Volume Six: The God-King Returns to the Shattered Continent Chapter Twenty: The Heavenly Prison

Zhuo Hua merely gave Kuang Qingfeng’s warning a faint smile.

He introduced the others to Kuang Qingfeng. “I was so occupied speaking with you that I forgot to introduce the companions who came with me.”

Opening his palm, Zhuo Hua respectfully gestured toward Yu Qingshu. “This is Senior Yu Qingshu of the Xuanhuang clan, the former Primordial Lord. I shall not mention her personal name, but in the Old Void she was honored by the title ‘Valkyrie.’”

Kuang Qingfeng’s face filled with astonishment. He hurriedly knelt and bowed, crying out, “Your junior, Kuang Qingfeng of the Eagle Clan, respectfully welcomes the Valkyrie!”

Yu Qingshu still wore that same aloof expression. She merely gave a slight nod.

“Rise,” Zhuo Hua said.

Only after bowing several more times did Kuang Qingfeng dare to stand.

Zhuo Hua then introduced Su Mengling and Yu Changsheng in turn. After exchanging a few polite words, they set off for the Heavenly Prison.

They had not gone far when Kuang Qingfeng, walking behind Zhuo Hua, quickened his pace and caught up with him. In a low voice, he asked, “Primordial Lord, may I ask you something?”

“Ask.”

“Is this Valkyrie the very same Valkyrie who is said to stand at the head of the Seven Saints and Seven Sages?”

Zhuo Hua glanced back at him and replied with a smile, “The most renowned Valkyrie of the Xuanhuang clan is our Ancestress Yu Qingshu. So your guess is correct. She is that very Valkyrie.”

Kuang Qingfeng was overjoyed. “I knew it! I knew I was right! This is wonderful. Those young fellows are truly blessed. To have the Ancestress Valkyrie come to rescue them—they must have performed countless good deeds in their previous lives.”

“Ancestress Valkyrie?” Yu Qingshu had heard him and looked toward them in displeasure.

Realizing that he had misspoken, Kuang Qingfeng covered his mouth, though he still felt there was nothing wrong with the title.

“That foolish boy has been calling me ‘Ancestress’ at every turn, which has already displeased me greatly. But ‘Ancestress Valkyrie’ is even more awkward.” Yu Qingshu’s face showed clear dissatisfaction.

Zhuo Hua smiled. “Then how would you like us to address you?”

“Auntie!” Su Mengling suddenly interjected.

“Auntie?” Yu Qingshu repeated, savoring the word. The more she said it, the more pleased she became.

“Good. From now on, all of you shall call me Auntie!” Yu Qingshu announced proudly.

Zhuo Hua grinned from ear to ear. “Since our Ancestress likes the title Auntie, I can only obey. Auntie!”

At his call, Su Mengling and Yu Changsheng followed suit.

But Kuang Qingfeng appeared to be about the same age as Yu Qingshu, and he simply could not bring himself to say it.

“Au... aunt... au...!” He struggled, his voice rising and falling as he forced the words out.

Su Mengling tilted her head and teased him with a grin. “Lord Eagle, aren’t the cries of your kind supposed to soar through the heavens and startle the clouds? Why does your call sound more like cooing?”

Being mocked by a girl of fifteen or sixteen, Kuang Qingfeng’s usually stern face instantly flushed red. He defended himself, “That kind of cry is only used when facing enemies. When we meet our own people and are feeling gentle, we make a cooing sound.”

The moment he said this, everyone burst into laughter. Yu Qingshu laughed more joyfully than anyone.

Amid their laughter and conversation, they soon arrived at the Heavenly Prison. The air pressure suddenly dropped, and their laughter came to an abrupt end.

“There are many more guards now!” Kuang Qingfeng said to the group concealed in the grass.

“It should have something to do with our arrival.” Zhuo Hua extended his spiritual awareness and sensed the spiritual currents around them. Countless people were densely scattered throughout the area, with hidden and visible sentries arranged everywhere.

“Hmph! That fellow Yu Heishi is certainly diligent,” Kuang Qingfeng mocked.

