Chapter 591 - 362: Return

"Sky Reaching City?" Xu Xiansu frowned.

The name rolled off her tongue like a cold iron weight, leaving an acrid, metallic taste behind.

Her slender fingers paused over the blood-inked parchment, the fine tip of her writing brush trembling by a hair’s breadth.

The dim azure luminescence cast by the overhead spirit stones seemed to flicker against her pale skin, casting sharp, dancing shadows across her features.

’Could they be related to Sky Reaching Sect?’ She thought, as memories that did not belong to this era surged unbidden into the forefront of her mind.

In that timeline, while she was out traveling the empire for resources, the Sky Reaching Sect established itself by destroying an Immortal Sect.

She remembered the chilling news spreading through the relay towers of the merchant guilds like wild fire.

An ancient pillar that had stood for dozens of millennia, complete with an immortal grade defensive formations and resting supreme emperors, had been shattered in a single fortnight.

Blood had literally dyed the great river of the southern provinces scarlet for three seasons.

And a few years later, they gained enough power and authority that rivaled all Twelve Immortal Sects combined.

It had been an unnatural, terrifying rise that defied all historical precedent.

Sects required thousands of years of slow accumulation, generational blood-shedding, and the nurturing of leylines to establish their foundations.

Yet the Sky Reaching Sect had expanded like an insatiable plague of locusts, churning out prodigies by the hundreds, mastering bizarre, unheard-of arts, and seizing resource basins with ruthless efficiency.

Their grand elders walked with an unearned, heaven-defying arrogance, trampling over ancient lineages as though they were dry weeds.

It is even rumored that their sect master was a true Immortal, and was stated to be even stronger than that other rumored Immortal resting on a mountain somewhere, living a mortal life.

If they weren’t so new, they would’ve probably surpassed the Shen Clan.

The mere thought sent a subtle shiver tracing the length of her spine.

In her past life, even with the Shen Clan’s peerless martial heritage and ancient imperial dragons watching from the starry firmament, the shadow cast by the Sky Reaching Sect had loomed so vast that people whispered it was only a matter of time before the heavens changed their surname.

Could this mysterious Sky Reaching City within the Imperial Academy’s dimensional borders be the embryonic seed of that future monster?

"Them, huh." Huo Yue suddenly spoke.

She shifted her posture against the cedar chair, her sharp, red eyes narrowing slightly as her fingertips ceased their steady tapping against the polished armrest.

"....That very reclusive city?"

Xu Xiansu looked up from her ledgers, her eyes widening by a fraction.

"You know about them?" Asked Xu Xiansu, looking surprised.

Huo Yue rolled her eyes, leaning her head back against the carved wood with an arrogant, dismissive scoff.

"Of course. That’s one of the places here in academy that has Heavenly Flame. I naturally have heard of it."

Her fingers curled slightly, a tiny wisp of pure, translucent red fire flickering across her nails before vanishing back into her flesh.

"Do you think I spend my afternoons merely brewing tea and goofing around the courtyard? Puh-lease. Any domain that is even rumored to have a Heavenly Flame is burned into my mind."

In fact, she had already scouted the place and had rough ideas on where the good stuff are.

She knew the exact subterranean chambers where their rare treasures were being nurtured, she had cataloged their hidden kept, she knew of their gardens that were buried beneath hollow mountain peaks, and she had marked the locations of their formation weaknesses.

She had kept that mental map tucked safely in her thoughts, intending to use it as an excuse to pull Haoran away for a private excursion the moment his administrative duties eased.

A little raid, a little plunder, and a stroll through an ancient fire cavern had seemed like an ideal distraction.

Yet now, that reclusive territory had dared to reach its claws outward, striking at their own lifeblood.

"Well, for now we—"

BAM!

The heavy double doors of the meeting hall, forged from ironwood and reinforced with sound-dampening arrays, suddenly burst open with a violent, reverberating crack that rattled the ceiling beams!

The sudden intrusion broke the suffocating atmosphere instantly.

Everyone turned their gazes and saw Ling Luochen walked in, looking tense and worried.

The young woman practically stumbled across the threshold, her breathing ragged, her pale face flushed with frantic exertion.

Her pink hair disheveled, strands plastered to her forehead by cold sweat.

The typical composure she normally has was nowhere to be seen, instead, raw, unbridled anxiety spilled from every line of her posture.

She stared at everyone, her voice trembling slightly as she addressed the room without bothering to offer the customary greetings.

"Apologies for barging in, but...," Ling Luochen gasped, "Through the system map, I found out that sister Yunxi just suddenly vanished."

This startled everyone.

Scrape!

Chairs dragged sharply across the floorboards as Xia Mengyao and Shen Xinye stood up simultaneously.

"Yunxi disappeared?!" Xia Mengyao exclaimed, her crossed arms dropping as her jaw tightened.

Panic, confusion, and cold fury surged through the chamber all at once as the air in the room immediately plunged into freezing tension.

Qian Yunxi was not merely an ordinary disciple; she was one of the central figures of their inner circle, and someone they already consider as one of Haoran’s confidante.

For her to suddenly vanish right beneath the eyes of their city guards was an intolerable provocation.

Shen Jian once again slammed his fist on the table, the heavy impact leaving a visible indentation in the thousand-year cedar wood.

"It’s definitely that damn Sky Reaching City!" He roared, his veins bulging like thick cords along his neck, his teeth bared in pure, feral fury. "Forget all diplomacy, let’s go to war against them right now!"

Shen Ying and Shen Xinye remained silent, but deep in their minds, they agree with him.

