Chapter 342: Chapter 57: Emergency in the Western State, the Empress leads the expedition personally

Translator: 549690339

Zhao Huai stood atop the Xia’s Imperial City, gazing down at the crowd that seemed as small as ants, the bustling Wei River flowing through the city, and the flower boats anchored under the bridge, lost in thought.

In just one year, many things could change.

After several years in seclusion, he wondered what the current situation was like.

He slowly descended, his demeanor extraordinary.

It drew the attention of many pedestrians on the street.

“What year is it now?”

Zhao Huai approached a street vendor and asked intently.

Seeing his attire and arrival by flight, the vendor realized that he must be a powerful cultivator and didn’t dare to neglect, responding nervously:

“It’s the Seventh Year of the Longxing Period.”

“Longxing Seventh Year…” Zhao Huai murmured softly, then pondered, “When I went into seclusion, it was the Second Year of Longxing Period, which means I was in seclusion for five years, but only one year has passed outside the small world.”

Even five years should not be underestimated.

Five years ago, the emergence of other worlds in various states had already been detected, which means a tumultuous battle could have erupted at any moment.

“Why isn’t the Xia’s Empress in the capital city?”

Zhao Huai continued to inquire.

” I’m not sure.”

“It seems that you must have recently come out of seclusion and are not well-informed about the current situation.”

At this moment, the voice of a passing cultivator reached Zhao Huai’s ears. He turned to the middle-aged man, who earnestly said:

“Since the Empress of the Xia ascended the throne, she has maintained peace for a year, enduring many rumors and gossip, claiming that she gave birth to an heir, causing a huge uproar. After much difficulty, things finally calmed down, but then Changning King began causing trouble, establishing his own domain, relying on the Devil Sect, and commanding a large army. This must have been around four years ago.

At that time, the Empress led her troops to suppress the rebellion but was met with resistance from the Northern Wolf Empire. With various obstacles, the matter eventually ended unfruitfully.

The reason why the Empress is not in the capital city now is due to a major incident in the Western State. Three years ago, a large number of demons emerged in the Western and Northern States, toppling many small countries in the Western State. The Shenluo Empire was also overwhelmed. At that time, the official gazette of the Xia was flooded with this news.

As early as six months ago, the Imperial Court had announced to the world that the Shenluo Empire in the Western State had been completely overrun by the Demon Race, and the Shenluo Crown Princess was taken captive. The entire imperial capital’s royal family was cast as a spectacle, and the next step for the Demon Race was targeting the Xia. That’s when the Empress decided to lead the battle personally to resist the invasion of the demons from the Western State.”

“An emergency in the Western State?”

Zhao Huai’s brow furrowed as he hadn’t expected that the Shenluo Empire would have been annihilated in only five years.

Could it be that the sacrificial altars in the Primitive World had already been completely destroyed?

Had the Western State already become the main stronghold of the Demon Race?

The situation seemed rather bleak now.

“Thank you.”

Zhao Huai thanked the young cultivator before taking off into the sky, heading south towards Yan Country, unable to remain calm.

Before going to the Western State, he planned to check on the current situation in Yan Country. As the Xia faced the invasion of demons, Yan Country could hardly expect a peaceful resolution as well.

At this time, Yan Country could not possibly stand by and watch.

After breaking through to the Rebirth Realm, Zhao Huai’s traveling speed was extremely fast, and he soon arrived at Nanyu Prefecture.

Above the sky of Nanyu Prefecture, ancient river flowed amidst the mist.

It exuded an indescribable desolation.

Zhao Huai landed at the entrance of the manor with a heavy heart.

The soldiers of Yan Country who were on guard wanted to scold him, but when they saw his appearance, their eyes filled with disbelief and they shouted:

“The Crown Prince is back!”

“It’s really the Crown Prince!”

The news quickly reached Song Zhishu’s ears.

He hastily gathered people to welcome Zhao Huai. With his hands clasped in a fist, he bowed respectfully, “Song Zhishu pays his respects to Your Highness!”

Facing an excited Song Zhishu, Zhao Huai was filled with mixed emotions.

Five years had passed, and Song Zhishu’s demeanor had become more composed, having turned from a youth into a middle-aged man.

“Your Highness, during your years of seclusion, many major events have occurred in the world,”

Song Zhishu sighed with a sense of helplessness:

“Five years ago, Yan Country and the Xia signed a ceasefire agreement, allowing the people to rest. However, Granny Su Li, Zhou Ping, Dongfang Xuan, and other generals of the Yan country discovered that the sacrificial altars in the Western State had already been destroyed, and they have been holding back their forces in preparation. The Shenluo Empire has already been annihilated, and among the hundred countries, the only one still struggling is the most historic Diluo Country.”

