The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 197: Radical Change In The South; The Summer Snow!

Radical Change In The South; The Summer Snow! . . .

In response to Princess Hua-Yang's heartfelt request, Meng Huai-Qing agreed to accompany Su Ye-Yue to the south and personally speak to Prince Hua-Yang. Princess Hua-Yang had a compelling reason for this request – her daughter was leaving home, and there was no guarantee they would ever see her again for the rest of their lives. It was essential for her to bid farewell to her father in person.

Meng Huai-Qing had grown fond of the girl during their brief encounter. She didn't want Su Ye-Yue to harbor any doubts or concerns about her departure. Thus, she readily agreed to Princess Hua-Yang's request. While the journey to the south typically took around half a month, for a cultivator of Meng Huai-Qing's caliber, it would be a mere matter of moments.

Before their departure, Su Ye-Yue tightly gripped Cha-Eun Xiao's hand, her eyes brimming with tears. She implored, "Cha-Eun Xiao, you must not forget me... You have to promise me that you'll come find me..."

Cha-Eun Xiao offered reassurance, "Don't worry. I will find you. But perhaps you won't need me to seek you out. If you progress in your cultivation swiftly and reach the pinnacle early, you might return to me. By then, you'll be the one protecting me, just as you wished."

Su Ye-Yue's eyes sparkled with newfound hope as she declared, "Yes, that's true!" She resolved to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to her cultivation, knowing that Cha-Eun Xiao faced considerable danger. [Cha-Eun Xiao is in such perilous circumstances. I must succeed quickly and return to him...]

Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she clung to Cha-Eun Xiao's hand. Her other hand remained firmly entwined with her mother's. She was loath to let go of either of them, and she continued to speak as if there were an endless stream of words she needed to convey.

Meng Huai-Qing, however, grew impatient. She gently shook Su Ye-Yue's shoulder, causing her hands to reluctantly release their grip.

With a graceful motion, Su Ye-Yue ascended from the floor, her eyes still brimming with tears.

"Cha-Eun Xiao! Mother!" she cried out, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Rest assured! I'll be here. Everything will be fine at home. Just don't worry!" Cha-Eun Xiao followed her to the door, his voice filled with unwavering support.

Su Ye-Yue nodded tearfully and looked at Cha-Eun Xiao with deep affection, as if she were trying to etch every detail of his face into her memory.

In the next moment, Meng Huai-Qing waved her hand, conjuring a long crack in the fabric of space that loomed in the sky.

"Farewell!" she said, and in an instant, they vanished into the sky.

Only two glistening teardrops fell gracefully through the air, bearing witness to the heart-wrenching parting.

Tears cascaded from Su Ye-Yue's eyes, landing upon Cha-Eun Xiao's face. They carried the weight of her sorrow, salty and sour, a testament to her heartache.

Cha-Eun Xiao gazed up at the sky, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

In the afternoon, Su Ye-Yue bade farewell to the Palace of Hua-Yang.

Simultaneously, she arrived at the military camp situated in the southern front, a journey of thousands of miles. Astonishingly, it felt as if she had merely crossed the threshold of her own home.

It was as if it had only taken a few steps.

Indeed, they had traversed just a few paces.

The spatial rift created by Meng Huai-Qing resembled a doorway connecting the city to the southern front. She led Su Ye-Yue through this mystical portal and emerged in an entirely different realm.

This was a wondrous skill, a secret art of spatial travel shrouded in mystery. Even the Xiao Monarch, a grandmaster-level cultivator of the Daoyuan Grade, found himself befuddled by its intricacies. It was a formidable technique known to exist only within the vast realms, something he had never encountered nor heard of before.

However, the one who was most profoundly affected by this revelation was Cha-Eun Xiao.

Ignorance breeds fearlessness, but the depths of one's understanding can provoke shock. Princess Hua-Yang, recognizing the skill's extraordinariness, could not fathom its true power.

Cha-Eun Xiao, on the other hand, was well aware of its significance. He stood there, stunned, his jaw metaphorically dropping. To travel between two different spaces was a remarkable feat, one that required a Daoyuan Grade grandmaster's level of cultivation. Yet, when accompanying an ordinary person and seeking a precise destination, the difficulty increased exponentially.

The act of traversing dimensions was swift, but fraught with peril as the traveler navigated the turbulent forces of space. To shield oneself was challenging enough, but to shield both oneself and an ordinary person amplified the complexity manifold.

Cha-Eun Xiao was well-acquainted with these facts, which was why he was so taken aback, as if the ground beneath him had shifted.

To know more was to realize how little one truly knew.

In a way, ignorance was a blessing.

