Chapter 363: The Situation in the Jia Ma Empire
Gu He's words stunned everyone in the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, in particular, snapped their heads toward Gu He, eyes wide with shock.
"Danhuang, is this true?"
Gu He nodded gravely, his expression somber.
"Absolutely. Everything happened because of the ancient jade that Xiao Yan carried. And now that jade has vanished along with those people."
"It was precisely because of that jade that our Jia Ma Empire suffered such devastation.
If not for the protection of the Guardian Elder, we all would have perished!"
As he spoke, Gu He couldn't help but shudder, a cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead.
This was true, raw fear.
Because he had seen it all with his own eyes.
The horrors, the hellish scene it was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"The Hall of Souls sent an army of Dou Kings and Dou Emperors, an entire squadron of Dou Ancestors, and worst of all four Dou Venerates!"
The moment he finished speaking, the legs of everyone around him trembled.
This nightmare had been brought upon them by that bastard Xiao Yan?!
The strongest figures of the Jia Ma Empire all turned their icy, hostile gazes toward the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li could feel the mounting pressure around them, and soon, their own foreheads began to bead with sweat.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ding stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Seniors, please believe us! Our Xiao Clan knew nothing of this!"
The surrounding crowd examined the Xiao Clan members carefully, and after a moment, they realized the truth.
Indeed, this matter had nothing to do with them.
The Xiao Clan was merely a tiny family, too insignificant to have ever provoked such a colossal force.
No, the real culprit was Xiao Yan and his master, Yao Chen.
Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, Gu He's eyes flickered with a sinister glint.
Xiao Yan… you ruined my wedding. You humiliated me.
If I don't make you completely alone and despised, I, Gu He, will write my name backward!
At this moment, everyone's eyes toward the Xiao Clan carried a trace of sympathy.
Having a moronic disgrace of a child in their family… truly, what a miserable fate.
…
"Xiao Yan is already imprisoned. Lord Yan Zun will decide his fate.
As for us, it's best we return home."
Hai Bodong flapped his ice crystal wings and said calmly.
The others nodded, glancing back one last time at what used to be Cloud Mist Mountain.
Now, it was just an enormous pit of fire.
With heavy hearts, they shook their heads and turned away.
…
From that day forward, the Jia Ma Empire renamed the site "Flame Abyss."
It soon became a mystical land anyone with fire attribute Dou Qi who meditated there would experience a massive increase in cultivation speed.
However, at the very center, even a Dou King would be instantly incinerated.
…
The entire empire fell into an eerie silence.
Cloud Mist Sect the empire's once glorious sacred training ground was completely erased from existence.
Only Yun Yun, Nalan Yanran, and Gu He survived.
This shocking news quickly swept through every corner of the empire.
However, the official version of the story was that the Cloud Mist Sect had conspired with an evil force to overthrow the Jia Ma Empire.
The entire nation had seen that terrifying black fog piercing the heavens.
The sheer oppression of its presence made them painfully aware
They had barely survived destruction.
Not a single soldier, not a single noble family, nor any faction in the empire lost a single person.
The only one responsible for saving them…
Was the Guardian Elder of the Snake People Tribe.
Lord Yan Zun.
His name shook the entire empire.
The moment anyone heard his name, they would kneel and bow toward the heavens.
Within a single day, statues of Yan Zun were erected across the empire.
To them, he was a hero worthy of eternal reverence.
…
Within mere days, stories of Cloud Mist Sect's destruction spread like wildfire.
Of course, many of these stories contained exaggerated legends.
But who was responsible for spreading them?
Hai Bodong.
And Gu He just smiled knowingly.
Because, in truth, no legend could ever capture the true horror of what had happened.
And Gu He knew better than anyone
The more you know, the quicker you die.
He was a Sixth Tier Alchemist.
He understood this truth perfectly.
As long as he kept his mouth shut, Lord Yan Zun would let him live.
If he acted foolishly, his corpse would be nothing but ashes.
…
Some of the factions that had remained neutral neither joining Cloud Mist Sect nor the empire's alliance
Now felt immense relief.
Though they had not sided with the empire, they had also not betrayed it.
And that meant…
They survived.
Which was all that mattered.
…
However, not everyone was celebrating.
One faction, in particular, was experiencing an absolute nightmare.
The Xiao Clan.
At first, they thought they had clung to the right thigh and were about to rise to power.
But after Xiao Yan's colossal mess, they found themselves rejected, abandoned, and despised.
Even their newly renovated Xiao Mansion had become the city's trash dump.
Egg yolks, cabbage leaves, rotten vegetables…
The entire mansion was coated in garbage.
The stench was unbearable.
Yet, none of them dared to leave the building.
Some people still felt a sliver of pity for them.
But sympathy and willingness to associate were two different things.
They might pity the Xiao Clan, but they weren't stupid enough to stand beside them.
And so
The Xiao Clan was completely ostracized.
…
Inside the Xiao Clan's main hall, a serious meeting was taking place.
The clan elders, along with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, sat at a large table, their expressions grim.
Because right now
They had only one goal.
Find a way out of this nightmare.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10