Tonight brought no snow.
Across the boundless, pitch-black snowfields, bonfires dotted the unbroken expanse of white military tents like fallen stars, their drifting heat and radiant glow warming everything around them.
In the Land of Utter Darkness, day and night did not exist, yet the soldiers still needed ample rest to preserve their fighting strength.
The specially crafted snow-warding tents were tightly sealed, shutting out the piercing cold of the Land of Utter Darkness. Across the vast encampment, silence reigned, broken only by the crunch of night patrols treading on snow and the faint murmur of their quiet conversations.
Suddenly,
the quiet beneath the firmament was shattered by a streak of light ripping through the air.
The sonic boom caused by its passage echoed far along the distant horizon, but as it neared the Beifeng main camp, the light gradually decelerated, ultimately coming to a silent halt above the tents.
The newcomer was middle-aged, clad in the purple robes of a grain transport official, his unshielded aura immensely profound.
A Grandmaster.
The response within the Beifeng main camp was swift. In almost an instant, two experts with even more unfathomable auras took to the air, barring his path.
A man and a woman.
The man wore fine brocade robes, possessed an aquiline nose, and held a rather gloomy gaze.
The woman had ordinary features, yet her intricate, off-the-shoulder palace gown swayed with an unmistakable allure.
Two experts of the Origin Realm.
Yet even with cultivation in the Origin Realm, the hook-nosed man remained quite polite before this visitor, cupping his hands in a formal bow.
"Grain Officer Qian."
Grain Officer Qian chuckled, returning the bow. "Mr. Liu, Lady Wang. I have urgent matters to report to the Marquis."
As the rare few among the army's top cultivation ranks, though they might not be close friends in private, having marched north for several months meant they at least knew one another's names.
On the other side, the woman glanced at Grain Officer Qian, hesitating slightly. "If this concubine recalls correctly, the supplies for this ten-day period were already delivered by Your Excellency three days ago. The next delivery should still be some days away. What could bring Your Excellency here in person?"
Because the Barbarian main forces had fully deployed elsewhere, leaving the Barbarian Sacred City utterly hollow, when it fell, the vast stores of supplies within had not yet been destroyed.
Setting aside the Barbarians' unconscionable stockpiles of flesh and blood, there were mountains of various grain and fodder stored for the winter.
This became the foundation for Marquis Wucheng to lead his army farther north to weed out the root causes, while the Barbarian Sacred City served directly as a logistics transit station where vast amounts of supplies were kept.
While the main force traveled light on a thousand-li raid, grain and fodder were continually transported to the front lines by high-ranking grain officers via Sumeru rings.
Grain Officer Qian cast a distant glance back south, a flicker of lingering dread in his eyes. "This concerns Her Highness. I had no choice but to come."
"Her Highness?"
The two Origin Realm experts exchanged glances, a trace of confusion in both their eyes.
In the world today, many could be addressed as "Her Highness," but in this context, the only person Grain Officer Qian could be referring to was Princess Wuyuan.
The trouble was, shouldn't Princess Wuyuan currently be within the borders of Great Yan, tangled with the Barbarian main army?
Their gazes fell upon Grain Officer Qian in his purple official robes, waiting for what he would say next.
Yet Grain Officer Qian showed no intention of explaining, merely smiling at them.
After meeting his eyes for an instant, the hook-nosed man roughly understood his meaning.
Origin Realm experts had indeed stepped into the true noble class of the Great Yan Dynasty, but certain matters did not depend solely on cultivation.
Cultivation was a symbol of status, but some forms of status were beyond the reach of cultivation alone.
They were not qualified.
*Hoo.*
Breathing out a puff of white mist, a faint sigh showed in the hook-nosed man's sunken eye sockets. He stepped aside with a bow. "In that case, Grain Officer Qian, please proceed. The Marquis should be reading in the main tent at this hour."
With those words, the three fell silent and flew together toward the center of the camp.