While Cha-Eun Xiao grappled with the revelation, the world beyond was rocked by the enormity of the event. It was an occurrence that would alter the course of history.

The scorching afternoon sun bore down upon Prince Hua-Yang's army as they valiantly withstood the relentless onslaught of the enemy's ferocious attacks. Both sides were well aware that they had committed their full forces to this intense battle.

Despite the unwavering bravery and strength displayed by Prince Hua-Yang's forces, the odds were stacked against them. Their numerical disadvantage made the situation increasingly dire with each passing moment.

Then, in a sudden and startling turn of events, the clear blue sky was swiftly shrouded by ominous dark clouds. The wind began to howl, thunder rumbled, and lightning crackled across the heavens. The world plunged into darkness, and even the soldiers couldn't discern their own fingers before them.

As moments passed, an astonishing phenomenon unfolded before their eyes—snow began to fall. Snowfall in the midst of summer was an inconceivable anomaly.

The snowfall grew heavier, and soon, it seemed as though the heavens and the earth had merged into a vast expanse of white. Two men standing face to face struggled to recognize one another amidst the blinding whiteout.

In an astonishingly brief period, the temperature plummeted dramatically, and an unrelenting cold settled in. Soldiers risked freezing their fingers simply by touching their weapons. The frigid conditions forced both opposing sides to retreat from the battlefield, returning to their respective camps to prepare for future confrontations.

The unexpected snowstorm had inflicted equal hardship on both factions, offering no advantage to either side. Frustration and bewilderment reverberated through the ranks of the million-strong army.

"What bizarre weather this is..."

"I can hardly believe my eyes..."

"In all my forty years of life, I've never witnessed such a spectacle..."

"Forty years? It's the first time in my hundred years!"

"Enough with the boasting! You, old man, are mostly sixty..."

"Is this what they call 'Snow In June'? Is there injustice in the world?"

"To hell with injustice! What do we, as soldiers, have to do with such matters?"

"Sheesh... It's freezing me to death... I should head into the camp and start a fire..."

"Where are my firewoods? Why haven't they brought them yet? I am freezing..."

"Hey, Wang, it's cold. I bet your cock must be frozen? Congratulations. You can finally get hard..."

"Piss off!"

"Hahahahaha..."

After enduring a day and a night of relentless snowfall, they finally awoke to a transformed world, leaving them stunned.

What lay before their eyes defied imagination.

In this monumental war, three nations clashed, with millions of men embroiled in the conflict. The Kingdom of Lan-Feng and the South Barbarians had formed an alliance, investing considerable resources to wage this battle on flat terrain. Although there were a few scattered hills and small mountains, the majority of the battlefield was level. Unfortunately, this arrangement posed a disadvantage to the Kingdom of Chen.

Prince Hua-Yang was powerless to alter these circumstances. When he arrived on the scene, the Kingdom of Chen had already been pushed to the brink. Retreating further would risk drawing the battle into their own kingdom, thus leaving them with no choice but to contend with the enemy's favorable position.

However, the sudden snowfall had altered the landscape in front of Prince Hua-Yang's army in an astonishing manner.

It was not just any passageway; the sides of this passage were colossal mountains that seemed to touch the heavens themselves. The passage was a mere 35 meters wide, appearing as though a mountain had been cleaved in two.

The sight was utterly incredulous, yet there was an even more astounding revelation. Nestled between the mountainous barriers on either side, there stood a castle!

Prince Hua-Yang's forces had gained possession of this castle, only to discover that it was constructed entirely of iron—formidable and unyielding.

Suddenly, they had a castle that served as a staunch guardian of the passage. As long as they could prevent the enemy from traversing the passage, the south would remain secure. Defending this vital gateway would require only tens of thousands of men.

In essence, it was an absurd notion to safeguard the entire south with a mere tens of thousands of soldiers. Yet now, this surreal scenario had become their reality. The mountain range curved across three directions, effectively barricading the southern region of the Kingdom of Chen.

The South Barbarians and the Kingdom of Lan-Feng stood stupefied in the face of this fantastical spectacle.

"Damn it! We've expended nearly all our resources and mustered nearly every South Barbarian warrior to launch this relentless assault. After days and nights of relentless combat, we thought victory was within reach, only to be thwarted by an unexpected snowfall that brought our advance to a standstill.

If it were just an ordinary snowstorm, we could have endured, confident that they would eventually fall under our feet. But...where the hell did these mountains come from? What is this passage?

Could it be the gods themselves conspiring against us? Is Providence favoring the Kingdom of Chen?

It can only be a divinely wrought marvel! What other explanation could there be?"

Suddenly, from the south, the thunderous roar of infuriated voices echoed through the mountains, carrying the weight of their exasperation.