“I have never believed that Uncle Yu would betray the Primordial Lord. He is not a man who craves wealth or power. If he were, he would never have handed the positions of clan head and sovereign to my father before coming alone to the Cloudtop Heavenly Palace to make his fortune.” Yu Changsheng spoke with a piece of grass between his teeth, chewing as he talked.

“You are too young. Your remote little kingdom in the southern Flame Continent is shrouded in miasma, and you have to fight the savages in the mountains for territory every day. What comfort is there in being sovereign of such a place? One careless move and Zhu Yuan could swallow it whole, leaving you a ruler in exile. How could that compare with being palace master here in the Cloud Palace, free and at ease? Now that the winds have changed, of course he has to think about his own future!”

Kuang Qingfeng’s words were harsh, each one striking Yu Changsheng in the heart.

“Uncle would never do that. He is not that kind of person.” Though Yu Changsheng rejected Kuang Qingfeng’s words a thousand times over in his heart, the banner of the White Tiger Palace fluttered fiercely in the wind before his eyes, while the guards under his uncle’s command had surrounded the Heavenly Prison so thoroughly that not even a drop of water could pass through. The evidence was overwhelming. How could he argue against it?

“Enough!” Zhuo Hua growled. “It is too early to decide whether he is right or wrong.”

“Kuang Qingfeng, tell us about the defensive arrangements here.”

Kuang Qingfeng crawled over beside Zhuo Hua and whispered, “I led my brothers in several assaults before. The forces we encountered were the constellations of the White Tiger Palace, along with the Heaven and Earth Guards, two divisions of the Twelve Cloud Palace Guards.”

Zhuo Hua’s brow furrowed ever more deeply. “The two strongest divisions, the Heaven and Earth Guards, are both here, in addition to the constellations of the White Tiger Palace. Alas.”

Seeing him sigh, Kuang Qingfeng sighed as well. “I know the enemy is powerful, but we have the Primordial Lord and the Valkyrie... Auntie. Five hundred of our Eagle Clan youths are lying in ambush at the rear mountain. Dealing with them will not be a problem.”

Zhuo Hua shook his head. “What concerns me is not whether we can defeat them. The moment both sides begin fighting, it is the strength of our Cloud Palace that will suffer.”

With that thought, Zhuo Hua suddenly rose to his feet and said only, “All of you stay here. Without my order, no one is to act on their own.”

Then, carrying the Clear River Sword, he walked straight toward the Heavenly Prison.

The guards suddenly saw a figure emerge from the bushes and immediately prepared themselves as though facing a formidable enemy.

The leading lieutenant shouted, “This is the Heavenly Prison, a heavily restricted area. Unauthorized persons are forbidden to approach. Leave at once, or you will be killed without exception!”

“Have I become an unauthorized person as well?” Zhuo Hua continued forward without slowing, calling out in a clear voice.

The lieutenant stared at his figure. The longer he looked, the more something seemed wrong. Yet the thin mountain mist interfered with his vision, leaving the approaching man indistinct.

He extended his spiritual awareness to sense the visitor’s spiritual current. The moment he did so, terror seized him.

The lieutenant hurriedly ordered one of his subordinates to deliver the message. “Quick! Hurry and summon the palace master. The Primordial... the Primordial Lord has returned!”

Zhuo Hua drew closer, and only a hundred paces remained. One of the lieutenant’s squad leaders was just about to aim his crossbow at Zhuo Hua, intending to frighten him into submission, when the lieutenant struck him hard on the head.

“Do you want to die? Pointing a crossbow at the Primordial Lord is a crime punishable by the confiscation of your entire household and the extermination of your clan!” the lieutenant shouted.

“But... but the palace master ordered that no one approach the Heavenly Prison, including... including the Primordial Lord!” The squad leader was dazed from the blow and spoke with a tremble.

Bang!

The lieutenant struck his helmet again. “Has soldiering made you stupid? Are you a soldier of Xuanhuang, or a soldier of Yu Heishi? Their great masters have their disputes. We must not meddle blindly.”

After reprimanding the squad leader, the lieutenant called loudly to the surrounding soldiers, “Listen up! Put your weapons away. The Primordial Lord has arrived. Come with me to receive him!”