Shen Ying’s drooping eyelids had lifted, her red, empty pupils now gleaming with a cold, predatory light that hungered for severed arteries.

Beside her, Shen Xinye’s teacup shattered in her grip, the porcelain shards biting into her palm without drawing blood as her spiritual aura flared outward.

They are the Shen Clan, how dare a mere academy faction attack them?

Across all of Tian Yuan Empire, the name of the Shen Clan was an absolute taboo, an imperial lineage before which even ancient supremes bowed their heads in deference.

For a reclusive city tucked away in an academy dimension to ambush their vanguard, kill their immortal gamers, and now dare to lay a hand upon Qian Yunxi was an insult written in blood.

Even Shen Tao, usually the most calm and level headed, was clenching his fist, his eyes closed.

His mind analyzed the risks, calculating the tactical consequences of a full-scale assault, but the ancient, unyielding pride coursing through his ancestral veins demanded total, merciless retaliation.

BANG!

At that moment, the double doors were once again shoved aside, and a wave of hurried footsteps echoed from the outer corridor.

They are the rest of the Ten Crowns, Shen Cai, Shen Bai, Shen Xun’er, Shen Ji, Shen Fei, along with Luo Mingye and Zhu Ziyan.

They have heard of what happened through Ling Luochen contacting them via system group chat.

"Where are they?!" Shen Ji entered cracking his knuckles, "Tell me the coordinates! I will lead all our warriors to breach their outer gate!"

"They dared lay their hands on sister Yunxi?!" Shen Xun’er’s feet slammed against the stone floorboards, creating spider web like cracks, her youthful face was twisted in outrage. "Mobilize the private legions! Call every gamer back to the square! If those guys wants a bloodbath, we will drown them in one!"

Shen Fei, Shen Bai and Shen Cai took their positions near the foot of the table, while Luo Mingye and Zhu Ziyan flanked the entrance, their auras rising in aggressive waves.

"Damn it! I can’t stand this insult! I want to crush them!"

"Just give the word! Shen Tao, Shen Fei!? What do you think?!"

The room descended into chaos, voices shouting over one another, battle plans being barked across the cedar table, the clamor of war threatening to tear the roof off the villa!

"SILENCE!"

A roar like an erupting celestial volcano tore through the shouting!

BOOOOOM!

Huo Yue stood up from her seat beside the vacant throne as a terrifying, fiery aura expanded out of her!

Rings of searing, crimson and gold flame burst outward from her robes in violent, concentric waves!

The polished wood of the table instantly blackened, small embers dancing along the grain, while the hanging silk banners along the walls curled and turned to ash in a fraction of a heartbeat.

The immense heat distorted the air, making every figure in the room shimmer as if seen through boiling water.

The moisture in the atmosphere was even forcefully vaporized into nothingness.

The humidity plummeted to absolute zero in less than two breaths, the violent heat sapping the breath from everyone’s lungs.

Across the table, several of the hot-headed youths gasped, the sudden, extreme drought causing the skin of their lips to crack open, fine lines of red welling between the fissures!

The oppressive, suffocating heat pinned every member of the Ten Crowns to the spot, snapping their mouths shut.

"Look at yourselves!" Huo Yue’s voice rang out like a war gong, sharp, unyielding, and carrying absolute, commanding authority. "Bawling like headless chickens, shouting for war without a formation, without a strategy, and without orders! Do you think you are brigands raiding a mountain hamlet?!"

She swept her blazing crimson eyes across the gathered elites, her presence towering over them like an ancient phoenix looking down upon a flock of noisy sparrows.

"Remember who I am! I am Huo Yue, Haoran’s fiancée, and your superior whenever Haoran isn’t around!"

Her words were cold, heavy, and brook no dispute. She was not merely a peer among them; she carried the official status of their young master’s future bride, vested with the absolute authority to govern his household and command his forces whenever his seat sat empty.

"Shen Jian, Shen Ji, you two close your mouth! Shen Cai, Shen Bai, put those damn weapons away before I melt them into slag! Every single one of you, stand down!"

The fiery aura gradually pulled back, coiling tightly around her shoulders like a mantle of glowing embers.

The suffocating heat retreated, allowing cool mountain air to rush back into the dry room, though the scent of scorched cedar and ozone remained thick.

Shen Jian swallowed hard, his cracked lips stinging as he lowered his head and dropped back into his seat.

Shen Xun’er let out a muted sigh of relief, while Shen Bai, Shen Cai, Shen Ji, Luo Mingye, and Zhu Ziyan filed toward the empty chairs along the perimeter, taking their seats in rigid, chastised silence.

The chaotic fury that had threatened to overturn the hall was forced down, replaced by focused, albeit tense, discipline.

"We do not move blindly into an enemy’s territory while our comrade is missing in a spatial tear," Huo Yue said, her tone steady and decisive as she planted her hands flat on the charred table. "We first determine the exact coordinates of where Yunxi is. Second, we establish our supply lines so our rear is not exposed. Third—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Every head in the room suddenly snapped upward.

The words died in Huo Yue’s throat, her eyes widening as a shiver ran down her spine.

At that moment, they felt it.

From the high firmament above the academy territory, an aura vast, boundless, and chillingly familiar descended like a falling star.

It was not a wild, loud wave of spiritual energy; it was a heavy, quiet, and primordial presence that pressed down upon the world like an ancient mountain range settling into the earth.

The air inside the meeting hall grew perfectly still, the lingering heat extinguished in an instant by a cool, unyielding pressure that carried the distinct, sovereign majesty of the dual dragon bloodlines.

Huo Yue sighed in relief and smiled.

"Finally, Haoran is back."