Chapter 912: An Ominous Premonition

Zong!

In the quiet night, within the Nan Zhao imperial palace, the melodious sound of the zither rang out again.

Although it was late at night, the people of Nan Zhao's imperial city gathered in small groups, sitting comfortably and listening to the zither music. Even the children were well-behaved, for the sound was truly enchanting.

In the pavilion, Ye Chen awoke.

After a few seconds, he shook his head and walked silently to the bed, gazing quietly into the distance.

For some reason, he had a bad premonition.

As a cultivator at his level, such feelings were almost always accurate, as they were hints from the heavens.

"Nine days have passed. That immortal, Li Xiao, should have arrived in Nan Chu by now." Nearby, Liu Ruyan smiled lightly as she plucked the zither strings.

"You're just pretending to mention Li Xiao; what you really want is to remind me about the time!" Ye Chen chuckled, found a comfortable spot to sit, and pulled out his wine flask. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I'll take you to cultivate immortality tomorrow."

"I'm just afraid you'll forget." Liu Ruyan giggled, a bit playfully.

Ye Chen said nothing and continued drinking quietly, occasionally glancing out the window. That ominous feeling was growing stronger.

The night remained as peaceful as ever.

The people in the imperial city listened to the zither and drifted into sleep, including Ye Chen. Unlike the ordinary mortals, each time he slept, it turned into a nightmare.

At some point, the sky above the Nan Zhao imperial palace turned pitch black.

Looking into the distance, an invisible black curtain had obscured the stars, and the air was filled with a bloody scent. Though it was a gentle breeze, it felt piercingly cold.

On the vast land, Li Xiao carried the Ba Long Dao on his back and sped forward on a rainbow light.

Before long, a massive city gate appeared before him, with three bold characters engraved on it: Nan Tian Men.

He had arrived at last!

Li Xiao wiped the sweat from his face fiercely and picked up his speed.

After a few minutes, he dispelled the rainbow light and landed beneath Nan Tian Men.

"Halt!"

Immediately, a stern voice shouted from the city wall.

Looking up, there was a young man in armor, full of vigor and with sharp features. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Shi Yan, one of the original nine great true disciples of Heng Yue Zong's inner sect.

"Dao friend, I'm here to find someone." Li Xiao wiped his sweat and called up.

"Another one claiming to look for someone," Shi Yan said coldly. "Everyone who comes says that. Does Nan Chu have that many relatives in Bei Chu?"

"I really am here to find someone." Li Xiao pulled a long scroll from his robes, unrolled it—it was incredibly lengthy—and cleared his throat before starting to read. "Chu Ling'er, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen, Zhong Jiang, Chu Cang Zong, Zhuge Yu, Zhong Li, Hong Chen Xue, Yang Ding Tian, Xiao Feng, Ji Ning Shuang, Dan Chen, Zhou Ao, Xu Fu, Dao Xuan, Pang Da Chuan, Shangguan Xuan Zong, Situ Long Shan, Xie Yun..."

"Stop!" Shi Yan shouted sharply, standing on the city wall and eyeing Li Xiao up and down. "Are all these your relatives?"

"Not exactly." Li Xiao shook his head. "The person who sent me said that any one of them would do."

"Sent by whom?"

"The owner of this blade." Li Xiao unslung the Ba Long Dao from his back and held it up with both hands, hoping Shi Yan could see it clearly.

"Ba Long Dao." Shi Yan recognized it at a glance and leaped down from the wall with a thud, landing in front of Li Xiao. His eyes sharpened as he stared at him. "Tell me, where is the owner of this blade?"

"Who are you? State your name. If you're not the one the senior mentioned, I won't say." Li Xiao stepped back, clutching the Ba Long Dao.

"Shi Yan."

"Shi Yan, huh? Let me check." Li Xiao quickly grabbed the scroll and scanned the dense list of names.

"Check your sister!" Shi Yan said fiercely, slapping Li Xiao down with one hand, then picking him up and striding into Nan Tian Men. He flew straight toward Heng Yue Zong.

Soon, the higher-ups of Heng Yue Zong, Zheng Yang Zong, Qing Yun Zong, the various great families, and the entire Tian Ting were all alerted.

In the vast Heng Yue Zong grand hall, which spanned over a thousand zhang, Li Xiao was surrounded in the center.

"I'm really here to find someone." Seeing everyone staring at him, Li Xiao was so scared he started crying, his voice trembling. Any one of these people could slap him to death hundreds of times over. He suddenly felt like he had stumbled into a den of thieves.

"I'm Chu Ling'er. Where is the owner of this blade?" Chu Ling'er stepped forward immediately, staring at him intently.

"The mortal realm, Nan Zhao."

In the morning, Liu Ruyan stretched lazily and stepped out of her boudoir.

Today, she had deliberately changed into a clean white robe, and every strand of her hair was neatly combed, flowing like waves. She looked radiant, her beautiful eyes filled with joy.

Today was a day worth commemorating, for Ye Chen was going to take her to cultivate immortality. It was her last day as a mortal.

As usual, she went to the pavilion where Ye Chen stayed.

But as she reached for the door, she instinctively turned to look at the distant horizon.

There, dark clouds billowed like a churning ocean, with flashes of lightning and thunder.

More importantly, an immense pressure made it hard for her to breathe. Even from afar, she could faintly smell the scent of blood in the air, along with a chilling killing intent.

What... what is happening?

The people of Nan Zhao's imperial city were also stirred. Many couldn't withstand the pressure and knelt on the ground, their faces filled with terror as they stared at the sky, as if the end of the world had come.

Liu Ruyan suddenly pushed open the door and, without thinking, began playing the plain zither placed inside.

The melodious zither music started immediately, but even the most beautiful tune couldn't drown out the rolling thunder.

Soon, the sleeping Ye Chen opened his eyes.

In an instant, he sprang up and stepped to the bed, narrowing his eyes at the distant sky. His face turned extremely grim. Even from tens of thousands of zhang away, he seemed to see the vast black tide of people.

How careless I was!

Ye Chen clenched his fists, realizing where the problem lay—it was with the two state preceptors of Tu Nu Guo.

"Are those people here for you?" Liu Ruyan asked hurriedly as she kept playing the zither.

"Don't stop the music." Ye Chen appeared at her side in an instant, forming a cloud for her to sit on, then carried her out of the pavilion, shooting toward the outside of the imperial palace like a streak of light.

"It's enemies, isn't it?" On the cloud, seeing Ye Chen's grave expression, Liu Ruyan's face paled. This was the first time she had seen him look like this since they met.

"No matter what, don't stop the music." Ye Chen's response was firm and resolute.

"I understand." Liu Ruyan took a deep breath, her expression determined. She knew that only Ye Chen could save Nan Zhao, and only her music could keep him clear-headed.

Thus, the fate of Nan Zhao's people rested on both of them—they were indispensable.

In this moment of crisis, Liu Ruyan smiled softly, a touch of tenderness on her lips. Looking at Ye Chen, she felt no fear at all. To fight alongside you like this—it's wonderful.

Ye Chen didn't understand her thoughts; he had already dashed out of the imperial city.

Though he couldn't fly, his speed was still incredibly fast, like a golden divine light streaking into a mountain range. He knew those people were after him, so he couldn't let the flames of war spread to the mortals.

Whoosh!

With a rush of wind, he plunged into a stretch of endless mountains.