However, upon arriving outside the commander's tent, neither the hook-nosed man nor the woman in the palace dress intended to enter.
With the army primed for battle, as the two experts on duty accompanying the troops, they had to ceaselessly patrol the camp's perimeter against any surprise barbarian attacks.
Although the Barbarians were no longer a cohesive threat, nothing was trivial in military matters.
Years ago, Her Highness Wuyuan had led a thousand Soul Condensation elites to raid a Barbarian tribe tens of thousands strong and routed them in the Great Victory of Mount Jiulong.
A single careless ambush could trigger camp panic, sparking a chain reaction of total collapse.
"......"
Standing outside the commander's tent, Grain Officer Qian waited until the two Origin Realm experts disappeared from view before slowly retracting his gaze. Straightening his official robes, he bowed solemnly.
"Qian Yushu requests an audience with the Marquis on urgent business."
The commander's tent was massive and imposing, yet unguarded by a single soldier.
To Marquis Wucheng, sentries at the door were essentially ornamental, a mere vanity project.
Since they were unnecessary, they were done away with.
A few breaths after his voice fell, a somewhat aged voice drifted out, steady and calm:
"Come in."
Grain Officer Qian straightened his robes once more, pulled back the tent flap, and stepped slowly inside.
Because they were in the middle of a raid, the furnishings inside the commander's tent were minimalist.
There were no elaborate sand tables or tactical maps—only a simple marching map spread flat over a round table in the center.
A closer look showed markings and annotations detailing military intelligence, all indicating recently scouted Barbarian hiding spots and approximate numbers.
Apart from this, the only other piece of furniture in the tent was a low-legged banquet table carved with coiling dragons at the far end.
This was an item bestowed upon Marquis Wucheng by the Emperor decades ago; he had used it ever since and brought it along on every campaign.
Not daring to raise his eyes to look at the armored old man sitting cross-legged behind the banquet table, Grain Officer Qian kept his eyes downcast as he walked up to him, bowing deeply to the floor. Without wasting any words, he spoke plainly and concisely:
"Marquis, Her Highness Wuyuan arrived at the Barbarian Sacred City four days ago."
"Qingyan... came to the Land of Utter Darkness?"
A murmur drifted over, followed by the rustling of a scroll being set down on the desk. Marquis Wucheng's slightly aged voice carried a note of contemplation.
"Does this have anything to do with the Source Qi tremors that came from underground ten days ago?"
Grain Officer Qian hesitated slightly before answering, "This subordinate does not know, but arriving alongside Her Highness was the Barbarian King, who had attained Sainthood..."
Before his words had even finished falling,
the air inside the tent abruptly turned murderous. The bright-pattern lamps flickered uncertainly.
Seeing this, Grain Officer Qian quickly hurried his words, not daring to draw out suspense:
"...but he has already been slain by Her Highness using a military array. It is just that Her Highness seems heavily wounded, and the three battalions stationed within the Barbarian Sacred City have lost all combat capability."
The bright-pattern lamps stabilized. Marquis Wucheng did not reply immediately; only the tapping of his fingertips against the desk echoed through the tent.
*Tap, tap... tap...*
After several breaths,
Marquis Wucheng's voice carried a hint of disbelief:
"You are saying that Qingyan slew a Saint with a military array of merely ten thousand?"
"Yes."
"......"
For a time, dead silence filled the main tent.
After a long pause.
"Well done..."
Marquis Wucheng seemed to have finally digested this information. His breath carried a faint chuckle, vigorous and deep:
"Well done, well done indeed! That girl Qingyan is truly remarkable! With the Barbarian King eliminated, the rest are nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs.
"It seems our soldiers can head back early."
With that, Marquis Wucheng paused, his tone softening considerably:
"Which means you have come this time to request reinforcements?"
The reason he had left half a division of the Beifeng Army at the Barbarian Sacred City was that it held massive stockpiles of supplies; if it fell, the nearly hundred thousand Beifeng troops deep in enemy territory would be cut off from their provisions.