Zhao Huai nodded solemnly, “I just found out about this as well. The demons of the Primitive World are more cunning than we imagined. We had originally thought there would be a chance to remedy it and have Granny Su Li lead a team to suppress them, but we never expected that they had been hiding their strength all this time. Now that they’ve erupted, they’ve already taken over half of the Western State.”

“That’s not all.”Song Zhishu spoke in a solemn voice: “Numerous miracles are now happening in the Western State. They intend to harvest the devotion of the common people there, and it has turned into a land of contentious affairs where gods wander all around, causing chaos.”

“Miracles?”

The word caught Zhao Huai’s attention.

“Exactly. The ancient gods worshipped by the Four Great Evil Sects have shown themselves. It seems that the rules of this world are already loosening. The spirits of various realms are eyeing our world fiercely. This is a great crisis for the Immortal World.”

As Song Zhishu explained, a blood-red cloud appeared on the horizon, rolling towards them with an intimidating aura.

“What a wicked aura.”

Zhao Huai frowned.

“That’s the army of the Bloody Devil King.”

Song Zhishu explained.

“Bloody Devil King?”

Zhao Huai looked in the direction of the blood cloud, which seemed to be coming from the North, the original territory of the Xia Country, the location of the Ten States of the North.

“Your Highness, do you still remember the Bloody Devil discovered in the manor five years ago?”

“Of course I remember.”

“The Bloody Devil is a kind of devil creature from the netherworld. Three years ago, the Immortal Sect sent a large number of disciples to investigate the matter of the Heavenly Earth Altar while also suppressing the demons overflowing from the altar. As a result, the ancestors of various factions have awakened, sitting in the Immortal Sect and preventing the Devil Sect from launching a war against the Immortal Sect at this time.”

Song Zhishu paused for a moment, his eyes filled with melancholy as he looked at the blood cloud.

“These blood clouds have been appearing in the North for several years now, and occasionally a Bloody Devil would emerge and harass the human world. Some of them are powerful, possessing combat prowess comparable to cultivators in the Rebirth Metamorphosing Realm. We call them the Bloody Devil Kings.”

Zhao Huai pondered and said,

“It seems that the current Northern Wolf Empire is also in danger. The first step of the Bloody Devils’ invasion of the Central State is to step over the Northern Wolf Empire.”

As if remembering something, he turned to ask: “Granny Su Li, where are Dongfang Xuan and the others? Aren’t they in Nanyu Prefecture?”

“They have already gone to the Western State to resist the invasion of the Demon Race.”

Song Zhishu replied.

“In the past five years, has the Spiritual Mountain Sect not taken any remedial measures?”

Zhao Huai learned that the current Immortal World is on the verge of a battle and was both troubled and puzzled.

Song Zhishu shook his head, “Both sides are evenly matched. Take the Western State, for example. Countless Demon Kings and several powerful Demon Emperors have suddenly emerged. Even the ancestors in the Metamorphosis Realm cannot claim complete victory.”

“Before the truth about the altar was revealed, many Immortal Sect disciples were trapped in the Western State, unable to escape. Among them, Eternal Taoist Temple Gu Tianji has been missing for a year.”

“Gu Tianji is missing.”

Zhao Huai felt heavy upon hearing this news.

No matter what, Gu Tianji had helped him a lot, and now his life and death were unknown.

Song Zhishu sighed: “That’s why the Xia’s Empress issued the Demon Slaying Command, ordering cultivators from all parts of the world to go to the Western State to eradicate demons. Your Highness, Yan Country has already done its best, sending many cultivators, but the Central State is still in grave danger.”

Zhao Huai thought for a moment and said,

“For now, you should continue overseeing the government affairs of Yan Country, ensuring internal stability while I handle external matters. Neither the Primitive World nor the netherworld should pose a threat to the vast populace of the Central State.”

“Understood.”

After instructing Zhao Huai, without further delay, he glanced at the blood cloud and officially flew towards the Western State.

On the way, he passed by a small city on the northern border where a dark red blood cloud had descended.

Smoke filled the city, a clear sign that it had already been invaded.

A considerable number of frightened common people fled from the city gate.

Blood eyed figures flew rapidly from the city wall, their bodies splitting open to reveal sharp teeth and swallowing a man. These were undoubtedly monsters.

Zhao Huai slowly landed, releasing his Rebirth Realm aura.

He dispersed the blood cloud, grabbed the body of the Bloody Devil with one hand and squeezed hard.

“Boom!”

The body of the Bloody Devil burst apart, turning into a bloody mist.

However, it wasn’t over. The blood remains were still wriggling, trying to regroup.

Zhao Huai narrowed his eyes, raised his two fingers, and pointed up at the sky.

A purple divine thunderbolt fell from the heavens, illuminating the city.

It covered sections of the city wall as if it were a miracle.