By the time news of Heaven Dou's fall reached the cottage where the Shrek group was hiding, five days had passed since the city fell.
The news came in several copies of public notices that Flender had brought back from the town below the mountain. He spread them on the floor, took off his glasses and wiped them, then put them back on. For a long while, he said nothing.
Ma Hongjun was the first to lean over for a look. After reading them, he froze in place, his mouth hanging open. Oscar crouched beside him, his face growing paler with every line.
Ning Rongrong stood behind them. As her gaze swept over those few lines, the shock on her face slowly gave way to silence.
Xiao Wu stood beside Tang San. She took one glance before looking away, as though it had little to do with her.
Dai Mubai leaned against the doorframe without moving once. After hearing everything on the notices, the corner of his mouth twitched, but he quickly suppressed it.
Zhu Zhuqing stood beside him. Her usually cold face showed little change, but she quietly moved half a step closer to Dai Mubai.
"Heaven Dou is gone," Tang San said softly. He looked down at his hands as Blue Silver Emperor vines coiled around his fingertips, then unwound. "Xue Ye burned himself alive. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's whereabouts are unknown. The entire Heaven Dou Empire is just... gone."
"Too fast." Yu Xiaogang sat in the corner. Until then, he had not spoken.
His cultivation was recovering slowly, but his mind had never stopped working. "Heaven Dou stood for so many years. How could it vanish just like that? How many troops did the Star Luo Emperor send?"
"A million," Flender said. "That's what the notices said.