His Highness King Frost Extreme is Missing

The first soul ring of the Moon Eclipse Sword was of the ten-thousand-year level.

Luo Yun closed his eyes, sensing the information regarding his first soul skill.

Eternal Night Wither.

He opened his eyes and tapped the tip of the Moon Eclipse Sword against the ground; a purple-black power of destruction surged from the tip, spreading in all directions.

The ground within a radius of several meters beneath his feet began to freeze.

The sunlight in the sky dimmed slightly at that moment, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and tiny black ice crystals drifted through the air.

Luo Yun put away the Moon Eclipse Sword, and all the strange phenomena vanished along with it.

He stood up, unfurled his wings of destruction, and flew toward the direction of Frost Ridge City.

Half a month later.

Frost Ridge City.

Luo Yun sensed that something was wrong from far away.

There was a charred scent in the air—not the smell of cooking smoke, but the acrid, bloody stench of a massive conflagration.

He accelerated, his wings of destruction trailing two long purple streaks behind him.

The moment he caught sight of Frost Ridge City, his pupils contracted violently.

The city wall had collapsed.

The arrow towers, watchtowers, and gatehouses he was so familiar with were all gone, replaced only by piles of rubble and debris scorched black.

The buildings behind the wall had not been spared either.

Residential houses, shops, barracks, and government offices were all reduced to broken walls and ruins, filled with charred timber and collapsed masonry.

The streets were pitted and scarred, covered in bloodstains and corpses; some wore the armor of the Frost Ridge Army, others the plain clothes of commoners, and some were so mangled they were unrecognizable.

Luo Yun descended from the sky and stood at the city gate.

He stood there, motionless.

The wind blew past, carrying the scent of blood and ash, scattering soot onto his robes, his hair, and his face.

He did not wipe it away, just stood there, staring at everything before him without blinking.

"Father!" he shouted suddenly, his voice hoarse and tearing.

No one responded.

"Mother!" he called out again, his voice echoing through the ruins, but there was only an echo in return.

Luo Yun's hands began to tremble.

It was not fear, but rage.

The Moon Eclipse Sword manifested from his palm uncontrollably, purple-black lightning dancing violently along the blade.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

His father was a Titled Douluo, a level ninety-five Super Douluo; he would not fall so easily.

Mother... Mother was protected by Father, she should be fine.

Luo Yun gripped the Moon Eclipse Sword tightly and walked toward the center of the city.

In the ruins along the streets, he could occasionally see a few survivors.

Some huddled in corners, hugging their deceased loved ones in silent tears; some dragged injured legs, struggling to crawl out of the city; others sat on the ruins, their gazes dull and vacant, motionless like stone statues.

When they saw Luo Yun, some recognized him and wanted to call out "Young Master," but their mouths opened and closed without a sound; others did not recognize him, merely glancing at him with numb eyes before returning to their stupor.

Luo Yun walked through street after street, seeing more and more corpses, more and more ruins, and more and more blood.

Frost Ridge City was not large, and having grown up here, he was familiar with every street and every building.

But at this moment, all those familiar things were gone, replaced by a wasteland of scorched earth and rubble.

He arrived before the gates of the Frost Extreme King Mansion and stopped.

The gate was gone, and the plaque had shattered into several pieces, lying crookedly on the ground.

Of the four characters "Frost Extreme King Mansion," only the character "Frost" remained intact; "Extreme" was missing half, "King" was reduced to a single horizontal and vertical stroke, and "Mansion" was completely pulverized, unrecognizable.

The courtyard wall had largely collapsed, and the rockeries, flower beds, stone tables, and stools in the yard were smashed to pieces, with bloodstains and weapon fragments scattered everywhere.

Luo Yun pushed open the broken door hanging off its frame and walked inside.

The main hall had collapsed, the side hall was burned, the study was a pile of ash, and the roof of the dining hall had been torn open, revealing the sky above.

The hot spring in the backyard had been filled in, the flower beds trampled into mud, and the old locust trees had been uprooted, lying in a tangled mess on the ground.

There was not a single intact spot in the entire Frost Ridge City.

Luo Yun stood in the center of the backyard, looking at everything before him.

"Father! Mother!" His voice was so hoarse it was barely audible, yet he continued to shout, "Where are you!"

No one answered.

He was about to shout again when a faint voice came from behind him.

"Young... Young Master..."

Luo Yun spun around abruptly.

A blood-soaked soldier was leaning against the corner of the backyard wall. His armor was mostly shattered, his body covered in numerous blade wounds and burns, and his face was so caked in blood that his features were barely discernible.

One of his legs was missing from the knee down, the stump wrapped in layers of filthy cloth that had been soaked through with blood and were still seeping.

Luo Yun hurried over, crouched down, and looked at the soldier.

The soldier's eyes were half-closed, his pupils already beginning to dilate. He struggled to focus, recognizing the child before him.

The young master of King Frost Extreme, the child they had watched grow up.

"His Highness King Frost Extreme... and the Princess Consort... have gone missing..." The soldier's voice was intermittent, each word requiring a long, labored breath.

"Who did this?" Luo Yun's voice trembled slightly.

The soldier's lips quivered, and he spat out a few words: "Spirit Hall, Pope Bibi Dong."

Luo Yun fell silent.

There was no expression on his face.

The soldier's breathing grew increasingly rapid, his voice fading to a whisper, "Young Master... run... they... might still... return..."

Luo Yun reached out and pressed his hand onto the soldier's shoulder.

Emerald-green Law of Life surged from his palm, flowing into the soldier's body like a gentle stream.

The wounds began to knit together, a hint of color returned to the pale face, and even the severed leg showed signs of healing.

But it was already too late.

The blood loss was too severe, the injuries too grave; even the Law of Life could not save him.

The soldier's eyes suddenly brightened, a final flash of vitality.

He looked at Luo Yun, his lips struggling to curve into a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Half a month ago, Pope Bibi Dong of Spirit Hall sent people to contact His Highness King Frost Extreme, demanding he send the Young Master to Spirit Hall, but the King refused."

"Afterward, Spirit Hall launched an attack under the pretext that King Frost Extreme was colluding with the soul beasts of the Far North. Several Titled Douluo joined forces, eventually forcing His Highness and the Princess Consort into the Far North."

"But I believe His Highness King Frost Extreme cannot be dead. One day, he will make these people from Spirit Hall pay the price!"

"The Young Master... has grown up..."

After saying this, his eyes closed. The smile still hung on his lips, but his body had lost all warmth.

Luo Yun's hand remained pressed on the soldier's shoulder, refusing to pull away.

He crouched there, motionless, the emerald-green Law of Life still surging from his palm, though it was now useless.

A long time passed before he finally withdrew his hand, stood up, and looked down at the soldier's face.