Just then, a sudden wind blew outside, whistling through the broken tiles on the eaves with a shrill “xiu-xiu” sound like ghosts wailing.

Feng Miaojun suddenly widened her eyes, as if awakening, her gaze turning cold once more.

For the past two days, Lady Ba had been busy evading New Xia’s search.

The night before, after being wounded by Yu Haizhen, she could have fled thousands of miles away, and the New Xia forces would likely have had no way to deal with her. However, the King of Yan’s soul had not yet returned from Dream City, so no matter how she circled about, she could not leave the confines of Water City.

Yu Haizhen led her strongest cultivators, along with thousands of New Xia’s elite troops, to conduct a city-wide search, forcing Lady Ba to hide from place to place. Not to mention that Wei’s State Preceptor Yun Ya had also joined the fray. She had several close calls and was herself covered in wounds.

To escape from under the noses of so many powerful individuals was already an impressive feat.

Even though the corpse-demon had a body of copper and bones of iron and never tired, by the time the King of Yan awoke, she was almost unable to continue.

The King of Yan’s condition was not much better. Although his body bore no wounds, his soul had been severely depleted in Dream City—first in a great battle with Feng Miaojun, then entering the stone chamber and the barrier between reality and illusion, expending all his soul power to help with the seal. Upon returning to reality, his limbs were numb and weak, his soul exhausted, and he felt like collapsing on the ground to sleep for three hundred and sixty-five days.

Both of them, with their strength nearly spent, fled as if flying.

Behind them, Yun Ya and Yu Haizhen led their forces in relentless pursuit.

Yu Haizhen and the King of Yan had a blood feud over the destruction of a kingdom. Having finally driven him to this point, she would not let the matter rest. Yun Ya’s thoughts, however, were much more complex:

After Feng Miaojun had become a Heavenly Demon, this was his last chance to quickly end the war in the Southern Continent! If he could capture the King of Yan now and gather all the altar fragments, he would regain the initiative. Conversely, if the King of Yan escaped and the Yan Kingdom regained its core strength, the Wei Kingdom’s hope for victory would be indefinitely postponed. And the Heavenly Demon would control New Xia, turning its spears to deal with Wei.

Hmph, at that time, with the Wei Kingdom facing two enemies, the trouble would be enormous.

By the time the New Xia Queen’s order was transmitted, the battle by the Lanxiang River had already been decided—Lady Ba had been captured, and the injured King of Yan had escaped.

At this moment, the Queen of New Xia’s order came through:

“Cease fighting, return to the city!”

Yu Haizhen and all the commanders were stunned, unable to believe that Feng Miaojun would let this opportunity pass. But when a monarch gives an order, no soldier dares disobey. As regretful as everyone was, they had to abandon their pursuit of the King of Yan.

Barely half an hour later, a second royal decree arrived:

Turn all forces around and pursue the State Preceptor of Wei!

General Hong and Yu Haizhen looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what game Feng Miaojun was playing this time. However, Zhao Hongyin had always been loyal and simply followed orders. But when he turned his spears toward Yun Ya, the man had already slipped away.

He had known early on that Feng Miaojun would turn against him. After hundreds of years of confronting the Heavenly Demon, they knew each other’s tactics by heart.

Under the royal decree, Yu Haizhen should have led the many cultivators to give chase, but at this moment, she suddenly clutched her belly and bent over, cold sweat streaming down her face.

It was the first time Zhao Hongyin had seen the State Preceptor in distress, and he was startled: “What’s wrong with State Preceptor Yu?”

“Perhaps I’ve… perhaps I’ve disturbed the fetus.” Yu Haizhen’s face had turned pale, but in her palm, she gripped a note.

Hu Tian quickly changed to his original form to support her.

That’s right, how could they forget that the State Preceptor was a pregnant woman? All the men stood dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Finally, Zhao Hongyin asked her to rest in a nearby village while he continued the pursuit with his men.

However, without Yu Haizhen’s presence, those demons would not obediently exert themselves.

Two hours later, darkness was falling again.

Yu Haizhen rested in a farmhouse, planning to return to Wusei once her condition improved.

She slowly sipped hot water when she heard a tapping sound on the window.

The little monkey Hu Tian bared its sharp teeth, its white fur standing on end. If it changed to its true form, it would likely collapse the house.

Yu Haizhen, however, patted its head to indicate there was no danger, and then said clearly, “Come in.”

The wooden window moved slightly, and an additional person appeared in the room—handsome and dignified, but with a face as cold as water.

Yun Ya.

He walked over, found a cup, and poured himself some water. “You defied the royal decree?”

Yu Haizhen tossed a note onto the table. “Dachang said something happened to the Queen, apparently an accident in Dream City, and asked me to get clear information from you.” Besides the official order, Chen Dachang had sent a secret message, meant only for her.

Yun Ya’s gaze sank slightly, but he finally told her the whole story.

The series of inexplicable events that had happened to Feng Miaojun left Yu Haizhen half-believing, and half-doubting.

With her profound cultivation, she had great confidence in her intuition. This matter was too strange.

When the Queen’s order was transmitted, Yu Haizhen was inclined to believe Yun Ya more. Feng Miaojun understood the continental situation deeply—how could she possibly halt the pursuit of the King of Yan?

Having associated with her for many years, she also knew the Queen’s feelings toward Yun Ya and that she would never turn her weapons against him. This time, Feng Miaojun’s behavior was too abnormal, and she made no effort to conceal it from others.

If the Queen had indeed become a Heavenly Demon, it would make sense. She truly no longer needed to have concerns, as her position could no longer be shaken by anyone.

“What do you plan to do?” Hu Tian changed back into a small monkey and sat on her shoulder, scratching his ears and face, also looking troubled.

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Yun Ya shook his head. “New Xia has become a behemoth. At present, no one can move against the Heavenly Demon.

“An’an has painstakingly managed these few years to transform New Xia into a strong and prosperous state. The long-warring kingdoms of Wei and Yan are far less prosperous in national power. She has forged the kingdom like an iron barrel, with unmatched prestige, and no one else can contest her authority.

“I am the State Preceptor of New Xia and cannot help you,” Yu Haizhen said gravely. “Moreover, the claim that ‘the Queen is a Heavenly Demon’ is so outrageous that whoever dares to speak it will face collective attack, with no chance to defend themselves.”

Within the current borders of New Xia, the Queen was a deity-like figure. The people believed she was omnipotent, even building shrines for her, prostrating themselves twice a day, and praising her with fervor.

She had revitalized New Xia, leading her people from fragmentation to unity, and guiding the country from weakness to strength. In such a situation, anyone who dared speak the truth would only be seen as slandering her. Even without the Queen taking action, the pointing fingers of thousands would make it difficult for such a person to take a single step.

Yu Haizhen paused: “If what you say is true, can you save her?”

Who “she” was, both understood perfectly.

Yun Ya remained silent. Even if he could deal with the Heavenly Demon, now that it and Feng Miaojun had become one, how could he separate them?

At least until now, he had no clue.