Chapter 302: From the Sky

Fen Juecheng maintained his smile. "These jewels and spirit medicines are a token of sincerity from my Burning Heaven Clan. However, Princess, with your noble status and your Snow Soul Ice Heart, you naturally wouldn't be interested in such things. I wonder if *this* item might win your favor?"

As he spoke, Fen Juecheng swiped his hand across his spatial ring. Instantly, a transparent jade box appeared in his grasp. Inside the box bloomed an extraordinary flower with nine petals. Each petal had a unique shape, yet all resembled a burning flame. Although sealed within the jade box, it seemed to pulse with fiery life.

"Is this... the Soul Burning Flower?" Cang Yue's eyes momentarily glazed over as she gazed at the fiery flower within the jade box.

"Indeed, it is one of my Burning Heaven Clan's greatest treasures. But since Your Royal Highness likes it, I wouldn't hesitate to part with it, not even if it were my own life, let alone just one Soul Burning Flower."

"...Give it to me, and I will go with you," Cang Yue said, taking a shallow breath. She then reached out and took the jade box containing the Soul Burning Flower. Fen Juecheng did not stop her; he made no move to withdraw, allowing Cang Yue to take the box into her hands.

Cang Yue quickly turned and approached the elderly man surnamed Mu from the Black Moon Merchant Guild. Before she could speak, he nodded and said in a very low voice, "No need to look. I've seen a Soul Burning Flower once before; that is indeed a genuine one. However, I'm not entirely confident in the Soul Burning Flower's 'Soul Separation' ability. I can only try my best. If it fails... alas..."

"I entrust everything to you, Elder Mu. Please use the Soul Burning Flower today to remove the Soul-Devouring Life-Bound Gu from Imperial Father," Cang Yue pleaded, her voice tinged with gratitude and entreaty. "Regardless of success or failure, Cang Yue will be eternally grateful." She then turned and approached Cang Wanhe's imperial carriage, lifting the curtain. She placed the jade box on Cang Wanhe's lap. "Imperial Father, you must guard this jade box carefully. Do not entrust it to anyone except Elder Mu from the Black Moon Merchant Guild... Little Yue may not be able to stay by Imperial Father's side much longer. Please take good care of yourself, Imperial Father... Uncle Dongfang, please ensure Imperial Father's safety."

Having spoken, Cang Yue did not wait for Cang Wanhe's reply. She lowered the curtain and walked directly towards the Burning Heaven Clan's wedding sedan. Behind her, a hasty "Little Yue" and the sound of painful coughing could be heard.

Cang Yue's eyes gently closed, and when they opened again, they were serene. Without assistance from anyone, she stepped alone into the sedan, lowered the red curtain, and calmly said, "Let's go."

"Hahahahaha!" Cang Shuo laughed heartily, feeling satisfied. "Though there's no grand ceremony, it clearly shows Imperial Sister's eagerness to join the Burning Heaven Clan sooner rather than later. Young Clan Master Fen, Imperial Sister's happiness will now be in your hands. Please, by all means, do not bully her."

"Heh heh, Imperial Father and Third Prince, please rest assured. To marry Her Royal Highness is the fortune of my three lifetimes, Fen Juecheng. I will naturally treat her well," Fen Juecheng said with a chuckle. He continued to address Cang Wanhe directly as "Imperial Father," as if he hadn't heard Cang Wanhe's previous "warning," or perhaps he simply didn't care.

Fen Juecheng leaped onto his horse. With a gesture, the Burning Heaven Clan's wedding procession restarted and majestically departed from Embracing Moon Palace.

Such a grand event as a princess's wedding, which should have been celebrated across the land, was instead eerily simple. There were no thousands of guests, no feasts with song and dance, no congratulations from all directions. Even the only lion dance was brought by the Burning Heaven Clan themselves. Embracing Moon Palace, for its part, only offered lifeless decorations and groups of uneasy palace maids and eunuchs. Throughout the entire process, even the exchange of words between the two sides was pitifully sparse.

The Burning Heaven Clan's procession, carrying a palpable sense of pressure, thus departed Embracing Moon Palace. Cang Wanhe's imperial carriage remained stationary, without a single movement. Qin Wuyou sighed, saying, "Anyone can see that Her Royal Highness is absolutely not willing to marry Fen Juecheng, and the Emperor would never force her. What exactly is happening... alas."

"Indeed, no one directly forced Her Royal Highness in this matter. But the absence of direct coercion doesn't mean there was no indirect pressure. Princess Cang Yue must have an unavoidable reason... I just hope Fen Juecheng won't mistreat her. Alas..." Qin Wushang closed his eyes, filled with worry. During his time at Heavenly Sword Villa, he had witnessed Yun Che and Cang Yue's feelings grow warmer day by day. On the ranking tournament stage, Cang Yue's heart was tethered to Yun Che every single moment... Though Yun Che's origins were humble, his talent and achievements were more than enough to be worthy of Princess Cang Yue. Yet, heaven envies brilliant talents...

