cracks of a whip in its wake, reaching the Residence of the Second Prince in less than a quarter of an hour.
Such are the privileges accorded to Xiao Huating, master of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies and the commander of the 200,000-strong army of the Ye Clan, that even a Prince of the Empire would do well to please her.
In no time, the Li Chunyu, the Second Prince of the Empire walked out of the inner chambers to greet her.
"Xiao Huating at your service, Your Highness," Xiao Huating greeted him courteously.
"There's no need for such formalities, Madam Xiao. Please make yourself at home. All things considered, especially my rapport with General Ye, you are definitely my senior. It is I who owes you respect," said the Prince who quickly held her, stopping her from bowing down to him.
"So, what brings you here today, and how can I help you, Madam Xiao? If it's about Yunhai, please don't worry. I've made arrangements with the Ministry of War; I expect their reply to be quick. The Ministry might be hardpressed to make him a Captain General, but I'm sure a Lieutenant General should not be problem. The respect and admiration to the late General Ye himself is enough to convince the Imperial Court to reconsider."
The Prince smiled as he spoke. He was under the impression that Xiao Huating was here to lobby for a grand future for her son; the rank of a lowly field officer was indeed a tad to low for a scion of such pedigree.
While Ye Zhengru might want to train his heir by wanting the young scion to climb up the ranks for his own good, the old General was no more. The current assigned rank for the young heir of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies was but in fact a blatant humiliation.
"That's not the reason I'm here today, Your Highness. I have information for you." Xiao Huating revealed calmly.
"Information?" Li Chunyu blurted, slightly surprised.
"Yes. A piece of news that's of extreme significance to you," Xiao Huating added, shrugging gently before she continued, "It could affect your future."
"Then, pray enlighten me, Madam."
Li Chunyu would have dismissed such information as nonsence and have the person driven out of his residence if it was anyone else but Xiao Huating. But there was but only one issue that could matter with the Second Prince of the great Tang Empire: the throne of the Emperor. There was no other route for him in his future; he would either ascend to the throne, or certain death awaited him, there was no other way.
However, this was the master of the General's Residence speaking; she who commanded a 200, 000-strong army. Despite being female in an age where patriarchy prevailed, her words bore so much weight that not only Li Chunyu must heed intently, he must do so with every shred of focus he could muster.
Xiao Huating looked at Li Chunyu, and her eyes wandered to the map of the Empire hanging on the wall.
There were but only so many people who possessed the skill to draw a map with so much detail across the entire Tang Empire.
She walked to the map slowly, and rested her finger on the site of the capital at the center of the Empire's domain, before her finger traced all the way to the North, stopping on the grassland realm of the great Kingdom of Yan.
"I've been informed that the Kingdom of Yan had just dispatched a force of 150,000 riders heading South today. I expect them to begin the assault on You Prefecture tomorrow at dawn, followed by the prefectures of Liang and Qing. Winter is upon us and the wolves from the North are here to forage for supplies to weather the frost," said Xiao Huating casually as her finger retraced back down South.
"A 150,000-strong calvary?" Li Chunyu stammered in disbelief, leaping to his feet immediately.
Xiao Huating nodded.
"May I know the source of this information, Madam? Is it reliable?" Li Chunyu asked, his brows creased into a distressed frown.
"You do not need to trouble yourself with such details, Your Highness. Rest assured that my information is accurate; a invasion is at hand," Xiao Huating paused and continued, "This may seem to be a crisis, but it's also an opportunity; one that allows you to contribute to your nation and allow you to stand out."
Her fingers tapped gently onto the map as she casually voiced her plan, "The Crown Prince is superior than you in all aspects but one: military valor. The Tang Empire was established on the basis of a strong military force; hence valor has always been a quality heavily valued in the Imperial Court. What would the Emperor think if you, dear Prince, are the one who thwarted this incoming invasion, Your Highness? What would the rest of the Imperial Court think of you? What would your people think of you?"
"Who else would best be the future ruler of the Tang Empire, than the Prince who has the respect of the Imperial Armies and the fear of the Empire's enemies?"
"With your permission, dear Prince, the armies of the Ye Clan is at your service, Your Highness."
"Why?"
"For the greatness of the Ye Clan."
"I, Xiao Huating, am willing to do what I can to ensure your triumph, Your Highness."
