342: Chapter 342 The People of Daqian...

Countless miles away from Holy Dragon City, atop an unnamed mountain peak.

The sea of clouds surged, and the cold wind bit.

Two figures stood at opposite ends of the mountain peak, separated by a hundred feet, yet appearing as if separated by an entire era.

The person on the left had hair as white as snow and wore a simple, unadorned astrological Daoist robe; it was the Chancellor of the Directorate of Astronomy.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the sea of clouds as if he could see everything happening in the distant Holy Dragon City.

The person on the right was equally aged but wore a dark red robe, with a faint blood-red mist swirling around him.

His face was as pale as paper, and his aura was unstable, clearly showing that his injuries had not yet healed...

It was the Demon Sect High Priest.

The two looked at each other; there was no killing intent or tension, but rather a sense of being old friends who hadn't met in years.

"That prince of a fallen nation," the Chancellor spoke calmly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "is much more composed than you, and much more formidable. He knows how to endure."

He paused, his voice tinged with emotion: "If it weren't for that boy Shengyuan, he would have been truly difficult to deal with this time. If he had been allowed to come into his own, you old fellow would have become a laughingstock... after painstakingly planning for thousands of years, only to have a junior reap the rewards."

The High Priest sneered upon hearing this.

"They are merely juniors," his voice was raspy and low, yet carried an innate arrogance. "Just because they've had some lucky achievements, they think they can shake the grand scheme of things? In this world, we shall see who has the last laugh."

The Chancellor nodded, his smile remaining. "Well said."

He looked at the High Priest, his gaze as calm as water. "In any case, it won't be you."

The High Priest's expression stiffened, and the blood-red mist around him surged violently before slowly settling down again.

He stared coldly at the Chancellor and said word by word, "Then... we shall see."

As his voice fell, his figure transformed into a streak of blood-red light and vanished at the horizon.

The Chancellor did not stop him; he simply stood on the mountain peak with his hands behind his back, looking toward the Demon Domain and sighing softly.

"Kid, wrap things up quickly... the pressure on this old man's side is also quite high."

The Arctic Cold River.

On the endless ice plains, the cold wind was like a knife, and snow fell heavily.

As far as the eye could see, there was only endless white, merging with the horizon.

Two figures stood on the ice plains.

One was dressed in green with a sword on his back, his expression cold and detached; it was the Chancellor's second Disciple, Ye Hangzhou.

A pitch-black crow perched on his shoulder, preening its feathers with its claws.

Their current location was even deeper into the Arctic than where Li Shengyuan and Yue Xiyan had been!

Even so, it wasn't enough; Ye Hangzhou's goal for this trip was the mysterious Arctic Center!

The climate was even harsher, and the danger had doubled accordingly; even the powerhouses of the two tribes of the Northern Demon Barbarians rarely ventured this deep.

This was because not only was the Frigid Ice Forbidden Land located here, but there were also unique and powerful glacial lifeforms!

Coal Ball suddenly raised its head and looked toward the distant south... the direction of the Demon Domain.

"Caw, caw, caw..." It cried out a few times, its voice sounding particularly abrupt in the wind and snow. "It's started over there! It's started over there! Caw, caw, caw..."

Ye Hangzhou did not look back; his gaze remained fixed forward.

A hundred feet away, a massive Glacial Snow Dragon was coiled on the ice plains, its body covered in translucent ice armor, its dragon eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

It stared at Ye Hangzhou, a low growl emanating from its throat, yet it did not initiate an attack.

"Mhm," Ye Hangzhou responded softly, his tone calm. "Should I speed things up?"

He paused, his gaze meeting the Glacial Snow Dragon's from afar, a slight smile touching his lips.

"Then... let's finish this quickly."

He raised his hand, and a Spiritual Array shone like the stars.

Array seals filled the sky, reflecting upon the world.

The Capital of Great Qian, the Imperial Palace.

Night fell, and the moonlight was like water.

Empress Mu Qingning stood at the highest point of Chengtian Hall, hands behind her back, looking toward the west.

The night wind stirred her robes, revealing her cold and exquisitely beautiful profile.

Behind her, Princess Pingyang, Princess Mu Shining, stood quietly, her eyes filled with worry.

"Sister..." Princess Mu Shining spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly. "Brother Shengyuan... he'll be alright, won't he?"

Female Emperor Mu Qingning did not look back, merely speaking calmly, her tone as though she were stating a simple fact:

"Yes!"

She paused, her gaze deepening. "I haven't married him into the family yet; nothing will happen to him."

Princess Mu Shining was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes reddened as she nodded vigorously.

In the distance, on another high building of the palace, Li Cangsheng stood with his hands behind his back. Behind him stood the core members of the Li family and several of Li Shengyuan's female confidantes, worry visible in everyone's eyes.

Li Shengyuan was very strong, but this time he was in the unfamiliar Demon Domain, far away in a foreign land, making it hard not to worry.

Li Cangsheng gazed toward the west, his aged face expressionless, but a faint glint flickered in his deep eyes.

"The Demon Domain..."

Questioning Dao Sect.

Luo Qingwan, dressed in voluminous Daoist robes, and her Disciple Luo Yuzhu stood side by side on the mountain peak, both looking toward the western Demon Domain.

Luo Yuzhu bit her lower lip, her expression complex, as she spoke to her Revered Master in a heavy tone:

"Revered Master, this time he's alone in the Demon Domain... he'll be fine, right?"

Luo Qingwan turned her head, her phoenix-like eyes calmly glancing at her Disciple, and then she nodded slightly.

"Yes, he is very strong. He will be fine..."