Volume Six: The Return of the Sovereign God to the Broken Continent Chapter Two: Immortality

“What happened to the Kingdom of Jingchu?” Zhuo Hua hurriedly stepped forward and asked.

“It's all gone!” Yu Changsheng raised his head, struggling to hold back his tears.

“What do you mean ‘all gone’? The Kingdom of Jingchu spans over three thousand miles with a population of a million. There are more than a hundred thousand armored soldiers. Completely wiping out Jingchu is no simple feat! Besides, your father, as the clan chief of the Yu Tribe, wields a divine artifact like the Annihilation Mirror—how could this happen…”

Before Zhuo Hua could finish, Yu Changsheng interrupted him with a roar, “Why would I lie to you? Don’t you know that the Fairy of Lanling, Not Demon, is also with the Dark Xi Army?”

Zhuo Hua was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. At that moment, Su Mengling approached and gently patted Yu Changsheng’s back to comfort him. “Don’t be sad. Everything will get better.”

Yu Changsheng glanced at Su Mengling and nodded in gratitude.

Zhuo Hua then asked, “Did Kui Mu Lang know about this?”

“Yu Heishi? I don’t know. All I know is that at the time, my father only had time to arrange for me to escape the capital. The later tragedy, I heard about it from among the refugees,” Yu Changsheng answered.

“What exactly happened?” Seeing that Yu Changsheng had calmed down somewhat, Zhuo Hua wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“A few months ago, right after the Battle of Zhu Yuan, my father ordered a nationwide martial law to prevent the Dark Xi Vanguard from launching a surprise attack on Jingchu during the chaos. At the same time, he prepared for war, reinforced the border defenses, and reached out to the major states of Central Divine Continent for support.” Yu Changsheng sat back on a large stone, placed the book he was holding into his satchel, and lowered his head as he spoke.

“Your father did nothing wrong. That was a reasonable course of action,” said Zhuo Hua.

Yu Changsheng pressed his right hand down to calm Zhuo Hua’s impatience. “But then, one night, the Fairy of Lanling appeared in my father’s palace, demanding he hand over one of the Seven Treasures of Xuanhuang—the Annihilation Mirror. Naturally, my father refused and led the palace guards to surround her.”

“You couldn’t contain her!” Zhuo Hua exclaimed.

Yu Changsheng rolled his eyes and continued, “Just as my father’s army trapped the Fairy of Lanling in the Liuxian Formation at the center of the training ground, shouts of battle erupted outside the city walls. The Sun Worship Cultists, long lying in wait within the city, began rioting—killing, setting fires, committing every atrocity imaginable. There were even their agents inside the palace. While the guards were surrounding the Fairy of Lanling, these traitors opened the palace gates and let the rioting cultists in.”

“To my knowledge, those cultists were just a rabble! Could the city defense troops and palace guards not suppress them?” Zhuo Hua asked, puzzled.

“The situation was extremely chaotic. Moreover, those who stormed the palace were all highly skilled. They quickly broke through three lines of defense and charged straight for my father. Meanwhile, the Fairy of Lanling inside the encirclement seemed to be waiting for this moment. Within five moves, she broke free from the Liuxian Formation.”

“Your father…” Zhuo Hua was about to criticize him for being careless and underestimating the enemy, but Yu Changsheng raised a hand to stop him.

“I know my father didn’t train the war formations well. But is it meaningful to blame him now?”

Zhuo Hua nodded and gestured for him to continue.

“After I escaped, I headed north. The further I went, the more refugees I encountered. Among them, I heard that the royal family of Jingchu was slaughtered completely, and the palace was set ablaze. Many common people were captured by the Sun Worship Cult,” Yu Changsheng said, tears falling once more into the muddy ground.

“I am sorry. Your father was a hero,” Zhuo Hua said, stepping in front of Yu Changsheng and placing his hands firmly on his shoulders.

Yu Changsheng shook off his hands fiercely, stood up abruptly, and shouted, “It’s all because of you, you foolish ruler! You were always distracted by trivial romantic affairs. After the Fairy of Lanling left to search for her whereabouts, you neglected state affairs every day. How could the military preparedness of the various countries have deteriorated so badly? And if you hadn’t been kidnapped by the Fairy of Lanling’s scheme, leaving the dragon leaderless, would the Four Continents have become so rotten? You don’t deserve to be the ruler of Cloud Palace, nor to be loved by the people of the world.”

The more Yu Changsheng spoke, the more agitated he became. In the end, he threw a punch straight at Zhuo Hua’s face.

With a loud crack, blood spilled from Zhuo Hua’s mouth.

“Big Brother!” Su Mengling cried out, rushing over to help wipe his face.

“Why didn’t you dodge? You… you could have dodged!” Yu Changsheng panicked, his fist still extended.

“Because what you said is true. I don’t deserve it,” Zhuo Hua paused, then said, “But now is not the time to argue over blame. The urgent matter is how to stabilize the situation and reclaim our lost lands.”

