Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 266 The Aftermath of the Great Flame
It is said that Lu Ziwei tore off a page of the "Book of Eternal Worlds" and used her magical powers to lead the prisoners to leave Dong'an City. Her figure suddenly appeared in the desert on the border.

Her escape technique is even better than Suzaku's best Three Flame Escape, but the side effects are also obvious.

The tall female teacher had a streak of blood trickling down her lips. Seeing this, Ye Lan immediately wiped the blood away with a handkerchief and asked with concern, "Do you want to take a break? Don't push yourself."

Lu Ziwei nodded gently, signaling everyone to rest for a moment. She was exhausted, so she had to use a silk ribbon to cover her eyes to prevent herself from unconsciously wasting her energy.

Helian Ran looked at the Great Yan State Master, who had always been at odds with him. At this moment, he could only let go of the grudges from the past, honestly found a suitable place to rest, and made a bonfire with Liang Shangjun.

Everyone sat around the campfire. Lu Ziwei's hands were cold, and she couldn't help but move closer to the flames. Ye Lan looked at her with pity. She and Lu Ziwei were old acquaintances, and she knew her situation very well.

The Imperial Master was born with a pair of eyes that could see through the vanity of the world, but the price he paid was that his mind was consumed every moment, so his body was often weak.

At the beginning, she looked helpless in the Secret Treasure of Floating Life, and even her inner demon posed no threat.

The more this happened, the more terrifying the impact of the "Book of Eternal Worlds" on her would be, but she had no choice but to take the risk.

Although Qin Dingfeng would never attack this junior sister for the sake of their fellow disciples, if the people of Da Xia were determined to keep Helian Ran, it would be an absolute disaster for Da Yan.

Fortunately, the eldest princess Su Qing seemed to be a sensible person and did not want to stir up trouble.

But Lu Ziwei hated this feeling. She wanted to take the initiative into her own hands rather than relying on the sympathy of others.

After this battle, Da Yan was severely damaged. General Shan Changqing died, and a red bell was lost. The arrangements of Zuixianlou would also be taken over by Da Xia.

At this time, Liang Shangjun happened to ask: "I don't know how Hongling is doing now."

Helian Ran said in frustration, "I tried to contact her using the Jade Message Talisman, but I didn't get any response."

"As the arsonist of Dong'an City, if she falls into the hands of Daxia, I'm afraid her fate will be very miserable, right?"

Lu Ziwei smiled after hearing this and said, "You don't have to worry about Hong Ling. From what I've seen, the fire was big at first, but it got smaller after she went to Prince Xian's mansion."

Helian Ran: "Something happened to her?"

"Do you remember the request Hong Ling made when she joined the prison?"

"Of course, she wants Dayan to use all its national strength to find her sister."

"Then you should have thought of who else could make her take the initiative to suppress the fire and no longer ask for help from the Great Yan Dynasty."

Liang Shangjun suddenly realized: "She found her sister!"

Ye Lan said thoughtfully, "Could it be Prince Xian...the Suzaku beside Yun Yi?"

The thick smoke from the bonfire was a bit choking, and Lu Ziwei blushed slightly. "That's probably the case. Hong Ling doesn't have much friendship with Dayan to begin with, so I guess she won't be of use to the Crown Prince in the future."

Helian Ran's red hair seemed to turn into real flames in the smoke, and his pair of green eyes looked even colder. He said coldly, "It doesn't matter. The crucifixion plan has completely failed. When I return this time, I will most likely be imprisoned in the Eastern Palace as punishment."

Speaking of this, Lu Ziwei asked, "Does the Crown Prince feel that His Majesty has been too harsh on you recently?"

Helian Ran raised his eyes to look at Lu Ziwei, unable to grasp her meaning, "Is there something else behind your words, Imperial Master?"

"We did have some arguments in the past, but now we're on the same page. Are you still refusing to believe me?"

"Since you risked your life to save me, I naturally trust you." Helian Ran sighed. "My father has become much more irritable in recent years, and his attitude towards me has become increasingly harsh. He often threatens to replace the crown prince as a spur to action. In the past, he would never have done this." Lu Ziwei suddenly interrupted, "That's enough. Your Highness, there's no need to say the rest. Please think about it more when you have time."

Helian Ran asked doubtfully, "I am increasingly confused about what the Imperial Master means."

"Some things I say clearly are outrageous, and you won't believe them, but if you can imagine that possibility yourself, you will completely understand what I mean."

Ye Lan and Liang Shangjun were even more confused, but they didn't dare to interrupt or ask, so they could only look at each other.

Liang Shangjun shook his head slightly, obviously saying, let's not ask too much about the master's affairs.

Seeing this, Ye Lan put away his curiosity and added some more firewood.

Helian Ran didn't want to dwell on the topic of the emperor, so he changed the subject and asked, "This time we lost too completely. I wonder if the Imperial Master is willing to accept this?"

Lu Ziwei said, "You guys lost, but I didn't. I successfully brought you guys back to Dayan alive."

"Does the Imperial Master really think so?"

"Prince, why don't you think carefully about why the Tiancan Sect, which had originally agreed to cooperate with you, was destroyed? When did Shan Changqing collude with Prince Duan Su Cen? Did he mention this to you a long time ago?"

"This...no."

"Who was behind the crucifixion plan? On the surface, he wanted to behead the Princess of Daxia and plunge Daxia into chaos. But in reality, he nearly killed the Crown Prince of Dayan, severely damaging Dayan."

Lu Ziwei said with a tone of disappointment: "The person who set this up obviously has a deeper plan, but you are too involved in it, so you can't see it clearly."

Helian Ran said gloomily, “I just feel a little aggrieved. I finally made it to Dong’an City, but in the end I only hacked at the imperial palace formation a few times and didn’t even get to have a good fight.

"Especially Yun Yi, who pretended to be King Xian. He is really abominable. But he and Su Qing saved my life. I can't repay kindness with hatred."

"Your Highness, there's no need for this. The crucifixion plan is merely a clash between two great dynasties. We will surely meet again soon."

"What does the Imperial Master mean by this?"

Lu Ziwei refused to say anything, but just held her chin and looked in a certain direction in the desert.

It was close to Crescent City. A sandstorm had been sweeping across the desert for over a month and showed no sign of stopping.

There must be a reason for every strange phenomenon that occurs in nature.

As to whether it is a blessing or a curse, it is hard to say.

Lu Ziwei, with her delusion-breaking pupils, saw the enormous danger hidden behind the storm, but she didn't point it out at this moment. She wondered if Yun Yi had noticed this, and whether he would be a friend or an enemy by then.

The sandstorm grew more and more intense, gradually blowing the ground three feet under your feet. As countless grains of sand were blown to other places, the things hidden under the endless yellow sand finally took shape.

Zhao Wuxiang had already arrived at the eye of the storm. He was carrying the "Wind-Fixing Order" given by the Pavilion Master, so he was not affected by the wind and sand.

In order to guard against Yun Yi and Ye Nianyi's "Nine Revolutions Soul-Fixing Pearl", he deliberately did not wear any mask this time and came here in the formless and faceless state of the Hedao realm.

He was alone and somewhat bored, so he could only mutter to himself, "It's almost time, this demon city will finally appear in the world."

(End of this chapter)