Chapter 420 - 419: The Yunqi Realm Revealed, Heaven’s Last Hope

The Demon Emperor had already begun harvesting the Nine Wonders, and every moment spent waiting would bring the Nine Provinces closer to collapse. If the remaining pillars of the world were removed, the consequences would extend beyond the loss of individual treasures.

The structure that sustained the environment, the spiritual Qi, and the fundamental laws of cultivation would deteriorate further. Even cultivators who survived the invasion might find themselves trapped within a world incapable of supporting their existence.

Lin Yuan considered the plan in silence. His comprehension allowed him to examine its weaknesses and potential advantages with extraordinary speed, and he quickly recognized that the Emperors were not expecting a straightforward victory. Their strategy was intended to create a temporary opening, forcing the Demon Emperor to divert his attention away from the Nine Wonders while the surviving forces attempted to exploit the opportunity.

If the Supreme Grand Elder succeeded in breaking through, the resulting clash could provide precisely the distraction they needed. It might not be enough to kill the Demon Emperor, but it could interfere with his ability to complete the harvest uninterrupted. Even a short delay could become valuable if it allowed the surviving cultivators to organize their forces or discover a way to counter the dimensional collapse.

The danger, of course, was that the Demon Emperor might recognize the plan before it could be completed. An entity capable of reaching across dimensions and uprooting ancient Wonders would not necessarily be fooled by a conventional formation or a desperate attempt to concentrate the remaining imperial power. If the Supreme Grand Elder emerged too early, he might simply become the next target.

Still, the alternative was to wait helplessly while the world was dismantled around them.

"The plan is dangerous," Lin Yuan said at last. "But if the Supreme Grand Elder can force the Demon Emperor to focus on him, even briefly, that opportunity may be enough for us to act. We should not assume that the array will work exactly as intended, and we must prepare a second strategy in case the breakthrough fails."

Emperor Tianxu nodded slowly. "We have already considered that possibility. The array will be activated only after the Supreme Grand Elder confirms that he can maintain his breakthrough. If the situation becomes uncontrollable, the three of us will withdraw the remaining imperial foundations and preserve whatever strength we can for the surviving cultivators."

Emperor Beiming’s expression darkened. "That is easier to say than to do. Once the array begins drawing upon our foundations, withdrawing from it may leave us severely injured. But I would rather risk losing my cultivation than watch the entire Nine Provinces fall without resistance."

Nanheng glanced at him, then turned toward Lin Yuan. "We do not expect you to place your life in our hands, young Emperor. You have already done more than most cultivators could have managed in this situation. However, if the Supreme Grand Elder succeeds, your strength and comprehension may become essential to making use of the opening he creates."

Lin Yuan did not immediately answer. His attention had shifted toward Bai Qingyue, who had remained quiet throughout the discussion. She stood beside him with the Sun Shooting Bow in one hand, her posture calm despite the devastation surrounding them. The Emperors had been focused on the Supreme Grand Elder and the possibility of confronting the Demon Emperor, but another detail had begun to attract Tianxu’s attention.

The Emperor’s gaze slowly moved from Lin Yuan to Bai Qingyue. At first, he merely noticed the fortune that surrounded her, which remained strangely steady despite the suppression of the world’s laws. Then his perception lingered on its signature, and recognition flashed through his eyes.

The Fortune Banner.

Tianxu had not forgotten the significance of the artifact, nor the reason it had been connected to the Peerless God Tournament. The banner was not merely a symbol of imperial authority. It was a treasure associated with the fortune of the Nine Provinces, and its true value could only be revealed when it resonated with a cultivator whose destiny was sufficiently compatible with its laws.

He had once believed that Lin Yuan might be the person capable of fulfilling that role. The young cultivator’s extraordinary strength, comprehension, and ability to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles had made him an obvious candidate. During the tournament, Tianxu had watched Lin Yuan demonstrate abilities that exceeded all expectations, and the Emperor had naturally assumed that such a person might become the decisive factor in the world’s survival.

Yet the woman standing beside Lin Yuan presented a different possibility.

Tianxu carefully examined Bai Qingyue. Even with the laws of the Nine Provinces suppressing her cultivation, the fortune surrounding her soul remained unusually dense. It did not appear to be an ordinary blessing that could be acquired through luck or accumulated through conventional cultivation.

Instead, it seemed to form a natural part of her existence, responding to the surrounding world in ways that his imperial perception could barely interpret.

The Emperor’s breath caught in his throat.

The Yunqi Realm.

He had encountered records describing the legendary state, but those accounts had always seemed distant from practical reality. The Yunqi Realm was not merely a matter of possessing good fortune.

It represented a profound harmony between a cultivator’s destiny and the movements of Heaven and Earth, a condition in which opportunities that would ordinarily be impossible could appear at the most critical moments.

Tianxu had never expected to encounter such a person in the middle of an apocalypse.

The Peerless God Tournament had been designed to identify a champion who could wield the Fortune Banner and elevate the strength of the Nine Provinces.

The organizers had hoped that the chosen individual would possess enough potential to resist the dangers threatening the world. Lin Yuan had seemed to embody that possibility through his overwhelming combat ability and his ability to comprehend the Great Dao.

But the way Bai Qingyue’s fortune resonated with the banner’s laws suggested that the Emperor’s original understanding had been incomplete.

The resonance was not something she had to seek out. Her fortune seemed to answer the banner’s laws on its own, as though the treasure recognized something within her that ordinary cultivators could not perceive.

Even while the laws of the world were collapsing, her presence retained an unusual stability, and the demonic miasma that drifted through the courtyard seemed reluctant to approach her directly.

Tianxu studied her face, searching for signs of fear or uncertainty. He found neither. Bai Qingyue’s eyes remained calm, and her posture revealed no desire to draw attention to herself. She was not attempting to display her fortune or convince the Emperors of her importance. She simply stood beside Lin Yuan, prepared to face whatever danger came next.

A trembling smile appeared on Tianxu’s bloodstained lips.

Perhaps the heavens had not abandoned the Nine Provinces after all.