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The moon was reflected on the water, its image so pristine like a mirror's impression with plumes of clouds clustered together like a fortress in the sky.
The waters of the 3000-mile long Luo River had flooded the subterranean Imperial Mausoleum, turning the place into an underwater necropolis, lost and submerged in the depths.
Ye Que swam with Red Bean on his back, passing Lake Mingjing, the forest of obelisks, the passage of mermaids, the apothecary furnaces around the Giant Tree, and the halls of the golden mountain. Finally, he reached the main portcullis of the golden palace. He had encountered not a single person on his way there; everyone else he had encountered along the way before had disappeared and there were no corpses too, as if they never existed.
As if everyone and everything had been consumed by this huge magical formation.
Everything around him was colorful yet peculiar in the mysterious blue world of the underwater Luo River. Nevertheless, Ye Que retained sufficient confidence that he would be able to handle anything he would face.
His physique and his pool of spiritual energies were utterly transformed and revamped by the Divine Book. He could now feel the immense strength coursing in his veins, the very same sensation of his peak condition he once felt during his youth. He now felt completely different compared to before entering the Imperial Mausoleum.
He was sure; he was now nearing the Realm of Starburst!
Ye Que was positively confident that with his current strength, he would surely be able to slay Jiang Liuyun, the prodigy from Mount Shu, in a mortal combat.
Then again, he would have to plea incompetence before the collective might of the eight cloaked strangers of Mount Shu. They were, after all, warriors of the Formless Realm. He would also never dare to antagonize Nan Fengxiu; never did he expect that the woman would carry with her a conjured double of the Demon King Ye Fanghua. He could only thank the stars that he had not been on her wrong side, lest he would die a most painful death. Not even the former Ye Que, the warrior who reigned supreme across the Three Realms could ever hope to best the Demon King in battle.
A simple person of relatively modest background like Ye Que never be accorded an audience with the Demon King. Rumors has it that the Demon King was already a near-omnipotent being during the time of Ye Que's former life, the ultimate champion of the Demon World that all worshipped and feared. It was beyond any doubt that the present Demon King has yet to reach his former strength. Still, he must have encountered a string of fortuitous encounters that enabled him to reach his present level of strength in these centuries.
With his Divine Energy now replenished, Ye Que penetrated through the underwater currents with no difficulty, tearing swiftly out of the golden hall.
Behind him, Red Bean remained unconscious but Ye Que was no longer transferring Divine Energy to her. He had inadvertently found out that she was different to normal humans, being able to breathe underwater through her skin.
Instead resembling a human, Red Bean was more like a fish underwater that she may even enjoy being underwater more than other aquatic life forms.
Ye Que had felt it heavy when he was carrying her on his back at the subterranean hall. Yet since entering underwater, she was as light as a feather that he barely felt himself carrying her, especially when he failed to notice her breathing.
"She has so many secrets..."
"I'm a little curious to find out, I admit."
"What exactly are you? Are you a mermaid? That's unlikely, since you were so good at fighting," Ye Que wondered to himself.
Ye Que stepped outside the gates of the golden hall and suddenly, a huge blast came from behind. Something was rumbling under his feet and out of the blue, a huge, invisible force erupted from below, propeling him towards the water surface.
"Something must've happened in that cave!" His first guess was that something had gone wrong with the Divine Tool.
They had just emerged above the surface of the water when the structure of the golden palace below him began shaking violently and the whole underwater edifice collapsed and crumbled in the powerful quake that crevices and chasms began to crack open on the river bed around the rubbles of the fallen palace!
Another huge force swelled from underwater. Realizing his chance, Ye Que waited and pushed off his feet when the rush of explosion rose from the depths, using it to springboard himself out of the water and into the air, while quickly conjuring the Pacifism. Despite being a little more than a feet, Ye Que had no difficulty in riding it into the air with the spirit sword that radiated a 3-feet wide Sword Qi around it.
Flying against the wind on his sword and with Red Bean on his back, Ye Que tore away from the vicinity of the Imperial Mausoleum in the direction his memory was directing him to.
But unbeknownst to him, a faint, dark shadow glided out of the water silently just when the underwater palace caved in.
It leaped out of the surface of the water and zipped into the sky, flying past mountains and clouds before it escaped the gigantic magical circle of the Imperial Mausoleum. With another violent convulsion, it picked up its pace and disappeared into thin air.
