bayedsolid Chapter 363 A Shocking Change in the Spirit Kingdom, the Empress Falls Ill
Chapter 363 A Shocking Change in the Spirit Kingdom, the Empress Falls Ill
After three months of fleeing, the group finally returned to Phantom City.
These three months felt like an endless nightmare to Shanzi and the others.
For the past three months, they have been traveling through towering mountains and deep valleys.
Everyone was weary and exhausted from their journey.
Because checkpoints were set up in all the cities and passes of the Gu Xuan Dynasty.
This prevented them from taking the official road, forcing them to trek along the outer perimeter of the Abyss of Extremes.
It's worth mentioning that they twice brushed past Afu and Princess Qiulan in the Abyss of Extremes region.
After the first three months of treatment, Afu's condition improved significantly.
However, they were relentlessly pursued by the soldiers sent by Liu Yao.
He led Princess Qiulan on a desperate escape through battle.
Afu was injured by Princess Qiulan once again while saving her.
This forced him to find another place to hide and recover from his injuries.
Princess Qiulan saw that Afu had been injured again because of her.
This caused their relationship to escalate rapidly, like a rocket.
Another month passed before Afu recovered from his injury.
Afu thought of taking Princess Qiulan back to Ling Kingdom first.
However, Si Chao's pursuers were relentless.
Wherever the two of them went, they would run into them.
Not long after he and Princess Qiulan left a cave.
Shanzi and the others also came to this cave, but ultimately missed their chance to meet.
When Shanzi and his group arrived at the cave, they discovered that someone had recently stayed there.
The firewood in the cave had long since gone out, indicating that the people had already gone far away.
On the tenth day of her escape, Liu Lingzhen finally opened her eyes slowly under the influence of Xiaoman's silver needles and internal energy.
When he woke up, the first thing he saw was the Empress guarding his side.
At this moment, however, the Empress's face was as pale as paper, and her lips were completely bloodless.
Her once bright and lively eyes were now filled with deep weariness.
When the Empress saw Liu Lingzhen wake up, she called out in a hoarse voice, "Brother..."
Liu Lingzhen opened her mouth, a dry sound coming from her throat.
He reached out and touched the younger sister's cheek.
"Yes...it was my fault..."
He shouldn't have spent eighteen years at sea for that vague "treasure".
He placed the entire burden of the Ling Kingdom on his younger sister's shoulders.
We shouldn't have rashly started a war with Gu Xuanchao, which dragged his sister into it.
"The place where the treasure was hidden... there was no treasure at all."
Liu Lingzhen's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it carried endless sorrow.
"Only a few history books left by our ancestors record the rise and fall of dynasties..."
What I spent eighteen years searching for turned out to be nothing but emptiness…
The Empress looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She had grievances and resentment, but in the end, they all turned into a sigh.
She grasped her brother's cold hand: "It's all in the past."
No...it hasn't happened yet.
Liu Lingzhen suddenly gripped her hand tightly, her eyes filled with a final plea.
"The Spirit Kingdom... the Spirit Kingdom cannot perish. Promise me you will protect the Spirit Kingdom, protect our people..."
The Empress looked into his unfocused pupils and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
She desperately wanted to tell him that her current cultivation level had fallen from the Great Yuan Realm, and that it would be extremely difficult to return to the Great Yuan Realm.
But when the words reached his lips, they only came out as one word: "Okay."
Even without Liu Lingzhen's pleas, she would have protected the land of Ling Kingdom.
Liu Lingzhen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She slowly released her grip on her hand and closed her eyes forever.
The Empress gazed at him silently until she was certain he was no longer breathing, then slowly lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
Liu Lingzhen's death was indeed a devastating blow to the Empress.
Now, apart from herself, no one in the entire family can help her.
The group stayed for two days before continuing their journey.
The group traveled for more than two months before finally returning to Phantom City.
But to their surprise, an even heavier blow awaited them.
As soon as the Empress stepped into the palace, the officials left behind hurriedly knelt on the ground.
They all chimed in with their own stories of the changes that had taken place over the past three months.
"King Ling, Jia County has been captured by Gu Xuanchao, and the defending general has been killed in battle..."
"Nanyang City was besieged by the Qin army and fell last month..."
"Fengming City has been occupied by the Si Dynasty, and Prefect Wang Qinian has disappeared without a trace..."
The empress stood frozen in place, the sound buzzing in her ears.
Of the five cities of the Spirit Kingdom, only Illusionary Spirit City and East Sea City remain today?
For the past three months, she has believed that as long as she comes back alive, everything can be salvaged.
But she never expected that in just three months, most of the country would be lost.
"puff--"
A mouthful of blood gushed from her mouth, splattering the gold bricks in front of her.
The Empress's vision went black, and she swayed. If Hua Lingxing hadn't caught her in time, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
Anger and grief intertwined, instantly overwhelming her already severely injured body.
"The Spirit King!" everyone exclaimed.
Xiao Lie and Xiao Man immediately stepped forward, one pressing her pulse and the other taking out silver needles.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
His heart was in shock, his injuries were worsening, and he was on the verge of death.
For the next seven days and seven nights, Xiao Lie and Xiao Man stayed by the Empress's bedside without leaving her side, using their exquisite divine skills to forcibly keep her alive.
The situation both inside and outside Lingnan was now in complete chaos.
News of Liu Lingzhen's death and the Spirit King's serious injury spread quickly.
What's even more troublesome is that all affairs, big and small, of the Spirit Kingdom were originally coordinated and arranged by Cha Lingxing.
She used to be meticulous and always managed complex government affairs in an orderly manner.
Now that she has died in battle, Qin Lingxing, Shi Lingxing, and others hastily took over, only to find themselves hitting roadblocks at every turn.
The distribution of provisions was chaotic, and military reports piled up like mountains.
Urgent reports from all over the country poured in like snowflakes, leaving them overwhelmed and unable to sleep all night.
Amidst this chaos, it was the fifth day since the Empress fell ill.
A guard rushed in to report: "Two women have been found outside the city, one unconscious and the other seriously injured. They look like...like Lord Bai Lingxing and Miss Luo Bingqian!"
When everyone arrived at the palace gate, they saw Luo Bingqian and Bai Lingxing lying in the carriage. As usual, the city gate guards had brought them over.
Luo Bingqian's face was sallow and her lips were cracked; she was clearly at her limit.
Bai Lingxing's face was bluish-purple, and her breath was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
No one knows what price Luo Bingqian paid on her journey back to Huanling City.
Bai Lingxing was originally located outside the realm.
Six months ago, when she heard the news that Liu Lingzhen had started a war.
It was two months later.
At that time, Fengming City had already been occupied by the Si Dynasty, and Prefect Wang Qinian had disappeared without a trace.
Upon receiving this news, she immediately led her subordinates back.
After three months of travel, she arrived in Phoenix City and, in a fit of rage, killed a hundred Sichao soldiers. She was on her way back to Illusionary Spirit City.
However, on the way, they encountered a soldier from Nanyang City who was heading to Huanling City to deliver a message.
It just so happened that Bai Lingxing encountered her, and only after Bai Lingxing questioned her did the soldier tell her that Nanyang was being attacked by the Qin army.