Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 522 The Princess Who Wants to Compilation 19

In the corners where snake dens were discovered, firewood was piled up, flames rose, and thick smoke billowed, completely blocking those cold and venomous snake passages.

The venomous snakes that managed to survive had nowhere to hide under the high vigilance of the crowd. They were either cut in half by the swift flash of a knife or nailed to the ground by a specially made Yaksha.

When the camp was barely able to restore basic order and the battle report and Aigis' tragic condition were presented to the Phoenix, the entire makeshift palace main tent seemed to be frozen in an instant.

Empress Huang Yuqing sat at the head of the table, her face, usually either majestic or languid, now like a jade sculpture frozen in ice. Her posture remained erect, but her fingertips gripped the rosewood armrests tightly, her knuckles gleaming a chilling white from the pressure.

The depths of her phoenix eyes no longer held the depths of a galaxy, but rather a surging icy storm that could devour everything! The air pressure inside the tent was so low it was suffocating, as if the air had solidified into ice.

She did not utter a single roar, but every minister, general, and personal guard who came to report dared only to prostrate themselves on the ground, not even daring to look directly at the supreme figure.

"waste!"

A voice that was cold to the bone marrow finally rang out. It was only two words, but it struck everyone's heart like a thunderbolt!

"The enclosure is like a leaky sieve, the assassins are like ghosts, my own daughter and important ministers have been attacked several times, where are the guards?! What's the point of setting up defenses?!"

Her eyes slowly swept over the silent crowd below, and paused for a moment in particular on the chief officer in charge of the enclosure security and the generals who were protecting the Second Princess.

The boundless anger and disappointment in her eyes were more heartbreaking than any harsh scolding. When she mentioned Aigis's tragic death, her voice was almost squeezed out through her teeth, with an extremely cold and eerie calmness:

"No trace of the body... What a surprise..." Every word was shrouded in icy light. No one dared to speak, even breathing cautiously.

Huang Yuqing's fingers slowly rubbed the rosewood armrest, her white knuckles seemingly digging into the hard wood. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the icy storm in her phoenix eyes hadn't subsided, but instead had intensified into a heart-wrenching, all-consuming determination.

"check."

A single word, decisive and with unquestionable, devastating power.

"Investigate thoroughly for me! Dig three feet deep!" Her voice suddenly rose, and the illusion of calm was instantly shattered, like ice cracking, revealing the surging magma underneath.

"All those involved, immediately detained! From the drafter of the defense blueprints, to the guards at every outpost, from every piece of supplies brought into the camp today, to every face that came into contact with Aigis... not a single one shall be spared!"

Her gaze shot out of the tent like a sharp arrow, piercing through it, as if to tear apart the veil of night that enveloped the camp. "Send a message to Xiao Jin, commander of the Iron Feather Guard!"

A low and powerful response immediately came from outside the tent: "I'm here!" The voice penetrated the oppressive air, carrying the smell of iron and blood.

"Seal off the camp. No one is allowed to enter or leave! From now on, the Iron Feather Guard will take full responsibility for the defense and investigation of the enclosure. Anyone suspected of any crime will be executed first and reported later!"

Her orders were cold and efficient. "Search every inch for me. Those 'unexpected' venomous snakes, those 'ghostly' assassins, and even the scene where Aigis was murdered... I want to see clues, I want to see a living person, and most importantly... the head of the mastermind behind this!"

"As you wish!" Xiao Jin's voice was like the collision of metal and stone, carrying with it a cold and murderous aura.

Outside the tent, hurried and orderly footsteps and low commands were immediately heard. The black blade of the Iron Feather Guard was unsheathed again, carrying the Queen's boundless anger, and began to operate efficiently and coldly.

Inside the tent, Huang Yuqing's gaze fell back on the people below who were silent as a mouse, especially the generals who were the focus of attention.

"You..." Her voice had returned to that eerie calm, yet it was even more despairing than the thunder before. "Until Xiao Jin investigates the matter, stay here. Think carefully about what explanation you should give me to... save your nine clans."

The last few words fell lightly, but they were like a huge rock, smashing into the hearts of several people.

Some people felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.

Save the nine clans?

This is clearly a heart-breaking statement!

The Queen's rage had transformed into tangible murderous intent, looming over the entire camp.

Huang Yuqing stopped looking at anyone, leaning back slightly and closing her eyes to rest. However, the tenseness of her back and the icy pressure emanating from her body made the entire palace tent feel like the center of a storm. No one dared to move, no one dared to speak.

Only the sounds of the Iron Feather Guards' actions outside the tent and the sounds of clearing the battlefield farther away reminded everyone that this bloody chaos was not over, and that an even more severe storm ignited by the Queen herself had just begun.

The imperial physician standing by carefully brought a bowl of calming soup, but was frozen in place by the empress's cold gaze. The bowl of medicine trembled slightly in her hands, and she ultimately did not dare to hand it forward.

At this moment, any attempt to calm this rage seemed so pale and foolish. What the Queen needed was not appeasement, but blood retribution.

The bowl of soothing soup that no one dared to hand over finally tilted slightly in the trembling hands of the imperial physician. A few drops of dark brown medicine splashed onto the scarlet carpet, quickly spreading a small dark stain like a spot of coagulated blood.

This insignificant sound seemed extremely harsh in the silent tent.

The imperial physician's face turned pale, and he knelt down in panic, hitting his forehead heavily on the ground. Even the words of begging for mercy were choked in his throat, and only trembling like a sieve was left.

Huang Yuqing didn't even lift her eyelids.

She sat with her eyes closed, like a real jade sculpture. Only her slightly rising and falling chest and the almost tangible cold pressure around her body proved that the jade statue was surging with karmic fire that was enough to burn everything.

For the people crawling on the ground, every breath in the tent seemed as long as a year.

Sweat slid down the forehead and dripped onto the cold ground. The subtle sound was infinitely amplified, beating on everyone's nerves that were on the verge of collapse.

The air was as thick as mercury, and every breath carried the smell of rusty blood and heavy fear.

Outside the tent, the Iron Feather Guards acted efficiently and ruthlessly.

The sound of heavy footsteps, the clanging of armor, and short, powerful commands intertwined together, like an invisible giant net, quickly and tightly covering the entire camp.

The camp, which was originally filled with some chaos and wailing, quickly fell into an even more oppressive and strictly ordered silence after the figures of these black-armored soldiers passed by.

The camp gate was completely blocked, barricades were set up, archers hid in the dark, and crossbows with flashing cold light were pointed in every possible direction.

Anyone who tries to approach or peek into the main tent area will be immediately locked into a cold gaze.

"Report——!"

A hurried report broke the suffocating silence in the main tent.