So gone the dark shadow from the depths of the water.
Tens of thousands of miles away,
In a valley shielded from sunlight, was a group of silent men. Huddled together in utter reticence and a gloom completely devoid of any radiance from the Sun, a glimmer of light suddenly burst into life; not of warm orange-crimson, but a purple-black glow from an oil lamp. The morbid flame flickered gently, revealing the advent of a dark shadow that turned into a black-colored eye looking so ghoulishly foul as if its gaze could penetrate all things and all men alike.
The silent crowd stared at the lamp and its flame before their gazes fell upon the eye.
Immediately, the group fell on their knees reverently, prostrating themselves with utmost deference.
Their expressions conveyed the very same message: these were devotees witnessing their own God.
A peal of black ravens tore out of the dark valley. The birds scattered; some flew towards the prairies of the great Kingdom of Yan and the ancient realm of Nanzhou and Dongyue, while some other flapped their wings frantically towards the mythic domains of Qingqiu and the Demon World. A great portion of the rest, however, flew towards the capital of the Tang Empire, Luo Yang.
The black ravens flew as quick as they could, with speeds comparable to common birds at first until they began to pick up more speed, rivaling even the supersonic sword of Mount Shu.
The ravens arrived at Luoyang at just two-hours of flight, a mere fraction of the time that ordinary pigeons needed to cover such distances. One of them flew into the General's Residence, and dove straight for the chambers of the second lady of the household, Xiao Huating's room, and was caught by the lady herself.
The raven looked at Xiao Huating, then nipped gently at the center of her palm before disappearing in a burst of black fumes that left only a little strip of message in her hand.
Xiao Huating's eyes went wide as she read the message. She stood up instantly, not being able to hide the excitement throbbing in her eyes. "It finally appeared... It finally appeared..." She repeated to herself profusely, "At long last, I can finally leave this god-forsaken place and this accursed city!"
"Servant!" She called loudly.
A servant stepped into her chamber, heads bowed, and came to her, awaiting her orders.
"Get the carriage ready, I'm paying a visit to the Second Prince."
The servant turned. But he barely took a few steps when Xiao Huating stopped him. "Wait. I'll go with you directly."
Before long, a carriage, bearing the mark of the Residence of the General of the Imperial Armies, stormed down the cobblestones of Yong'an Street, with a series of rapid cracks of a whip in its wake, reaching the Residence of the Second Prince in less than a quarter of an hour.
Such are the privileges accorded to Xiao Huating, master of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies and the commander of the 200,000-strong army of the Ye Clan, that even a Prince of the Empire would do well to please her.
In no time, the Li Chunyu, the Second Prince of the Empire walked out of the inner chambers to greet her.
"Xiao Huating at your service, Your Highness," Xiao Huating greeted him courteously.
"There's no need for such formalities, Madam Xiao. Please make yourself at home. All things considered, especially my rapport with General Ye, you are definitely my senior. It is I who owes you respect," said the Prince who quickly held her, stopping her from bowing down to him.
"So, what brings you here today, and how can I help you, Madam Xiao? If it's about Yunhai, please don't worry. I've made arrangements with the Ministry of War; I expect their reply to be quick. The Ministry might be hardpressed to make him a Captain General, but I'm sure a Lieutenant General should not be problem. The respect and admiration to the late General Ye himself is enough to convince the Imperial Court to reconsider."
The Prince smiled as he spoke. He was under the impression that Xiao Huating was here to lobby for a grand future for her son; the rank of a lowly field officer was indeed a tad to low for a scion of such pedigree.
While Ye Zhengru might want to train his heir by wanting the young scion to climb up the ranks for his own good, the old General was no more. The current assigned rank for the young heir of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies was but in fact a blatant humiliation.
"That's not the reason I'm here today, Your Highness. I have information for you." Xiao Huating revealed calmly.
"Information?" Li Chunyu blurted, slightly surprised.
"Yes. A piece of news that's of extreme significance to you," Xiao Huating added, shrugging gently before she continued, "It could affect your future."
"Then, pray enlighten me, Madam."
Li Chunyu would have dismissed such information as nonsence and have the person driven out of his residence if it was anyone else but Xiao Huating. But there was but only one issue that could matter with the Second Prince of the great Tang Empire: the throne of the Emperor. There was no other route for him in his future; he would either ascend to the throne, or certain death awaited him, there was no other way.
