As evening fell, Tuoba Shan's third letter arrived.
The messenger was a disciple of the Barbarian King Sect, at the mid-stage Supernatural Power Realm, covered in wounds. He practically rolled off his horse.
By the time Lu Chen took the letter, the disciple had already passed out. Yun Qingyue immediately had someone carry him inside for treatment.
There were only a few short lines in the letter:
"Brother Lu:
The seal has collapsed.
Not entirely—the crack has widened to one foot. The thing brought out by that wisp of mist was not alone. Last night, seven corpse generals broke through the defensive line, three of them in the Longevity Realm. More than half of Xu Polu's men were killed or wounded.
I am already on the road. I will reach Medicine King Valley in three days. We'll talk when we meet.
Tuoba Shan, written in haste"
After reading it, Lu Chen folded the letter and tucked it into his robes.
Yun Qingyue stood beside him, watching him.
"Tuoba Shan will arrive in three days, and the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill will also be completed in three days," she said. "What do you plan to do?"
Lu Chen did not answer.
He merely raised his head and looked toward the northern sky.
The sky was growing darker, the last traces of sunset fading away. Mountain ranges stretched across the distance, like silent silhouettes in the twilight.
The mark on his right shoulder throbbed again.
This pulse was fiercer than before, as though something far away was calling to it.
Lu Chen raised a hand to press against his right shoulder, his brow faintly furrowed.
Yun Qingyue saw it, and her expression tightened.
"It's happening again?"
Lu Chen nodded.
He stared at the northern sky in silence for a long time.
Then he