He straightened his armor and hurried forward with a group of officers to welcome Zhuo Hua.

“This humble general was unaware of the Primordial Lord’s arrival and failed to greet you from afar. We beg the Primordial Lord to punish us.”

The officers knelt in a disorderly mass, prostrating themselves as they awaited Zhuo Hua’s reprimand.

But Zhuo Hua asked only one question.

“Where is Nuan Rufeng?”

The lieutenant kept his head lowered as he replied, “Lord Nuan is out inspecting the camp and has not yet returned. Before leaving, Lord Nuan specifically instructed me that if the Primordial Lord came, we were not to resist.”

Zhuo Hua bent down and personally helped the lieutenant to his feet. Then he called to the assembled soldiers, “All of you may rise.”

Another great clatter of armor rang through the air.

At that moment, Nuan Rufeng returned from his patrol. Seeing the scene, he hurried forward and knelt. “Your sinful subject, Nuan Rufeng, pays his respects to the Primordial Lord.”

Zhuo Hua quickly helped him up. “What crime has Lord Nuan committed? Had you not made arrangements beforehand, I fear I could not have arrived here so easily.”

Nuan Rufeng lowered his head and let out a long sigh without answering.

Once Zhuo Hua had taken his place, he looked around and spoke in a ringing voice.

“Soldiers, I am sure that during these past few months, while I was absent from the Cloudtop Heavenly Palace, you heard many rumors. I do not wish to conceal anything from you. I was indeed ensnared by the treacherous schemes of the Dark Fury bandits and cast into the mortal world. But all of that is behind us now. Upon my return, I shall stand together with all of you to resist our foreign enemies. May the three armies be mighty! May Xuanhuang prevail!”

“May the three armies be mighty! May Xuanhuang prevail!”

“May the three armies be mighty! May Xuanhuang prevail!”

The resounding military cries rose outside the barracks. Yu Qingshu, Kuang Qingfeng, and the others, who had been concealed nearby, also emerged from the shadows and came to Zhuo Hua’s side.

Kuang Qingfeng stared in amazement. “The Primordial Lord is truly the Primordial Lord. You took this place without spending a single soldier. I, Kuang Qingfeng, am utterly convinced. Our Eagle Clan swears to follow you to the death!”

A trace of joy appeared on Nuan Rufeng’s face. He hurriedly ordered his men, “Quickly, bring everyone from the Heavenly Prison out to pay their respects to the Primordial Lord.”

The subordinate repeatedly acknowledged the order and turned to run into the underground prison.

Before long, waves of cries and sobs came from within. Su Xin came running out with Zhuo Yun, both of them weeping as they rushed toward Zhuo Hua.

Zhuo Yun had no time to care about the exhaustion of the past several days or her ragged clothes. She hurriedly circled Zhuo Hua twice, inspecting him from head to toe, entirely unaware that her face had been drenched in tears.

“Little Fish, what are you doing?” Zhuo Hua asked with a smile as he watched her circle him.

Zhuo Yun sobbed so hard that she could barely speak. “I... I just wanted... wanted to see whether my brother was hurt. Thank goodness! Thank goodness you’re not.”

“Silly girl.” Zhuo Hua pulled her into his arms and asked anxiously, “You suffered, didn’t you? Did they torture you? Don’t be afraid. Tell your brother.”

But Zhuo Yun could only weep helplessly, unable to say another word.

At that moment, Su Xin could no longer hold back either and threw herself into Zhuo Hua’s arms. Zhuo Hua had no choice but to comfort both girls at once.

When he raised his head, he saw Lin Bai and Lan Sheng smiling warmly at him. They exchanged a nod, and everything they wished to say was contained in that single gesture.

Behind them, however, Qin Ying covered her mouth with the back of her hand, doing her utmost to restrain her emotions so that no one would hear her sobs.

Yet at that moment, how could she possibly hold back the tears that had burst through their dam?

With a smile, Zhuo Hua extended one hand toward her.

Qin Ying could no longer endure it. Regardless of how many of her own star lords were nearby, regardless of her status as palace master, she hurried forward and joined Zhuo Yun and Su Xin in their desperate campaign for comfort.