The Seventh Day's Account
Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, Imperial Palace.
Yun Ming stared at Dai Tianling in front of him with an unfriendly expression.
Ya Li, Cai Yue'er, Zhuo Shi, Wu Zhangkong Kong stood expressionless behind him.
Dai Tianling chuckled awkwardly, "Hahaha... Well, Your Sky-Piercing Crown, we've already gone to fetch the people. We'll know the cause and details of this matter soon."
"What do you think...? Should the fleet in the area... withdraw? Hehehe..."
Yun Ming glanced at the Holy Dragon Douluo Enci, who was smiling obsequiously to the side, and Tong Yu, who was trying hard to smile.
"Dai Tianling," Yun Ming called him by his name.
Dai Tianling's shoulders stiffened slightly.
"You said you'd give me an explanation within 24 hours the day after my son went missing."
Yun Ming's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to come from a great distance. "It's been seven days now, what's your explanation?"
"Haha... this, isn't this the person who hired someone to plan this..."
Cai Yue'er narrowed her eyes slightly, "Don't give me that."
"Those people clearly came to us of their own accord, saying they knew Jing Heng's whereabouts; otherwise, you'd be searching for ages."
Zhuo Shi snorted coldly, "You should be thankful that His Her Holiness Holy Spirit's ninth Soul Skill, Soul Skill he sealed within Xiao Jing Heng, hasn't been triggered, otherwise..."
Dai Tianling's smile completely vanished.
Cai Yue'er's words were like a soft knife; they didn't draw blood, but they hurt so much that he couldn't even smile.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to salvage the Star Luo Empire's reputation, but Zhuo Shi followed up with an even more ruthless blow.
Dai Tianling was well aware of the Soul Skill of the Holy Spirit Douluo, the strongest healing-type Titled Douluo in the world.
That's the last line of defense for survival; it's only triggered when you're pushed to the brink.
If that trump card is triggered, it means that Yun Jingheng has likely already died once.
The thought made the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.
"Cough cough... this..." Dai Tianling's voice was as dry as sandpaper.
The air in the main hall seemed to have been mostly sucked out, making it so stuffy that it was hard to breathe.
A fine layer of sweat appeared on Dai Tianling's forehead, sliding down her temples and dripping onto her dark purple casual clothes, leaving small, dark dots.
En Ci stood to the side, her smile frozen like a mask.
Just when the atmosphere was so tense that everyone thought someone was about to make a move, Leng Yaozhu moved slightly.
She leaned against the pillar by the door, without saying a word from the very beginning.
But the moment her gaze turned to the entrance of the main hall, everyone's attention was drawn to her.
Her posture remained unchanged; her hands were still hanging down, and her head was still slightly tilted. But her eyes had changed.
Those usually languid eyes suddenly lit up—not just lit up, but ignited by something.
Her gaze passed through the doors of the main hall, through the long white stone corridor outside, through the morning light at the end of the corridor, and landed in a place very, very far away.
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, hurried and rapid. It wasn't just one person's footsteps, but two people's; the person in front was running, and the person behind was chasing.
The person running had erratic steps, nearly slipping several times on the stone slabs. He was breathing heavily, panting every few steps, as if someone who doesn't run often had been forced to run a kilometer.
The person chasing him walked steadily, neither too fast nor too slow, always maintaining a distance of about three steps from the person in front, as if escorting or even guarding.
A middle-aged minister dressed in court robes stumbled in.
His hat was askew, and the hem of his court robe was wet with morning dew, clinging to his legs. He tripped several times while running.
His face was covered in sweat, which streamed down his cheeks, forming thin trickles at his chin and dripping onto the collar of his court robe.
He nearly tripped over the threshold as he ran into the main hall, staggered a couple of steps, steadied himself, bent over, supported himself on his knees, and gasped for breath.
He opened his mouth several times, but the sound got stuck in his throat. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; he had run too fast and didn't have enough air in his lungs.
Yun Ming remained silent.
He stood there, looking at the minister, his dark eyes showing no urging, no anxiety, only an almost cruel patience.
He was waiting, he had waited seven days, so a few more seconds wouldn't make a difference.
The minister finally caught his breath, straightened up, and noticed his hat was askew again, but he didn't straighten it.
His gaze swept across the main hall— Yun Ming, Ya Li, Cai Yue'er, Zhuo Shi, Leng Yaozhu, Dai Tianling, En Ci, Tong Yu... He had never seen so many Titled Douluo standing together in his life, and his legs went weak again.
"Your Majesty... the person has arrived."
The minister's voice trembled, but he enunciated each word clearly, "He said his Zhao Yu'an. He said he had news of Yun Jingheng."
The air in the main hall seemed to be suddenly compressed by something.
Dai Tianling's eyes lit up.
I can finally hand in my work!
I'm finally free from taking the blame!
His mouth opened, about to say, "Let him in quickly," but Yun Ming was faster—"Let him in."
Yun Ming's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a thunderclap in everyone's ears.
The minister turned and ran, the hem of his court robes leaving a wet trail on the ground.
None of the five people behind Yun Ming moved.
Their defensive formation remained impenetrable, their Soul Power continued to circulate rapidly within their bodies, and their gazes remained fixed on the direction of the main hall entrance.
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor; this time, there was only one voice.
The footsteps were steady and measured, each step spaced roughly the same, as if they were measuring distance.
The morning light shone in from outside the palace gate, casting a long, long shadow on the stone slab.
The shadow grew shorter, and the footsteps grew closer.
A young man walked in.
He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing several scabbed, still red wounds on his arms.
His hair was a little messy, and the stray hairs on his forehead were damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead.
His face was very pale, so pale that his lips were almost colorless, but his eyes were very bright, as bright as two stars that had been burning for a long time in the night wind.
He didn't look at Dai Tianling, En Ci, Tong Yu, or the eunuchs and servants kneeling in the corner, not daring to breathe.
From the moment he entered the main hall, his gaze was fixed on the same person— Yun Ming.
He stopped about ten steps behind Yun Ming.
The main hall was so quiet that you could hear the morning breeze slipping through the cracks in the door, the rustling of the guards' armor on the outer corridor, and the beating of each person's own heart.
"Zhao Yu'an... greets His Sky-Piercing Crown."
Yun Ming didn't turn around. "Where's my son?"
"We can be certain that Yun Jingheng has mistakenly entered the Moon Domain."
???
What the heck?
Yun Ming frowned as he looked at the people from the Tang Sect.
The secret realm you created?
Meanwhile, Zang Xin, the Hall Master of the Tang Sect's Douluo Hall, looked completely bewildered by Yun Ming's glance.
Moon Domain? What is that?
I don't know!
Then a disciple of the Tang Sect barged in.
Zang Xin frowned. "What are you doing? Didn't I tell everyone to stay put and wait?"
"But..."
"What's with the 'buts'?! If you can't give a coherent explanation, then go and be punished! Speak!"
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has sent a message that an unidentified spatial aura has been detected inside the Dragon Valley Secret Realm. It was quickly ejected by the Dragon Valley and landed near the Star Luo Empire Maple Leaf Mountain. Further investigation by the department's disciples suggests that the appearance is similar to Yun Jingheng!"
"What?!" ×N
Yun Ming appeared in front of him in a flash. "Lead the way."