However, this was the master of the General's Residence speaking; she who commanded a 200, 000-strong army. Despite being female in an age where patriarchy prevailed, her words bore so much weight that not only Li Chunyu must heed intently, he must do so with every shred of focus he could muster.
Xiao Huating looked at Li Chunyu, and her eyes wandered to the map of the Empire hanging on the wall.
There were but only so many people who possessed the skill to draw a map with so much detail across the entire Tang Empire.
She walked to the map slowly, and rested her finger on the site of the capital at the center of the Empire's domain, before her finger traced all the way to the North, stopping on the grassland realm of the great Kingdom of Yan.
"I've been informed that the Kingdom of Yan had just dispatched a force of 150,000 riders heading South today. I expect them to begin the assault on You Prefecture tomorrow at dawn, followed by the prefectures of Liang and Qing. Winter is upon us and the wolves from the North are here to forage for supplies to weather the frost," said Xiao Huating casually as her finger retraced back down South.
"A 150,000-strong calvary?" Li Chunyu stammered in disbelief, leaping to his feet immediately.
Xiao Huating nodded.
"May I know the source of this information, Madam? Is it reliable?" Li Chunyu asked, his brows creased into a distressed frown.
"You do not need to trouble yourself with such details, Your Highness. Rest assured that my information is accurate; a invasion is at hand," Xiao Huating paused and continued, "This may seem to be a crisis, but it's also an opportunity; one that allows you to contribute to your nation and allow you to stand out."
Her fingers tapped gently onto the map as she casually voiced her plan, "The Crown Prince is superior than you in all aspects but one: military valor. The Tang Empire was established on the basis of a strong military force; hence valor has always been a quality heavily valued in the Imperial Court. What would the Emperor think if you, dear Prince, are the one who thwarted this incoming invasion, Your Highness? What would the rest of the Imperial Court think of you? What would your people think of you?"
"Who else would best be the future ruler of the Tang Empire, than the Prince who has the respect of the Imperial Armies and the fear of the Empire's enemies?"
"With your permission, dear Prince, the armies of the Ye Clan is at your service, Your Highness."
"Why?"
"For the greatness of the Ye Clan."
"I, Xiao Huating, am willing to do what I can to ensure your triumph, Your Highness."
The moon was reflected on the water, its image so pristine like a mirror's impression with plumes of clouds clustered together like a fortress in the sky.The waters of the 3000-mile long Luo River had flooded the subterranean Imperial Mausoleum, turning the place into an underwater necropolis, lost and submerged in the depths.Ye Que swam with Red Bean on his back, passing Lake Mingjing, the forest of obelisks, the passage of mermaids, the apothecary furnaces around the Giant Tree, and the halls of the golden mountain. Finally, he reached the main portcullis of the golden palace. He had encountered not a single person on his way there; everyone else he had encountered along the way before had disappeared and there were no corpses too, as if they never existed.As if everyone and everything had been consumed by this huge magical formation.Everything around him was colorful yet peculiar in the mysterious blue world of the underwater Luo River. Nevertheless, Ye Que retained sufficient confidence that he would be able to handle anything he would face.His physique and his pool of spiritual energies were utterly transformed and revamped by the Divine Book. He could now feel the immense strength coursing in his veins, the very same sensation of his peak condition he once felt during his youth. He now felt completely different compared to before entering the Imperial Mausoleum.He was sure; he was now nearing the Realm of Starburst!Ye Que was positively confident that with his current strength, he would surely be able to slay Jiang Liuyun, the prodigy from Mount Shu, in a mortal combat.Then again, he would have to plea incompetence before the collective might of the eight cloaked strangers of Mount Shu. They were, after all, warriors of the Formless Realm. He would also never dare to antagonize Nan Fengxiu; never did he expect that the woman would carry with her a conjured double of the Demon King Ye Fanghua. He could only thank the stars that he had not been on her wrong side, lest he would die a most painful death. Not even the former Ye Que, the warrior who reigned supreme across the Three Realms could ever hope to best the Demon King in battle.A simple person of relatively modest background like Ye Que never be accorded an audience with the Demon King. Rumors has it that the Demon King was already a near-omnipotent being during the time of Ye Que's former life, the ultimate champion of the Demon World that all worshipped and feared. It was beyond any doubt that the present Demon King has yet to reach his former strength. Still, he must have encountered a string of fortuitous