The temporal elasticity between the Heavenly Realm and reality was seven days. This meant that Yan Liqiang could only stay in the Heavenly Realm for seven days at most before he had to exit and return to reality, just like a save point in a game. If he prolonged his stay, the Heavenly Realm would ‘collapse’, as how Fu Guang described it.
This was the first time Yan Liqiang had stayed a full week in the Heavenly Realm ever since he had come to possess it. He’d always stay a day in each realm to preserve the balance of temporal distortion between the realms. The Heavenly Realm had always been exactly four years, four months, and eleven days ahead of reality. However, Yan Liqiang had unknowingly reached the upper limit — which was a week in the Heavenly Realm this time.
The escort party arrived at Jinling on the seventh day of the ninth lunar month in the 17th year of the Yuanping reign and left Jinling at dawn on the tenth day of the ninth lunar month. After traveling for three days, they crossed the border of Feng Province in the afternoon on the 13th day of the ninth lunar month, which was quite far from Jinling. The scorching sun was high above their heads. While riding, Yan Liqiang felt a quake in his sea of consciousness. A message then appeared directly in his mind…
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within eight hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
The three messages that suddenly popped up in Yan Liqiang’s consciousness stunned him for a good while before he returned to his senses. Unbeknownst to him, he had actually stayed a week in the Heavenly Realm.
Those seven days were like a dream to Yan Liqiang.
Since they left Jinling, Yan Liqiang had been on edge over the past few days.
Roads were cut off and refugees were everywhere. Confusion and rumors sprung up everywhere. Terror filled the populace. No one dared to even stay in their homes or in the cities. Those with malicious intentions started exploiting the situation. Troubles and mishaps grew in frequency along their return journey. The multitude of surprises they got in a day forced everyone in the party to stay on their toes at all times.
Yan Liqiang and the rest left Jinling City with two steeds per person. In just three days, nearly all the extra rhinodrake steeds were lost due to various unforeseen circumstances. Fortunately, everyone was still safe. Just yesterday, they were ambushed by a random Battalion Commandant and a few hundred soldiers. The Battalion Commandant attempted to commandeer all the steeds in Yan Liqiang’s party and ordered all of them to get off and walk back. His attitude was tyrannical and both parties confronted each other. A fight nearly broke out. In the end, Yan Liqiang stunned everyone with his skill in archery by shooting the red tassels off the Battalion Commandant’s helmet. It was only then that their attitude softened. Both parties reconciled with Yan Liqiang’s party by leaving their extra rhinodrake steeds behind so everyone could still leave with at least one steed each.
“Watch out, incoming…” Yan Liqiang snapped back to his senses from the Heavenly Realm’s warning when he heard Wang Hui’s reminder. He looked up ahead and realized that unbeknownst to him, a cloud of dust had risen from the ground behind the small hill up ahead.
As soon as Wang Hui’s voice died down, Huang Sheng leaped off his steed. He crouched on the ground and stuck a sharpened bamboo tube that he carried on his waist into the soil. He leaned his ear in to listen, then jumped up with an immediate conclusion. “About five thousand of them — that’s two cavalry regiments…”
“Let’s stop here first to avoid them…” Everyone immediately nodded at Yan Liqiang’s suggestion. The encounters they faced over these three days had caused everyone to be on heightened alert. It would be wise to give way when encountering such a large troop on the public road. Otherwise, they might end up becoming pulps under the countless iron hooves of their own frightened steeds.
There were elms on either side of the public road and a hill nearby. Everyone immediately got off the public road and took a break on the plains below the hill.
A few minutes later, Yan Liqiang heard the sound of thundering hooves. Seconds afterward, a huge, dark armored cavalry rushed past Yan Liqiang and the rest on the public road like an endless dark torrent.
This was Yan Liqiang’s party’s first time seeing any armed forces marching in the Imperial Capital’s direction since they left Jinling City, and it had been a week since the great catastrophe.
Based on the efficiency of information dissemination in this era and the procedures for mobilizing troops to travel northward, it was amazing that anyone was even brave enough to deploy cavalry units within just seven days. It was notable that the Great Han Empire’s laws stated that mobilizing any troops without any permission or transferring orders from the Emperor and the military was a serious crime that could warrant a clan execution.
Yan Liqiang’s party had been traveling south over the past few days. They bumped into wave after wave of Wanderers. However, this was their first time seeing armed troops traveling north.
A black-bordered red ensign fluttered past Yan Liqiang’s party. On that sign was the character for ‘Sun’.
Yan Liqiang’s party only resumed their journey after the troops were gone. By evening, they finally arrived at Feng Provincial City and settled down at one of the inns there.
The citizens of Feng Provincial City were similarly anxious.
News about Jinling and the Imperial Capital turned into a major earthquake when it reached the city. Many didn’t dare to stay inside their houses; they moved into the wilderness outside the city instead and set up simple tents. Some only draped two pieces of cloth and a mosquito net on a huge tree and stayed there.
It was crowded outside the city, but the inn was empty. Even so, the situation in Feng Provincial City still wasn’t as chaotic as it was in Jinling City. With groups of soldiers patrolling the area, it was still relatively safe here.
The Four Seas Courtyard of the Divine Sword Sect had a store in Feng Provincial City. After Yan Liqiang and the others settled down, they immediately went to the Four Seas Emporium to meet the manager there. Using the falcon post which would only be deployed in the case of an emergency, they penned a letter to report the various situations they’d seen and heard in Jinling City and the Imperial Capital, especially the latter. The letter was then sent to the Divine Sword Sect with the falcon postal service…
It went without saying that the letter was written by Yan Liqiang. For the sake of giving a clear picture to all the big shots in the Divine Sword Sect, Yan Liqiang even sketched a vivid picture of the scenery that he and Wang Hui had seen from the mountaintop. This picture was sent as an ‘attachment’ with the letter by the falcon.
Even without reading the letter, they would definitely be able to make the most accurate judgment on the current situation of the Imperial Capital and the heart of the empire with just a single glance of Yan Liqiang’s drawing.
The accuracy and authenticity of information conveyed through picture were incomparable to simple words. Based on the knowledge Yan Liqiang gathered from his previous life, the amount of information that a picture could convey was at least five times more than text!
Yan Liqiang sighed as soon as he settled everything. It seemed like the hardships they had gone through these days weren’t in vain. Without a doubt, the letter he delivered would definitely be the most detailed and complete firsthand information the Divine Sword Sect would receive regarding the catastrophe…
By the time he returned to the inn they were staying at, the warning message popped up again in his mind…
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
“Warning. Warning. The temporal distortion between the Heavenly Realm and reality will approach its limit in four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Please evacuate from the Heavenly Realm within four hours. Failure to do so will result in the collapse of the Heavenly Realm…”
Yan Liqiang hastily grabbed a small bite to eat and returned to his room. He looked at the pitch black sky outside and sighed. After recovering some strength by cultivating two rounds of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing, he sat on his bed during the final two hours. He focused his mind on the rhombus-shaped exit in his sea of consciousness for a while and was then transported out from the Heavenly Realm…
