Chapter 733
It's the darkest place under the lamp, isn't it?
Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the illusion array, with imperial troops standing in formation and martial arts masters crowding the mountains and fields.
With a large number of people and their opinions, they had already come up with a preliminary solution to break the deadlock and had begun to take action. However, just as they started to act, a sudden change occurred in the distance. Smoke and dust billowed into the sky and swept in. Before people could understand what was going on, another unexpected twist occurred.
From the direction of Yucheng, someone rushed over, drenched in sweat, as if he had exerted all his strength to get there. His face was solemn and horrified, and he cried out in alarm to convey the latest major event that had occurred in Yucheng.
If you look closely, the person's shocked and solemn expression is genuine, but his words and expressions subtly reveal a hint of schadenfreude and excitement, clearly suggesting that he is someone who enjoys watching the drama unfold while ignoring the fact that it doesn't concern him.
This mentality is wrong, but it's quite normal. No matter how big the problem is, as long as it doesn't happen to you, everyone has the potential to become a bystander.
As his scream fell, it was like a thunderclap. The once bustling and chaotic illusion array fell silent. Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound. Even the soldiers operating the catapults forgot what they were doing.
The news came so suddenly and was so terrifying. Moreover, the person who delivered the message had a loud voice and was quite skilled. He shouted with all his might that almost every word reached everyone's ears.
In recent years, a large number of women have been involved in this incident, and the situation is only getting worse. People have gathered here because of this issue. How dare those who commit such despicable acts, or those who are powerful, take such risks and defy the world at this critical juncture?
What audacity or confidence they must have! Don't they know that the imperial court and the martial arts world are investigating and arresting them? They still dare to do such a thing. It's clear that they don't respect anyone in the world. It's a blatant provocation and mockery, a slap in the face to everyone!
He said that not long ago, around the same time, hundreds of well-known women in Jade City were kidnapped and disappeared. What arrogance and organizational ability! The key is that they obviously succeeded!
People didn't have time to find out what kind of women had been kidnapped. When they heard the name Qin Ruyu, no one could remain calm. They were all terrified, and some even trembled.
Who is Qin Ruyu? Perhaps not many people know about her, but those who do know her understand how special her identity is.
That's the only granddaughter of Prime Minister Qin Yan. She is showered with love and affection. Not to mention Yucheng, even in the entire Yuhua Kingdom, her status is among the top. To exaggerate a bit, there are very few who can compare to her.
Perhaps she was just a weak woman, but the key was her family background. It's no exaggeration to say that if she stomped her foot, the entire Yuhua Kingdom would be shaken up.
Her grandfather, Qin Yan, was the Prime Minister of Yuhua Kingdom, second only to the emperor. He was a powerful prime minister who practically controlled the entire court. Even if the emperor of Yuhua Kingdom wanted to issue any decree or implement any policy, it had to be approved by him before it could be carried out. He himself had been a Grandmaster for decades. If it weren't for the fact that there was also a Grand Princess, Song Yuzhi, who was also a Grandmaster, who could rival him, it would be hard to say what the country's name would be.
Even the Grand Princess has moved away from the central government to oversee Yucheng, the secondary capital, clearly to avoid its sharp edge!
Now, his most beloved granddaughter, Qin Ruyu, has been kidnapped and disappeared. The circumstances are unknown. This is terrible. It's no exaggeration to say that the sky has fallen.
Who knows what terrible consequences might arise if things go wrong? It is said that when the emperor is angry, millions will die. If Qin Yan goes crazy because of this, it will be even more outrageous!
So much so that when they heard the news, especially the court officials who were sent here, they were almost terrified. Qin Ruyu had an accident in Yucheng. If she was blamed, countless people would be in trouble. If she was alright, that would be fine, but if something really happened, even the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi would not know how to explain it to the other party.
The one who reacted most strongly was Sun Qingzhu. Qin Ruyu was her childhood sweetheart, closer than sisters. Upon hearing the news, her face turned pale and she was momentarily dazed, almost losing her balance.
She had just left Qin Ruyu's place, how could something like this have happened so soon? If she had stayed longer or hadn't come here at all, would her sister have been safe?
My younger sister was already suffering from illness and had a tragic fate; if she fell into the hands of evil people...
Sun Qingzhu didn't dare to think any further. A surge of emotions, including tension, self-blame, regret, and worry, welled up in her heart, followed by panic and rage!