An army of a hundred thousand running out of food ten thousand li outside Great Yan, in the Land of Utter Darkness...
Grain Officer Qian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied:
"That is only one reason. Aside from that, there is another matter requiring Your Lordship's decision."
"Oh? Speak."
"Her Highness brought back a Transcendent Realm expert capable of matching a Saint. The Barbarian King was slain by Her Highness alongside that Transcendent expert, and furthermore..."
At this point, Grain Officer Qian suddenly realized he could say no more.
Her Highness's private affairs were not something subordinates could gossip about, let alone before the Marquis, who had watched Her Highness grow up.
Surprisingly, Marquis Wucheng's voice held no anger; instead, he picked up where Qian had left off:
"...and furthermore, this Transcendent shares an intimate relationship with Qingyan?"
Grain Officer Qian inwardly cursed himself for having a loose tongue, but at this point, he could only brace himself and answer:
"...Yes. That Transcendent used Her Highness's personal belongings."
"No need to be nervous."
Marquis Wucheng's voice was placid and thoughtful. "Given Qingyan's temperament, since she agreed to the Emperor's betrothal with that old scoundrel's third son, she is unlikely to break her word."
Hearing this, Grain Officer Qian unconsciously raised his eyes to glance at Marquis Wucheng behind the desk, only to find not the slightest anger on his wrinkled face—only a flicker of curiosity.
Noticing Qian Yushu's gaze, Marquis Wucheng let out a soft exhale.
"Hearing you say this, Yushu, this Marquis has grown quite curious about that Transcendent."
With that,
Marquis Wucheng pondered briefly before slowly rising from the prayer mat behind the low coiling-dragon table. Infusing his voice with Source Qi, his command echoed outward:
"Mu Ziqing, pass down my military order: have the First Martial Battalion and Xuanji Battalion stoke the cookfires and prepare rations. They will accompany me south to the Sacred City immediately."
***
In the Barbarian Sacred City, the wing room was silent.
"Sigh..."
A soft lament.
Sitting upon an extraordinarily wide stone bed, Xu Yuan stared down blankly at his hands.
Clench, open, clench, open.
Feeling the limp weakness that pervaded his entire body, he let out another long sigh.
His *power* was gone...
Though he had been mentally prepared, after experiencing the sheer might of the Transcendent Realm, falling back into the frailty of the Soul Condensation Realm left him somewhat despondent.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, Li Qingyan's voice drifted faintly from the other side of the room. "It's been an hour, and you haven't stopped sighing. If you have that much free time, spend it stabilizing your cultivation realm."
Xu Yuan smacked his lips and instinctively turned toward the sound, but all he met was pitch-black darkness.
His senses, once sharp enough to catch every minute detail, could now not even discern her outline unless he circulated his cultivation art.
"Sigh..."
He let out another mournful sigh.
Losing the Transcendent physique and returning to Soul Condensation made him yearn intensely for that near-unrivaled power he had once wielded.
It was easy to go from thrift to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to thrift.
At the very least,
they could have let him keep it until he got back to the capital and beat up Xu Changge for revenge before taking it away...
Thinking this,
"Sigh..."
"......" Li Qingyan.
In under an hour, he had sighed hundreds of times.
Even with Li Qingyan's composure, she found it hard to endure the resentment rolling off this damn man, so thick it practically overflowed.
Taking a deep breath, Li Qingyan slowly rose to her feet and walked straight toward the door.
Her lotus boots trod lightly across the floor, virtually soundless.
Only when the wooden door creaked open did Xu Yuan realize the woman beside him had left. Instinctively, he called out:
"Where are you going?"
"For some air."
Standing by the doorway, Li Qingyan looked back and huffed softly. "If I don't get out, this Palace will be suffocated to death by a certain someone's resentment."
"......"
Hearing this, a wisp of blood-red flame flared in Xu Yuan's eyes. Taking in his surroundings, he slowly rose as well.
"I'll come with you."
"If you sigh again to annoy this Palace, don't blame me for being discourteous."