encounters that enabled him to reach his present level of strength in these centuries.With his Divine Energy now replenished, Ye Que penetrated through the underwater currents with no difficulty, tearing swiftly out of the golden hall.Behind him, Red Bean remained unconscious but Ye Que was no longer transferring Divine Energy to her. He had inadvertently found out that she was different to normal humans, being able to breathe underwater through her skin.Instead resembling a human, Red Bean was more like a fish underwater that she may even enjoy being underwater more than other aquatic life forms.Ye Que had felt it heavy when he was carrying her on his back at the subterranean hall. Yet since entering underwater, she was as light as a feather that he barely felt himself carrying her, especially when he failed to notice her breathing."She has so many secrets...""I'm a little curious to find out, I admit.""What exactly are you? Are you a mermaid? That's unlikely, since you were so good at fighting," Ye Que wondered to himself.Ye Que stepped outside the gates of the golden hall and suddenly, a huge blast came from behind. Something was rumbling under his feet and out of the blue, a huge, invisible force erupted from below, propeling him towards the water surface."Something must've happened in that cave!" His first guess was that something had gone wrong with the Divine Tool.They had just emerged above the surface of the water when the structure of the golden palace below him began shaking violently and the whole underwater edifice collapsed and crumbled in the powerful quake that crevices and chasms began to crack open on the river bed around the rubbles of the fallen palace!Another huge force swelled from underwater. Realizing his chance, Ye Que waited and pushed off his feet when the rush of explosion rose from the depths, using it to springboard himself out of the water and into the air, while quickly conjuring the Pacifism. Despite being a little more than a feet, Ye Que had no difficulty in riding it into the air with the spirit sword that radiated a 3-feet wide Sword Qi around it.Flying against the wind on his sword and with Red Bean on his back, Ye Que tore away from the vicinity of the Imperial Mausoleum in the direction his memory was directing him to.But unbeknownst to him, a faint, dark shadow glided out of the water silently just when the underwater palace caved in.It leaped out of the surface of the water and zipped into the sky, flying past mountains and clouds before it escaped the gigantic magical circle of the Imperial Mausoleum. With another violent convulsion, it picked up its pace and disappeared into thin air.So gone the dark shadow from the depths of the water.Tens of thousands of miles away,In a valley shielded from sunlight, was a group of silent men. Huddled together in utter reticence and a gloom completely devoid of any radiance from the Sun, a glimmer of light suddenly burst into life; not of warm orange-crimson, but a purple-black glow from an oil lamp. The morbid flame flickered gently, revealing the advent of a dark shadow that turned into a black-colored eye looking so ghoulishly foul as if its gaze could penetrate all things and all men alike.The silent crowd stared at the lamp and its flame before their gazes fell upon the eye.Immediately, the group fell on their knees reverently, prostrating themselves with utmost deference.Their expressions conveyed the very same message: these were devotees witnessing their own God.A peal of black ravens tore out of the dark valley. The birds scattered; some flew towards the prairies of the great Kingdom of Yan and the ancient realm of Nanzhou and Dongyue, while some other flapped their wings frantically towards the mythic domains of Qingqiu and the Demon World. A great portion of the rest, however, flew towards the capital of the Tang Empire, Luo Yang.The black ravens flew as quick as they could, with speeds comparable to common birds at first until they began to pick up more speed, rivaling even the supersonic sword of Mount Shu.The ravens arrived at Luoyang at just two-hours of flight, a mere fraction of the time that ordinary pigeons needed to cover such distances. One of them flew into the General's Residence, and dove straight for the chambers of the second lady of the household, Xiao Huating's room, and was caught by the lady herself.The raven looked at Xiao Huating, then nipped gently at the center of her palm before disappearing in a burst of black fumes that left only a little strip of message in her hand.Xiao Huating's eyes went wide as she read the message. She stood up instantly, not being able to hide the excitement throbbing in her eyes. "It finally appeared... It finally appeared..." She repeated to herself profusely, "At long last, I can finally leave this god-forsaken place and this accursed city!""Servant!" She called loudly.A servant stepped into her chamber, heads bowed, and came to her, awaiting her orders."Get the carriage ready, I'm paying a visit to the Second Prince."The servant turned. But he barely took a few steps when Xiao Huating stopped him. "Wait. I'll go with you directly."Before long, a carriage, bearing the mark of the