Yu Changsheng nodded, agreeing with him. “But now, something has happened to Cloud Palace. It seems cut off from the outside world. My father tried every method but received no response. As a result, the various states can only band together, but the people of the smaller countries…” He gestured toward the endless line of refugees stretching to the horizon, anguish in his voice. “If this situation can’t be stabilized, more refugees will appear. If the rulers of the Immortal Descendants cannot protect their people, they will turn to the Sun Worship Cult. The consequences…”

“Come back with me to Cloud Palace and meet your uncle,” Zhuo Hua said to Yu Changsheng.

“I won’t go,” Yu Changsheng replied stubbornly.

“Why not?” Zhuo Hua asked, confused.

“Yu Heishi is my uncle, but I’ve never met him since birth. According to my father, they haven’t been in contact for a long time. Besides, he has a bad temper. I really don’t know how to get along with him,” Yu Changsheng said anxiously, his face showing unease.

“But he’s the only family you have left in this world, isn’t he?” Su Mengling added timely. “He’ll treat you well, right? Big Brother?” She turned to Zhuo Hua for confirmation.

Zhuo Hua nodded and patted Yu Changsheng’s shoulder. “Changsheng, rest assured. Your uncle is the head of a palace. He treats his subordinates kindly. How could he be harsh to his own nephew?”

“Right! Right! Besides, there’s Big Brother too! Don’t worry. Come with us,” Su Mengling said happily, tugging Yu Changsheng’s arm and pulling him toward the carriage.

Yu Changsheng nodded, bent down to pick up his satchel and luggage, but it was too heavy to lift in one go.

Zhuo Hua reached over and grabbed the heavy satchel. “Let me carry this for you,” he said.

The three returned to the carriage. Su Mengling tidied up half of Zhuo Hua’s compartment to make room for Yu Changsheng.

As Yu Changsheng stepped inside, he exclaimed, “This carriage is really spacious! There are even two clean rooms.”

Zhuo Hua pointed to Su Mengling, busy inside, and introduced her to Yu Changsheng. “This is Miss Su of the Su Family from Moon-view City. Their fine horses and carriages are renowned across Western Qi Continent.”

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng quickly put down his luggage and bowed respectfully. “So it’s the Su Family of Moon-view, famed far and wide. My apologies for not knowing sooner.”

Su Mengling, laying out bedding, replied, “The one famous is my father, not me! I’m just a stubborn little girl,” and turned to Zhuo Hua, asking, “Isn’t that right, Big Brother?”

Zhuo Hua turned and closed the carriage door, blocking out the early spring chill, then snorted, “How could you be a stubborn little girl? You are gentle, intelligent, with a graceful and refined demeanor.”

Yu Changsheng laughed from the side. “Master Yuan, you praise her a bit too much!”

Su Mengling feigned offense and stuck her head out. “Too much? Am I not really like that?”

Yu Changsheng was about to retort when Zhuo Hua interrupted him with a question. “Changsheng, have you been carrying all these books by yourself all this way?”

Changsheng shook his head. “I had a book boy who accompanied me from South Flame Continent all the way to Tianshui City. But a few days ago, he couldn’t survive the hunger and illness. I buried him on a barren hill outside Tianshui City.” His eyes grew moist, holding back tears.

“You’ve suffered a lot on this journey, but don’t worry. These experiences will be valuable for our future lives,” Zhuo Hua comforted him.

“By the way, I noticed your aura isn’t strong. Did your father not have you practice the Xuanhuang Heart Method?” Zhuo Hua asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Master Yuan, since I was young, I have been frail and often ill. My constitution is weak, so my father and mother named me Changsheng, meaning ‘long life.’ Some masters were invited to teach me introductory heart methods, but after more than ten years, I have only reached the lowest rank of the mortal level,” Yu Changsheng said dejectedly, rearranging his books.

“How did you survive the journey then? Did you not encounter any dangers?” Su Mengling, having prepared the bedding, was now boiling water and brewing tea for him and Zhuo Hua.

Yu Changsheng took out a round, disk-shaped object from his bosom and placed it before Zhuo Hua and Su Mengling.

“Annihilation Mirror?” Zhuo Hua blurted out. “Your father brought this with you?”

Yu Changsheng nodded.

“Big Brother, what is the Annihilation Mirror? Is it powerful?” Su Mengling picked up what looked like an ordinary mirror, its copper frame intricately carved with auspicious cloud patterns, giving it an ancient and solemn appearance. On the back was a single line of script: ‘All illusions in the mirror are but illusions.’

Zhuo Hua took the mirror and explained to Su Mengling, “This mirror was brought by me and the Fairy of Lanling from the Xuanhuang Void. Among the Seven Treasures of the Immortal Descendants left by the ancient masters to the Xuanhuang Clan, besides the Wasteland Cauldron, this is one. The Annihilation Mirror can capture a person’s soul, immersing them in their own illusory dreams, unable to extricate themselves, thereby breaking the enemy’s fighting spirit.”

“Then this artifact can destroy anyone’s will?” Su Mengling asked curiously.

“In this void, there is no such thing as an invincible person or artifact. Many divine relics can counter or neutralize the Annihilation Mirror. Moreover, for beings like the Fairy of Lanling or the Dark Xi Emperor, this mirror is useless most of the time,” Zhuo Hua returned the mirror to Yu Changsheng, muttering thoughtfully to himself.