Chapter 67 second part Two Days

Chapter 67: 67 second part Two Days

67 Two Days

Two days passed in the blink of an eye since the system informed Yun Che that his core would collapse.

And the war drew closer with each passing day. For the Medusas, eight days remained until the deadline initially calculated for the arrival of the great army.

For Yun Che, however, only one remained.

He was in a completely different situation. His cultivation had regressed once again.

He had now fallen to the Tempered Body, Level 1, with only a single step separating him from the complete collapse of his cultivation core.

Yun Che slowly walked through one of the less crowded passages in the territory. With every step, he felt a weakness that had not existed a few days ago.

His body seemed heavier, his muscles ached for no apparent reason, and occasionally, a sharp pain pierced through his chest, forcing him to slow his pace.

He stopped for several seconds and took a deep breath. Only then did the pain diminish slightly, and Yun Che continued onward.

He was not panicking over the situation. His mind remained clear.

While other cultivators would probably desperately try to find an immediate solution, Yun Che was doing something different.

Calculating.

He needed to understand every possibility that remained. If his core truly collapsed, he would die.

There was no other way to interpret that message. A translucent window appeared before his eyes.

[Current Realm: Tempered Body, Level 1]

[Core State: Critical]

[Host State: Imminent Death]

[Estimated Time Remaining: One Day]

Yun Che narrowed his eyes.

"One day... So be it..."

The words came out almost as a murmur. He closed the system window and continued climbing.

The farther he moved away from the center of the territory, the fewer people he encountered. The elevated region of the mountain range had been less affected by the fighting and offered a wide view of the mountains.

When he reached the summit, Yun Che stopped. From there, he could observe a large part of the territory.

Yun Che remained silent, appreciating the peace and tranquility. Only then did he realize that he was not alone.

Several meters ahead, a figure stood motionless at the edge of the mountain. It was Seraphina, the princess of the Medusas.

She was not accompanied by a large escort. She was simply observing.

Her gaze was directed toward the mountains below, where dozens of Medusas were working.

Yun Che slowly approached.

She noticed his presence but did not turn around immediately.

"You also came to observe the territory?"

Yun Che stopped beside her.

"It’s a great view. Good enough to organize my thoughts."

The princess finally turned her face.

Her eyes swept over his white mask for several seconds before returning to the territory.

"You know what’s happening, don’t you?"

"I know enough."

She let out a small breath.

"Then you probably know that we’re going to lose the war."

Yun Che did not answer.

The princess continued:

"The common people don’t know everything. They only know that there will be a war."

She slowly crossed her arms.

"The elders didn’t reveal all the information because they didn’t want to cause widespread panic among the civilians and low-level cultivators."

"I understand. That’s the best approach to take in this situation."

"Yes, I think so too. If everyone knew exactly how much we’ve lost, how much food remains, and how many enemies are coming, fear would spread."

She looked at the destroyed structures.

"A frightened population can destroy its own defenses before the enemy even appears."

Yun Che remained silent.

She continued:

"But I know."

Her voice became lower.

"I know how many warriors we’ve lost. I know how much food remains. I know how many formations are still functioning and how many need to be rebuilt."

She paused.

"And I know the difference between our forces."

Yun Che looked at her.

"You don’t believe you can win this war."

The princess remained motionless.

"No. I’m not foolish enough to deny reality."

The answer was simple.

"I don’t."

The wind passed between the mountains, moving her hair.

"We have thousands of warriors. We have the mountains. We have the formations. We have my mother and the elders."

She closed her eyes for a moment.

"But they have too many numbers."

When she opened her eyes again, there was sadness in them.

"And they have more elite cultivators."

Yun Che did not argue.

She continued:

"The Earth Elementals and Fire Elementals are our last possibility."

"You believe they’ll come?"

The princess took several seconds to answer.

"I don’t know. I don’t dare place my hopes in them."

She looked at the territory again, and the answer seemed to weigh heavily upon her.

"But if they don’t come, I don’t know what we’ll do."

Yun Che remained beside her. After some time, the princess spoke again:

"I grew up here."

He turned his head slightly.

"As long as I can remember."

A small smile appeared on her face, but disappeared almost immediately.

"When I was a child, I used to run through those caves."

She pointed toward a more distant region.

"There was a passage there that led to a small area where some plants grew. I used to go there secretly."

"My mother would become furious whenever she found out."

Yun Che continued listening.

"There were warriors who took care of me when I was little. Some of them died in the last attack, and the three who are closest to me are in critical condition, their cultivation destroyed."

Her voice faltered for a moment. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I knew their names. I knew their families. Some taught me how to fight. Others taught me things that had nothing to do with combat."

She lowered her eyes.

"One of them used to tell me stories before I went to sleep."

Silence.

"It’s strange."

She smiled sadly.

"When we’re children, we think those people will always be there."

Yun Che said nothing.

"Then we grow up."

She slowly clenched her fingers.

"And we begin to realize that some people disappear."

The wind blew again. The princess watched the mountains for several seconds.

"I don’t want to win a war."

Yun Che turned his eyes toward her.

"I just want to prevent my people from being killed."

She pointed toward the mountains.

"This place is our home."

Her voice was firmer now.

"No matter how many enemies appear. No matter how many people say that we should abandon everything and run."

She looked at Yun Che.

"If we leave, where will we go?"

He remained silent.

"My mother knows that."

"Queen Ariselle?"

The princess nodded.

"She would do anything to protect our people."

There was certainty in her voice.

"Even if it meant sacrificing her own life."

Yun Che observed her face. At that moment, he realized something that had not occurred to him before. The princess was not merely sad.

She was not simply worried about the war. She had accepted the possibility of her own death.

Perhaps she was simply waiting for the moment when she would have to face it.

Yun Che shifted his gaze toward the mountains. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His body hurt again. A heavy pressure passed through his chest, making him discreetly clench his fingers.

One day, huh? Perhaps less.

He needed to decide whether he would put his plan into action or not.

Yun Che turned toward the princess.

"I have a way to save your people."

She froze at the words, as if they had been a divine decree. Her eyes widened slightly.

"You... have... What?"