Residence of the General of the Imperial Armies, stormed down the cobblestones of Yong'an Street, with a series of rapid cracks of a whip in its wake, reaching the Residence of the Second Prince in less than a quarter of an hour.Such are the privileges accorded to Xiao Huating, master of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies and the commander of the 200,000-strong army of the Ye Clan, that even a Prince of the Empire would do well to please her.In no time, the Li Chunyu, the Second Prince of the Empire walked out of the inner chambers to greet her."Xiao Huating at your service, Your Highness," Xiao Huating greeted him courteously."There's no need for such formalities, Madam Xiao. Please make yourself at home. All things considered, especially my rapport with General Ye, you are definitely my senior. It is I who owes you respect," said the Prince who quickly held her, stopping her from bowing down to him."So, what brings you here today, and how can I help you, Madam Xiao? If it's about Yunhai, please don't worry. I've made arrangements with the Ministry of War; I expect their reply to be quick. The Ministry might be hardpressed to make him a Captain General, but I'm sure a Lieutenant General should not be problem. The respect and admiration to the late General Ye himself is enough to convince the Imperial Court to reconsider."The Prince smiled as he spoke. He was under the impression that Xiao Huating was here to lobby for a grand future for her son; the rank of a lowly field officer was indeed a tad to low for a scion of such pedigree.While Ye Zhengru might want to train his heir by wanting the young scion to climb up the ranks for his own good, the old General was no more. The current assigned rank for the young heir of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies was but in fact a blatant humiliation."That's not the reason I'm here today, Your Highness. I have information for you." Xiao Huating revealed calmly."Information?" Li Chunyu blurted, slightly surprised."Yes. A piece of news that's of extreme significance to you," Xiao Huating added, shrugging gently before she continued, "It could affect your future.""Then, pray enlighten me, Madam."Li Chunyu would have dismissed such information as nonsence and have the person driven out of his residence if it was anyone else but Xiao Huating. But there was but only one issue that could matter with the Second Prince of the great Tang Empire: the throne of the Emperor. There was no other route for him in his future; he would either ascend to the throne, or certain death awaited him, there was no other way.However, this was the master of the General's Residence speaking; she who commanded a 200, 000-strong army. Despite being female in an age where patriarchy prevailed, her words bore so much weight that not only Li Chunyu must heed intently, he must do so with every shred of focus he could muster.Xiao Huating looked at Li Chunyu, and her eyes wandered to the map of the Empire hanging on the wall.There were but only so many people who possessed the skill to draw a map with so much detail across the entire Tang Empire.She walked to the map slowly, and rested her finger on the site of the capital at the center of the Empire's domain, before her finger traced all the way to the North, stopping on the grassland realm of the great Kingdom of Yan."I've been informed that the Kingdom of Yan had just dispatched a force of 150,000 riders heading South today. I expect them to begin the assault on You Prefecture tomorrow at dawn, followed by the prefectures of Liang and Qing. Winter is upon us and the wolves from the North are here to forage for supplies to weather the frost," said Xiao Huating casually as her finger retraced back down South."A 150,000-strong calvary?" Li Chunyu stammered in disbelief, leaping to his feet immediately.Xiao Huating nodded."May I know the source of this information, Madam? Is it reliable?" Li Chunyu asked, his brows creased into a distressed frown."You do not need to trouble yourself with such details, Your Highness. Rest assured that my information is accurate; a invasion is at hand," Xiao Huating paused and continued, "This may seem to be a crisis, but it's also an opportunity; one that allows you to contribute to your nation and allow you to stand out."Her fingers tapped gently onto the map as she casually voiced her plan, "The Crown Prince is superior than you in all aspects but one: military valor. The Tang Empire was established on the basis of a strong military force; hence valor has always been a quality heavily valued in the Imperial Court. What would the Emperor think if you, dear Prince, are the one who thwarted this incoming invasion, Your Highness? What would the rest of the Imperial Court think of you? What would your people think of you?""Who else would best be the future ruler of the Tang Empire, than the Prince who has the respect of the Imperial Armies and the fear of the Empire's enemies?""With your permission, dear Prince, the armies of the Ye Clan is at your service, Your Highness.""Why?""For the greatness of the Ye Clan.""I, Xiao Huating, am willing to do what I can to ensure your triumph, Your Highness."
