278: Chapter 278 One Scheme Harms Three Wise Men

Shan Xiao's brows knitted tighter.

"It has already been three days past the scheduled time... That brute!"

He couldn't help but curse under his breath:

"Is the Prince of Zhenbei's daughter really that easy to capture? Surely she has experts guarding her! For him to dare to go and kidnap someone with only three hundred Snow Shadow Guards is simply reckless!"

The adjutant stood with his head bowed to the side, not daring to interject.

That Twenty-Ninth Prince relied on his status and had always acted arrogantly; apart from the commander-in-chief, no one could control him.

Just then, hurried footsteps and a report came from outside the tent:

"Report—!"

"Enter!"

A soldier wearing the scout uniform of the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty walked quickly into the tent, kneeling on one knee, his face showing a trace of undisguisable panic and hesitation.

"What is the matter that you are so flustered?"

Shan Xiao had an ominous premonition rising in his heart.

The scout swallowed, and reported with a dry voice:

"Reporting to the Commander! The Imperial Capital... the Imperial Capital just sent a message through the emergency transmission array..."

"What message? Speak!"

Shan Xiao's voice rose sharply.

The scout dared not look up and trembled as he said:

"Your Highness the Twenty-Ninth Prince... His life tablet shattered three hours ago!"

"What?!"

Shan Xiao stood up abruptly from the commander's seat. The terrifying aura of a Middle Stage Profound Immortal erupted uncontrollably. The air in the entire central army tent seemed to freeze instantly, and the Jade Slip and teacup on the table were shattered into powder with a "crack"!

His complexion turned iron-blue instantly, and his eyes were filled with unbelievable shock and anger!

Ye Bing... dead?!

At this critical moment of the two armies confronting each other, a prince, his brother-in-law, actually died in the borderlands?!

"Investigate! Thoroughly investigate for this Commander!!"

Shan Xiao's roar almost flipped the tent roof. His eyes were blood-red, and his chest heaved violently:

"Alive, I want to see the person; dead... I want to find out who did this! Who has the audacity to kill a prince of my Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty!"

He slammed his fist onto the spot where the table had been reduced to powder, and even the hard ground was smashed into a shallow pit.

Ye Bing's death was not just the fall of a royal family member; it disrupted his entire layout and that of the entire Shan Clan Immortal family!

"Although Ye Bing was not the eldest legitimate son, he was one of the princes qualified to compete for that position!"

Shan Xiao's voice sounded as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth, full of unwillingness and violence:

"More importantly, the incident happened right under my nose! If His Majesty is furious, the first one to be held accountable will be me!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the Killing Intent that was almost out of control, and swept his eyes, sharp as knives, across the generals in the tent who were trembling in fear:

"Pass the order to the Shadow Guards: spare no cost to infiltrate near the Zhenbei Pass and find out the truth! Focus on investigating the movements of the Prince of Zhenbei! This Commander suspects that this matter is inseparable from him!"

Although his reason told him that the Prince of Zhenbei would definitely not do such a thing.

But apart from the top experts under the Prince of Zhenbei, he really couldn't think of anyone else who would dare to cleanly eliminate a prince and three hundred Snow Shadow Guards.

"At the same time, the army will advance three thousand miles! Apply pressure to the Prince of Zhenbei! If it really was his doing, this Commander will definitely make him pay a painful price!"

Five days later, Prince of Zhenbei's Residence.

In the study, incense curled, but it could not dispel the heavy atmosphere in the air.

The Prince of Zhenbei, Yun Ze, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the window, looking at the cold plum blossoms blooming proudly in the snow in the courtyard, his brows locked tight.

A beautiful woman in gorgeous clothes, still charming, sat on the side. Her eyebrows and eyes were seventy percent similar to Yun Ge's, and she was currently full of anxiety.

It was Yun Ge's mother, the Princess of Zhenbei.

"My Lord, has Geer not returned yet?"

The Princess's voice carried undisguisable worry:

"In the past, she should have returned to the residence by this time! Wang Gang has always been reliable in handling matters, so why has he been delayed for so long this time? Could it be... could it be that some accident happened?"

