Leaving

Cang Yan was certain that Luo Huo'er came from an extraordinary background, and that Luo Huo'er herself seemed to hold a high position within her Lineage.

Under these circumstances, her Lineage would not have allowed Luo Huo'er to come to Tai'a Divine City alone without any protection.

Luo Huo'er should have some means of protecting herself. If this means of protection is no match for the Shepherd Boy, then under normal circumstances, Luo Huo'er should have secretly informed her Lineage several months ago to have someone protect her.

At this point Tai'a Divine Kingdom was like a drowning person, grasping at any possible straw to save itself.

Although the chances of Luo Huo'er saving Tai'a Divine City are extremely slim, it's still better than having no hope at all.

When this was mentioned to a young girl like Luo Huo'er, none of the sages of Tai'a Divine City, such as Jian Ge, could bring themselves to do it. So, this task gloriously fell to Cang Yan had the thickest skin.

"Lineage? What Lineage?" Luo Huo'er's eyes darted around, looking puzzled.

Yi Yun stopped at this moment, turning back to look at Luo Huo'er and Cang Yan. Cang Yan had obviously expected Luo Huo'er to play dumb. He coughed, rubbed his hands, and said, "Miss Luo, at a time like this, don't joke with this old man anymore. So many lives in Tai'a Divine City are on the line. If it weren't for unavoidable circumstances, this old man wouldn't have bothered to bring this up with you..."

"Human life is of paramount importance. We old folks don't have many years left anyway, so it doesn't matter if we die. But behind us are hundreds of millions of people, including newlywed couples and newborn children..."

"You wouldn't want to watch these people die in the Beast Tide, would you? How many human tragedies would occur then..."

Cang Yan said sincerely. Yi Yun, who was listening from the side, had to admit that Cang Yan had quite a few speaking skills. Now it seemed that if Luo Huo'er turned around and left, it would be considered a great act of rebellion.

Moreover... the teleportation array of Tai'a Divine City requires two Enforcement Envoy to operate to activate. If Luo Huo'er doesn't express any opinion, Cang Yan probably won't let Luo Huo'er leave.

If they forcibly leave Luo Huo'er in Tai'a Divine City, surely Luo Huo'er Lineage wouldn't just stand by and watch her die.

Luo Huo'er clearly realized this as well. She bit her lip and said, "Senior Cang Yan, it's not that I don't want to help you... but... I can't help either. You guessed correctly, I do come from a very powerful force, but you're wrong to think I have any expert protecting me..."

"Why do you think I, born into a powerful family, would come to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom?"

Luo Huo'er's question surprised Yi Yun, who was also puzzled by it.

"Actually... I'm here as a refugee. My Lineage is in the midst of war, and things are in turmoil. So, a few years ago, the direct descendants of the Lineage were distributed to Lineage branches all over the world to prevent the Lineage from being destroyed and the lineage from being cut off."

"And the Tai'a Divine Kingdom happens to have a branch there. So... I was brought here. If it were during the Lineage's heyday, when I went out to train, perhaps there would be experts accompanying and protecting me, but now... where would they be? As for the Lineage's secret branch in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, even if they were willing to expose it, they probably wouldn't be able to stop such a Beast Tide..."

After hearing Luo Huo'er's words, Cang Yan was stunned for a long time.

After a dozen or so breaths, Cang Yan let out a long sigh, as if he had aged even more.

"Is that so... So, is Heaven truly determined to destroy my Tai'a...?"

Cang Yan shook her head. Although she hadn't held out much hope for Luo Huo'er to begin with, she still felt heavy-hearted when she learned that Cang Yan Luo Huo'er couldn't help her in the slightest.

Once Tai'a Divine City falls, Cang Yan dares not imagine what will become of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom. Will that once-prosperous capital and its numerous thriving prefectures be wiped out and ultimately become part of the Divine Wilderness?

Thinking of this, Cang Yan felt heavy-hearted.

"Let's go." Cang Yan waved his hand, no longer making things difficult for Luo Huo'er.

Luo Huo'er bit her lip, feeling inexplicably guilty. Although this matter had nothing to do with her, she still blamed herself.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Huo'er seemed to have made a great decision. She took out a jade slip from her Space Ring and put it into Cang Yan's hand.

"Cang Yan, this is a jade slip containing my avatar that my father left me to save my life in times of danger. You might find it useful. I'm leaving now. Something has happened to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, and the people from the Lineage branch might take me away from here..."

Luo Huo'er's Lineage was originally just a passerby in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, like a bird that had landed on a tree.

When a tree is about to fall, birds won't try to prop it up; they'll just fly away.

The teleportation array flashed, and Yi Yun left with an incredibly heavy heart.

He didn't know what would happen to Tai'a Divine City, Cang Yan, Jian Ge, and the Lord of Tai'a Divine City —what would become of them if they stayed here?

Yi Yun himself, although he had returned to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, if the Tai'a Divine City fell, would there still be a safe place in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom?