Under her fierce glare, Xu Yuan was forced to pull himself together and sort through his sullen mood.
And soon, making the best of a bad situation, he discovered his body was vastly stronger than before.
Viewed through the eyes of a Soul Condensation expert, that is.
The reserves of Source Qi in his body had increased by nearly half, and his foundation was solidly anchored. If numerical stats existed in this world, he was at least twice as strong as he used to be.
Moreover, he could still utilize the spiritual vision of his half-aberrant ghost physique.
It was just that the drain was immense; at his current cultivation level, he could not maintain it for long.
If he were to face a fourth-rank Body Integration cultivator of the military array path again now, he was virtually guaranteed not to lose, and against someone on the Way of Qi, he might even stand a fighting chance.
As he pondered this, Xu Yuan's mood improved slightly. He stepped slowly to Li Qingyan's side and said softly:
"Let's go."
Li Qingyan pursed her lips. Looking at his face, which was no longer etched with aberrant patterns, she suddenly offered gentle comfort in a low voice:
"Actually, Changtian, with your talent, reaching the Transcendent Realm is only a matter of time. Perhaps twenty years from now..."
"Twenty years?"
"Yes, only twenty..."
"Sigh..."
"......" Li Qingyan.
Clenching her fists, Li Qingyan squeezed words through gritted teeth:
"Xu Changtian, if you dare sigh again, this Palace won't be courteous."
Xu Yuan looked at her, a hint of grief welling in his blood-colored pupils as he spoke in a low voice:
"Back in the underground palace, when I was forced to become an aberrant ghost..."
"......"
The corner of Li Qingyan's eye twitched. She raised a hand to cut him off. "Fine, fine! This Palace gets it."
Hearing that, Xu Yuan grinned:
"Alright, let's head out. It's been three days—you should probably look into military affairs. Quite a few soldiers fell when the array was deployed."
With that,
Xu Yuan raised a hand, aiming for her backside.
Li Qingyan's starlit eyes narrowed in an instant.
Xu Yuan's gaze immediately filled with wounded sorrow.
Her chest heaved slightly. With a quiet huff, she turned her eyes away.
*Smack~*
The warm, soft sensation beneath his fingertips gave Xu Yuan a measure of solace, while also reminding him of something. He asked abruptly:
"Right, Qingyan, I remember you promised me earlier..."
"We need to hurry and attend to military affairs."
Li Qingyan cut him off outright, stepping over the threshold into the courtyard and striding away without looking back.
"......"
Xu Yuan opened his mouth.
He was a fool—he had actually believed this woman's nonsense.
Stamping his foot, Xu Yuan instinctively tried to flash-step behind this wicked woman who had toyed with his feelings.
Then—
*Thump.*
A figure plunged directly into the drifts of silver snow, half a zhang deep in the courtyard.
"......"
Li Qingyan instinctively looked back, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. Then, seeming to realize what had happened, she sighed and walked over to the hole, looking down at him buried in the snow.
"With something this massive happening here, Uncle Mu could head south at any moment. Do you want to expose yourself in front of him?"
Saying this,
the corner of her lips curved slightly. Bending her slender waist, she extended a hand toward him.
"Once we leave this Barbarian Sacred City, this Palace will never go back on her word. If... you're up to the task, Changtian."
"......"
Stuck in the snow, Xu Yuan looked up at her, caught her outstretched wrist, and was hoisted up from the snowdrift with a quick yank. Brushing off the snow, he replied:
"Whether I am or not, you'll know once we try."
"Good. Then this Palace shall look forward to it."
With that, the two walked out of the courtyard side by side.
And as they reached the courtyard gate, Li Qingyan suddenly raised an eyebrow, pausing in her tracks to look up at the sky.
Xu Yuan instinctively looked up as well.
In the pitch-black view above, the headless figure that had stood aloft for days seemed to have exhausted its last bit of Source Qi, tumbling silently toward the ground...
Chapter 323