She suppressed her turbulent emotions and forced herself to calm down. Pale-faced, she vanished from her spot in a flash, appearing before the person who spread the news with lightning speed. Grabbing him by the collar, she demanded in a cold, trembling voice, her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent: "What did you say? Explain yourself! If you're spreading rumors, you'll regret ever being born!"
He rushed over and hadn't even caught his breath when suddenly he was lifted up. Facing Sun Qingzhu, who was right in front of him, he had no heart to admire her stunningly beautiful face. He only felt a chill run through his body, as if his great-grandmother was beckoning to him.
"I...I...I said, not long ago, hundreds of famous and beautiful women in Jade City were abducted and disappeared..." he stammered, his mind blank, not even knowing what he was saying, and he was almost scared to death.
Sun Qingzhu gave him a very dangerous feeling. The difference in their cultivation levels was too great, and that terrifying aura was like a prehistoric beast ready to devour its prey.
Sun Qingzhu, her gaze sharp as a knife, interrupted in a deep voice: "Stop talking nonsense. What did you say about Sister Yu'er? It's Qin Ruyu. If she dares to lie even a little, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"...Please calm down, heroine. I didn't know. It wasn't me. The whole of Jade City is buzzing with the news. Miss Qin Ruyu was kidnapped at her residence. The guards fought with the kidnappers but couldn't stop them, and now they've disappeared. There were hundreds of other women kidnapped around the same time, but I don't know the exact number. The whole of Jade City is in chaos. All the constables, yamen runners, and even the city guards have been mobilized to search for and capture the kidnappers. Even Her Highness the Grand Princess is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation to capture the culprit. She even...she personally went out of the palace to search everywhere. I rushed here as soon as I received the news. Jade City should be under lockdown by now."
The man being held by Sun Qingzhu was terrified. He blurted out everything he knew at lightning speed, faster than he could think, for fear that if he was too slow, he would be beheaded.
Although what he said didn't contain much valuable information, Sun Qingzhu was certain of one thing: Qin Ruyu was really in trouble. Her figure swayed again.
At this moment, she couldn't care less about anything else. She abandoned the person and sped towards Yucheng, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Sister Yu'er will be alright. I'm here to save you. No matter who it is, anyone who dares to hurt Sister Yu'er..."
It has to be said that her relationship with Qin Ruyu was really good. She was even more flustered than when she was in a crisis. However, she was still a master with innate cultivation and had been taught by a master at the Grandmaster level for many years, so she did not completely lose her mind and take her anger out on the innocent.
All of this happened so fast that people were still somewhat dazed when she left to rush back to Jade City to find out what was going on, and then an uproar ensued. Before the person Sun Qingzhu had thrown aside could even stand up, a large group of people surrounded her, chattering and asking what had happened, even temporarily setting aside the illusion array in front of them.
However, not many people knew the news. He had only come here to join in the fun, and only learned about the big event in Jade City after leaving the city. He rushed over because he wanted to show off, otherwise who would recognize him? If he had been any later, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave the city.
No matter how much you ask him, you won't get much information. He just keeps rambling on and on, making people dizzy. He's gotten noticed, but it's not what he expected.
Soon, as everyone learned what had happened, people, with various thoughts in mind, partly headed towards Jade City, partly rushed to the distant place where smoke and dust billowed, and the rest remained where they were, undecided, probably intending to fight the illusion to the death and not wanting to give up halfway, or perhaps this place would become their breakthrough point...
"Uncle-Master, what should we do next?" the girl in white asked Liu Yuehong, somewhat at a loss.
At this point, most of the people around them had disappeared. Logically, given that such a big thing had happened in Yucheng, they should have gone to check on the situation. However, since they had already made progress here, they were reluctant to give up.
Having seen many storms, Liu Yuehong remained relatively calm. She had been injured and pale from entering the illusion array several times before, but it did not significantly affect her strength.
At this moment, her brows furrowed. She glanced in the direction of Jade City, then at the illusion array before her, and finally looked towards the distant, billowing dust. Her mind raced as she pondered, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. She exclaimed, "We came here because a man named Liu Yuyuan revealed clues about a missing woman's case. They arrived here first today, but they haven't found her alive or dead. And now, something major has happened in Jade City, with dust billowing into the distance. It's hard to say there's no connection between these things."