Yun Ze turned around, walked to the Princess's side, gently patted the back of her hand, and comforted her:

"Set your mind at ease, Wanrou. Geer's natal soul lamp is in my secret room; the flame is steady and vigorous, so there is no danger to her life. I imagine she was delayed by something."

Although he said so, the worry between his brows did not dissipate:

"The environment of the Wanji Icefield is special; the space fluctuations in the depths are chaotic, and there is also the interference of the Nine Nether Profound Evil Qi. The effect of the communication Jade Slip is very poor there, or even completely ineffective, so it is normal not to be able to contact them. Perhaps they went deeper to find a purer place of cold evil, which delayed their itinerary."

The Princess felt a little relieved upon hearing this, but still clutched the silk handkerchief in her hand:

"But my heart is always uneasy. It hasn't been peaceful recently, and the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty is restless. I'm worried..."

Yun Ze's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"I have already sent more manpower to follow their scheduled route to meet them. Don't worry, Wang Gang is a Peak True Immortal with rich experience. As long as he doesn't encounter an opponent of the Profound Immortal level or a large-scale army, protecting Geer should be safe. As for the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty..."

He snorted coldly, a flash of ferocity in his eyes:

"If they dare to touch a single hair of Geer, I will personally lead the North Wind Legion and trample their border three thousand miles flat!"

Although he was comforting the Princess with his words, the doubt in Yun Ze's heart did not disappear.

Yun Ge's trip this time was to balance her Heaven Burning Dao Body; logically, she should not have gone too deep into dangerous territory.

Being delayed for so long was indeed a bit abnormal.

Just as the doubt in Yun Ze's heart grew heavier, a rush of footsteps that were almost frantic came from outside the study.

A figure appeared at the door; it was Li Qiang, the commander of the personal guards whom Yun Ze trusted the most.

"My Lord! My Lady!"

Li Qiang knelt on one knee, his voice carrying a trace of anxiety:

"My subordinates and I searched along the route the Young Miss was scheduled to return, but we did not meet the Young Miss or Wang Gang and the others! However..."

Yun Ze's heart sank, and he forced himself to stay calm:

"Continue!"

Li Qiang took a deep breath, and an expression of anger appeared on his face:

"We found traces of a large-scale battle in a place called Silent Snow Valley along the route! The scene was a mess, and the snow was blasted into several giant pits by powerful immortal essence. This damage could only be caused by a Profound Immortal level expert!"

"What?!"

The Princess stood up abruptly, her face instantly turning pale.

Li Qiang's voice trembled as he continued:

"And... we found this at the edge of the battlefield!"

He took out a piece of black metal the size of a palm; the surface of the fragment was engraved with the unique patterns of the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty.

"This is a fragment of the standard armor of the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty's Snow Shadow Guards!"

Li Qiang raised his head abruptly, his eyes full of bloodshots and anger, and said the worst speculation:

"My Lord! All signs indicate that the Young Miss and the others... very likely encountered an ambush by a Profound Immortal expert from the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty! The Young Miss... is likely to have been forcibly taken away by them!"

"Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty!!!"

Yun Ze could no longer remain calm. A monstrous Killing Intent erupted from his body like substance. The temperature in the study dropped sharply, and the sandalwood chair under him turned into powder silently.

The Princess felt a darkness before her eyes, her delicate body swayed, and she almost fainted, but was quickly supported by a maidservant who had quick eyes and hands.

"Good! A good Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty!"

Yun Ze's voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year ice, and every word contained endless Killing Intent:

"First you mass troops at the border, and now you dare to kidnap my beloved daughter! Do you really think I, Yun Ze, am made of mud?!"

He looked sharply at Li Qiang, his eyes as sharp as knives:

"Pass my military order!"

"The North Wind Legion will assemble! The 'Breaking Array', 'Trapping Array', and 'Crimson Flame' battalions will be the vanguard and set out immediately!"