Yi Yun knew very well that with his current strength, he was like a small bubble in the ocean waves amidst the super Beast Tide sweeping across several countries. He was not only powerless but also likely to burst at any moment.

It seems there's... no way out...

Yi Yun and Luo Huo'er walked out of the teleportation array together. A Floating Sky Ship already parked there, and many young prodigies had boarded it, preparing to return to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom.

Yi Yun saw Yang Gan, Demon Blade, and the others.

No one spoke; the atmosphere was unusually oppressive.

Luo Huo'er sat blankly in the corner, somewhat lost in thought.

Yi Yun sighed softly and sat down next to Luo Huo'er.

The airship started up, and in the strong air currents, it vibrated repeatedly, and Luo Huo'er's body swayed with these vibrations.

"Yi Yun... tell me... why do we have to have wars?"

As the flying boat was in flight, Luo Huo'er suddenly spoke softly, looking out the window at the vast and desolate wilderness, her expression bewildered.

If it weren't for the war, she wouldn't have left her Lineage; if it weren't for the war, there wouldn't have been such widespread suffering.

Yi Yun was silent for a moment, then said, "Humans killing each other is like animals hunting each other; the scene will always be this cruel. True peace probably will never exist. Because life exists in this world, it must constantly hunt and kill other lives in order to survive; that is the way of nature."

"We are either predators or prey; we can't escape this cycle. Even after death, our corpses may become food or nourishment, continuing the cycle... That's probably the nature of life..."

Yi Yun sighed. Luo Huo'er was slightly taken aback. She had only asked casually, as if talking to herself, but she didn't expect Yi Yun to give such an answer.

She never expected that Yi Yun, a fourteen-year-old boy, would say such a thing.

"Just saying," Yi Yun shrugged, then added, "Let's think about how to survive now."

"Survive?" Luo Huo'er pursed her lips. "I should... leave... Actually... I could talk to the Lineage and take you with me..."

In Tai'a Divine City, Luo Huo'er had no friends other than the somewhat adorable and silly Dong'er.

Yi Yun, the guy Luo Huo'er initially found very annoying, now, in this life-or-death situation, Luo Huo'er didn't find him so annoying anymore...

"Walk?"

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he was almost tempted.

If we can leave the Tai'a Divine Kingdom with Luo Huo'er, we will be safe.

But... once I leave the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, I don't know when I'll be able to return.

Thinking of Cang Yan and the instructions given to him by the Lord of Tai'a Divine City, Yi Yun felt that he could never do such a thing.

He has grown to where he is today thanks to the resources and support of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom.

It's one thing for him to be forced to retreat back into his divine kingdom now, but if he leaves behind so many people to fight to the death while he deserts his post, that would be the act of a heartless ingrate.

Moreover, Yi Yun still has his sister Jiang Xiaorou in Tiandu City, as well as close friends like Zhou Xiaoke and Aunt Wang. Yi Yun couldn't possibly abandon them and let them die in the Beast Tide.

Returning to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom might offer a chance for a turnaround; after all, so many people are working hard, how could he possibly escape?

"No, I'll stay."

Yi Yun still rejected the suggestion that had momentarily tempted him. Luo Huo'er pursed her lips and ultimately said nothing.

She knew that the people in the Lineage branch must know that the Beast Tide stirred up by the Shepherd Boy was far more terrifying than originally anticipated.

In this situation, the Lineage branch should send someone to pick her up.

In the stillness, the Floating Sky Ship traversed the desolate wilderness, heading towards the heart of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom.

Along the way, the airship constantly passed large teleportation arrays, leaving one Floating Sky Ship city after another behind.

Yi Yun knew that once the Beast Tide broke out, these cities would be reduced to ruins.

Residents in the city have virtually no chance of evacuation; the city's teleportation arrays simply cannot afford to consume the energy needed to transport tens of millions of people.

"Where are we going?" someone couldn't help but ask as an Enforcement Envoy passed by.

"The Tiandu City!" the Enforcement Envoy replied.

"Tiandu? Why go to Tiandu?" People originally thought they would go to the imperial city.

The Imperial City is the most heavily fortified city in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, second only to the Tai'a Divine City itself.

The Enforcement Envoy said, "Tiandu is the largest city closest to Yunhuang. If Tai'a Divine City can't be defended, the Imperial City certainly won't be able to either. In that case, we can only take you with us to escape into Yunhuang and hide in some barren lands. Compared to Shenhuang, Yunhuang is much safer."

Hiding in the Yunhuang?

Yi Yun paused for a moment; this was probably the last resort.

But when the Beast Tide erupts from all sides, is Yunhuang, as one of the gathering places of wild beasts, truly safe?

Regardless, at least once he returns to Tiandu City, he can see his sister Jiang Xiaorou.

His fiefdom is located in Tiandu City.

In this chaotic world, being able to meet Jiang Xiaorou first is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

...(To be continued~^~)