At this point, Liu Yuehong immediately made a plan and continued to ponder, "It's probably going to be difficult for us to break through the illusion array and continue forward in a short time. Jade City is already sealed off, and if we go in, we probably won't be able to get out for a while. So why don't we go and take a look at the place where the smoke and dust are rising? Even if we don't find anything, we can always come back here."
"Yes, I'll listen to my martial uncle," the girl in white nodded. She was young and lacked experience in the martial world, so she was unsure of what to do in the current situation. Fortunately, she had an elder she could rely on.
Now, Liu Yuehong hesitated. A series of unforeseen events were unfolding rapidly. She gritted her teeth and said, "Jade City is under lockdown. If we send Xue'er back now, we'll probably lose contact. We don't know what happened at that place with the billowing dust; that kind of situation is definitely not trivial. But I'm also worried about leaving you here alone. It's a dangerous place, especially after what happened in Jade City. Come with me; we can look out for each other. If it gets too dangerous, I'll take you away from trouble. Your junior sister's accident is still unsolved; I can't let anything else happen to you. Otherwise, how can I explain it to the sect leader and senior brothers? Come with me."
After thinking it over, Liu Yuehong led the girl in white and rushed towards the place where the smoke and dust were rising. The place was too conspicuous to go the wrong way. With her mid-level innate cultivation, even with a girl in white with her, it wouldn't take too long.
Many others, like them, were heading there, using their lightness skills to traverse mountains and valleys.
As expected, plans can't keep up with changes. The more than 10,000 people who gathered in half a day suddenly split into three groups. Most of them returned to Yucheng, where the situation was the most sensational. Of the remaining half, most stayed behind, unwilling to give up.
On the contrary, the commotion caused by Chen Xuan guided people, and the fewest people went, but those who did go were all top-notch, including some formidable figures sent by the imperial court.
At the top of the tree, Chen Xuan stood as if weightless, looking towards the entrance. With his eyesight, he could vaguely see the crowd gathering there even from hundreds of miles away.
He had only been out of the underground for a moment, and after observing for a while, he raised his eyebrows slightly. He saw that for some reason, half of the people there had turned back and rushed towards Yucheng. What had happened?
He didn't dwell on it for the time being, noticing that quite a few people were already heading this way, proving that his efforts hadn't been in vain. Once people came here and learned about the situation, it would naturally attract more people, and he wouldn't need to worry about the rest.
Just as his mind was racing, he suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of Jade City, wondering what was going on there.
In his perception, a torrential aura erupted there. Although it was brief, he still keenly sensed it. It was undoubtedly the aura of a Grandmaster, icy cold, as if it would freeze the heavens and earth. That aura carried endless killing intent and anger.
'That aura must be Princess Song Yuzhi, the eldest princess of Yuhua Kingdom. Who has offended her? At the Grandmaster level, she shouldn't have emotional fluctuations so easily. Yet she can't even conceal her aura. Something serious must have happened,' Chen Xuan thought to himself as he noticed the brief fluctuation in aura.
Anyway, it wasn't his fault, so he didn't pay much attention. Maybe she was on her period, since she was a widow and her husband had died before they even had a chance to consummate their marriage.
Chen Xuan then carefully sensed that direction again before withdrawing his gaze. Whatever happened in Yucheng that caused that person's anger was irrelevant to him; he would find out later.
Even with this situation, he still didn't plan to return to Yucheng. Anyway, his wife and the others were safe, he could guarantee that. He had left a backup plan. If things really came to a critical moment, Xia Mei and the others would definitely use the methods he left behind, and he would be able to sense it immediately. If they didn't use them, then everything would be fine.
Sensing that someone was rapidly approaching, Chen Xuan glanced at the crater he had created beside him, then lightly descended back underground. He muttered to himself, "Trying to play dumb with me? If it weren't for the barely perceptible aftershock caused by my earlier palm strike that pierced the top, I might have actually fooled you. Although the outcome would most likely have been the same anyway, it saved me a lot of trouble."
In the vast, open underground space, Liu Yuyuan and his group had calmed down a bit and were now gathering the guards who had been subdued by Chen Xuan.
While they were busy with their tasks, they saw Chen Xuan return. Confused and without asking if he had anything to say, they saw Chen Xuan nod to them in greeting, and then gently lift his foot to step on the ground.
The next moment, just as he had pierced through the top before, the ground trembled almost imperceptibly, then collapsed to reveal a bottomless cave... (End of Chapter)