Chapter 2: The Path to the Heavens

Above the void, Lin Xitang praised, “Jun Du has a good sense of when to advance and retreat. He is gradually developing the demeanor of a great general. Not bad at all.”

However, Zhang Boqian snorted coldly, “He’s not putting his whole heart into killing the enemy but only focusing on guarding against his own people. This point is very much like you!”

Lin Xitang smiled faintly, “If we were to truly slaughter all those young ones opposite us, wouldn’t those old fellows be furious? You know this well, so why say it? If this were to spread, it would only make you seem petty.”

Zhang Boqian did not reply but instead gazed into the endless void, his eyes seemingly fixed on some distant point. Lin Xitang said no more and turned to leave.

At this moment, the two shining stars of the Empire, the Twin Pillars, seemed to have forgotten one matter, and one person, deliberately so.

Although the Twin Pillars did not mention it, the battle soon spread throughout the entire Empire at an incredible speed. The Witch’s Ice Crystal Flow attack was acknowledged by Zhao Jun Du as the most powerful in the battle, a fact also confirmed by the two dukes who had been secretly observing.

But the Ice Crystal Flow that traversed the void was actually deciphered by Qian Ye, and Qian Ye’s counterattack seemed to have injured the Witch, which was truly inconceivable. Although Qian Ye was somewhat famous, he had not yet caught the eye of the great figures, and many still did not know who Qian Ye was. However, not long after, news came from the Evernight that the Witch’s body had collapsed, almost leading to her fall, and she had to retreat deep into the void to hibernate, awaiting her body to regenerate.

And Qian Ye, it was said, was also injured but not dead, essentially drawing with the Witch.

The news caused a stir throughout the Empire.

From this point on, the name Qian Ye truly entered the vision of the highest echelons of the Empire for the first time. Only then did many realize that no one knew what Qian Ye’s main cultivation method was, nor did anyone know the secret technique behind the three light feathers that shook the heavens.

On the same day, in a quiet courtyard next to the Imperial Palace, an elderly man in civilian attire, pale and beardless, bowed slightly as he greeted the King of the Pole Star, who was reading under a tree.

The King of the Pole Star slowly put down his book and said mildly, “No need for formalities, Mr. Li. You serve the Empress, there’s no need to be so polite to this old man.”

Mr. Li, who was slightly plump, immediately broke out in a sweat. While wiping his forehead, he smiled bitterly, “Old king, don’t tease this old servant. I only have the honor of watching the Empress grow up, I have no real skills. My only boast is my diligence and loyalty.”

Seeing this, the King of the Pole Star did not insist on formality, “What brings you here, Mr. Li?”

Mr. Li bent his waist even deeper, “The Empress just received detailed intelligence about the battle on the floating land and wants to hear your comments, old king.”

The King of the Pole Star’s eyebrows twitched slightly, “I heard this battle produced many surprises. I too wish to know the details. Go ahead, tell me.”

Mr. Li recounted the final battle of the City of Unfallen in great detail. His voice was soft yet clear, and he left out no detail, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

As the King of the Pole Star listened, his expression grew increasingly solemn. When he heard that Qian Ye’s three light feathers had broken through the Ice Crystal Flow and then, by merging with it, inflicted heavy damage on the Witch using an unknown method, he rose to his feet and paced around the courtyard three times before finally exhaling deeply and saying heavily, “Another path to the heavens!”

“What?!” The jade tablet in Mr. Li’s hand fell to the ground, shattering.

Moments later, Mr. Li rushed to the hall where the Empress resided. Before he could enter, a clear and serene voice came from inside, “Uncle Li, what’s the rush?”

By the time Mr. Li stood before the Empress, he was panting and drenched in sweat. Without pausing to catch his breath, he lowered his voice and said, “Empress, this old servant is in a hurry! The old king’s evaluation was a path to the heavens!”

The Empress, who had been leaning against the armrest, was stroking a large, snow-white cat. Her fingers were crystal clear, almost transparent, seemingly whiter than the cat itself. Hearing the news, she slowly sat up, her face expressionless, but the large cat yelped in pain and leaped from her arms, escaping to hide behind the chair.

Mr. Li lowered his head, glancing at the white cat with the corner of his eye, then fixed his gaze on the ground.

“A path to the heavens… Is this referring to Qian Ye?”

“I believe so, Empress.”

“How is Qian Ye’s injury? Has he woken up?”

Mr. Li hurriedly replied, “This old servant does not know. After the battle, Zhao Jun Du hid him away, and no one was allowed to approach. Zhao Ruoxi was also guarding him, making it impossible for anyone to know his current state.”

The Empress furrowed her delicate brows, “Can’t you infer from the Ice Crystal Flow?”

“Empress, you may not know, but the Witch holds a very high position in the Evernight. Our insiders there can’t even get close to her, let alone learn about her combat techniques and their power. This is truly impossible to deduce.”

The Empress pondered silently, her slender, jade-like fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. Seeing this, Mr. Li, taking a bold step, said, “If the Empress considers Qian Ye a threat, I can arrange for someone to take care of him right now…”

The Empress, lost in thought, as if waking from a dream, shook her head and sighed softly, “After all, I am the Empress of Great Qin. I must think of the Empire. Qian Ye might be a pillar of the Empire in the future, let him be. If the time comes, we can even give him a helping hand.”

Mr. Li was stunned, “But this way, the Zhao clan might produce two Emperors in the future!”

The Empress smiled faintly, “So what? Even if there are two Emperors, they won’t overturn the Empire. As for our Li family, as long as we work hard, we will one day become a prominent clan. There is no fixed number of such clans. At the founding of the Empire, there were more than four.”

Mr. Li quickly said, “Empress is wise!”

The Empress waved her hand gently, and Mr. Li left the hall. Outside, he pondered for a moment, shook his head, and left in a hurry.

Key information always spreads faster than imagined. For some reason, within less than a day, the King of the Pole Star’s evaluation of Qian Ye had reached every level of the Empire.

The words “path to the heavens” caused a nationwide uproar!

Unlike Zhao Jun Du’s evaluation that the Emperor was “just outside the door,” the path to the heavens represented a legacy, implying that Qian Ye’s current cultivation methods and secret techniques could lead directly to the rank of Emperor. Although this was only a possibility, it was enough for Qian Ye to establish his own clan, and with good development, he might even start a new prominent clan. Yes, with just the phrase “path to the heavens,” Qian Ye could cross the threshold of nobility, which countless families yearned for.

In the thousand-year history of the Empire, not only the Imperial Family and the Four Clans had cultivation methods that led directly to the rank of Emperor. Many upper-class families also possessed such legacies, though the difficulty varied. However, this battle had proven that Qian Ye had the potential to achieve the rank of Emperor. With such an achievement, he could certainly support a prominent family.

Moreover, Qian Ye was so young and already capable of resisting the legendary genius of the demonic lineage, making the value of his legacy even more precious.

For a while, countless eyes were cast towards the City of Unfallen.

But how could the Zhao clan let things be? On the morning of the same day, Duke Wuyan, Zhao Xuanji, appeared in the City of Unfallen, personally overseeing the camp where Qian Ye lay unconscious. The Wolf Smoke Legion in the Western Continent was also urgently mobilized, with Zhao Wei Huang dispatching two of his four most capable generals to lead the two strongest armies to the floating land of the City of Unfallen. After this, most of the elite forces of the Wolf Smoke Legion gathered on the floating land. To say nothing of the fact that Qian Ye was also guarded by Zhao Ruoxi and her Manjusha Flower.

Such tight security made it impossible for even a fly to get near Qian Ye.

In the Imperial Military Department, a valiant man in his early thirties sat behind a desk, supporting his chin with his hands, listening intently to a subordinate reporting the details of the battle in the City of Unfallen. From the timing, he had received the intelligence only slightly later than the Imperial Family and the Empress, but the report already included the King of the Pole Star’s evaluation. This alone showed his position in the Military Department.

He wore the uniform of a Major General, but his displayed combat strength was only that of a Lieutenant General. In the Imperial Military Department, such a situation where rank was not based on strength only occurred in two cases: either he was from a distinguished family or had exceptional strategic insight. Given his position, the latter was more likely.

After hearing the report, he gave a short, derisive laugh, “Another Emperor? Two Emperors in one family, how can the Empire handle this? If that’s the case, what’s the point of cutting down the clans!”

The topic was too heavy, and the reporting subordinate held his breath, not daring to respond.

He did not expect a suggestion from the subordinate, thinking for a moment, he said, “Qian Ye’s injury is so severe that the key to recovery is likely the Mirror Water Purification. Among the existing stock, the closest one is in the hands of Li Tianquan of the Li family. Send someone to meet this second elder and ask him to hold firm against the pressure from the Zhao clan, not to hand over the Mirror Water Purification. As long as we don’t stand in the forefront, provide whatever support he needs.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the subordinate left, the new star of the Imperial military pressed the copper bell on the table, summoning his adjutant, and instructed, “Prepare the carriage, I need to see the Right Prime Minister.”

In recent days, Li Tianquan had been experiencing both joy and worry, even the serious battlefield situation was set aside.

The Misty Forest was becoming the domain of the dark races. The Li family’s hired lone hunters found it increasingly difficult to survive, forcing them to form large and small teams. However, teams also had their drawbacks; the cost of having a certain level of self-protection was more frequent and intense battles.

With the rising casualty rate, the major families that had once coveted the military merit list began to back off. More than one family started to withdraw their teams and move to the Zhao clan’s City of Unfallen, where the defense system was far more complete, and the combined strength of the Zhang, Zhao, and Song clans made the defense even more solid.

But at this moment, these big-picture matters were pushed aside in Li Tianquan’s mind, filled with only one name: Qian Ye.

A faint clinking sound echoed in the office, refusing to subside. Li Tianquan looked down and realized it was the teapot in his hand jumping, its lid knocking against the body, creating the sound. The sound was somewhat jarring to Li Tianquan, mixed with a few discordant notes, indicating that the quality was not the best. But all the good teapots had been smashed by Li Tianquan himself in the past few months, leaving only this one.

The clinking sound grew increasingly irritating, but it could not be eliminated. It wasn’t the pot moving, but his hand shaking. Ever since Li Tianquan learned the result of the final battle between Qian Ye and the Witch in the City of Unfallen, his hand had been shaking uncontrollably.