By the time the Burning Heaven Clan's procession left the Azure Cloud Imperial Palace, it was already late morning. The main streets in front of the palace gates were packed with crowds, several times livelier than before. Most were there to watch the spectacle, but a significant portion had rushed from various directions to offer congratulations, hoping to leave some impression on the Burning Heaven Clan.

"Congratulations, Young Clan Master Fen! Young Clan Master Fen and Princess Cang Yue are truly a golden couple, a match made in heaven! Yours is a blessed union that will surely be envied by all in this world."

"I have long heard of Young Clan Master Fen's great reputation, and seeing you today, it truly surpasses what I've heard! I am Feng Zhiyi of the Golden Blade Sect. It is a fortune of three lifetimes to witness Young Clan Master Fen's wedding to Princess Cang Yue with my own eyes."

"The Burning Heaven Clan's marriage to the princess is a fortune for the Burning Heaven Clan, and the princess's marriage into the Burning Heaven Clan is an even greater blessing for the Imperial Family."

Groups of influential figures from across the empire pushed to the front, racking their brains to offer all kinds of flattery. Among them were leaders of small and medium sects, commanders and city lords wielding significant power, and renowned rogue cultivators. However, none of these individuals were qualified to be invited to the Burning Heaven Clan's wedding banquet three days later, so they could only try their luck this way. Even leaving a slight impression on the Burning Heaven Clan would be capital enough to boast about for over a decade.

"Is that... the legendary Profound Void Crossing? Holy crap! A full eight of them... Is that real?"

"Of course it's real! This is the Burning Heaven Clan we're talking about!"

Among the onlookers, almost everyone was dumbfounded by the eight powerful figures floating in the air. In the major cities of the Azure Cloud Nation, practitioners of the Earth Profound Realm were considered grandmasters and mentors. As for the Sky Profound Realm, that was almost a legendary level, one that many people would never witness in their entire lives. Yet today, they saw eight at a glance. For most, this was an unparalleled shock, further clarifying the true concept of the Four Great Sects.

"Look! That person... that's the Azure Cloud Nation's number one divine physician... the Medical Saint, Gu Qiuhong!"

As several people gasped, numerous gazes of reverence turned towards the kindly white-robed elder, who was surrounded by over a dozen individuals at the front. Fen Juecheng also noticed his presence, immediately showing respect on his face. He quickly called out, "Master Gu," and made as if to dismount and bow.

"You mustn't!" Gu Qiuhong quickly stepped forward to stop him, chuckling. "Today is your golden day of marriage; how can you dismount so casually? Heh heh, your grandfather and I have been friends for decades. I've finally lived to see your wedding day today, and my heart is truly overjoyed."

Fen Juecheng cupped his hands and bowed. "For Master Gu to personally attend Juecheng's wedding, Juecheng is immensely grateful... For the grand banquet three days from now, Master Gu, please do grace us with your presence."

"Heh heh, naturally. I will set off this afternoon," Gu Qiuhong said with a chuckle. Fen Juecheng's public display of politeness and respect made him feel especially honored.

Upon hearing that Gu Qiuhong had been invited by the Burning Heaven Clan, those who had been racking their brains to curry favor all showed expressions of envy. But what kind of person was Gu Qiuhong? As the Azure Cloud Nation's foremost divine physician, it was perfectly normal for him to be invited as an honored guest.

The Burning Heaven Clan's procession moved slowly through the imperial city. After a quarter of an hour, they had only traveled about three li from the Imperial Palace. The crowd moved along with them, growing larger and larger. After all, such an astonishing display was likely a once-in-a-lifetime sight for them.

At that moment, a faint, prolonged cry suddenly echoed from the sky to the southwest.

"What... what is that? Look up at the sky!"

High in the distant azure sky, a black speck darted with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it grew from a tiny dot to the size of a palm. The next instant, the clear outline of a large bird appeared.

"It's flying so fast! Could it be a Giant Snow Goose... No! It's a Storm Gale Eagle... It's... a Gale Bird!"

"A high-grade Earth Profound Beast... a Gale Bird!?"

Among the various easily tamed flying profound beasts used for travel, Giant Snow Geese, though luxurious, were still relatively common. Storm Gale Eagles were quite rare. As for using a Gale Bird as a profound beast for travel, there were only a handful of individuals in the entire Azure Cloud Empire who could do so. While a Gale Bird's speed was no less than a Storm Gale Eagle's, its endurance was dozens of times greater. However, as a high-grade Earth Profound Beast, not to mention taming it and forming a contract, merely capturing one alive was exceedingly difficult.

Only a limited number of powerful sects were capable of forming contracts with Gale Birds as their profound beasts.

Profound beasts generally did not trespass into human territories. Yet now, a Gale Bird had flown above the Azure Cloud Imperial City, clearly being ridden by someone. Everyone looked up, gazing in astonishment at this exceedingly rare and precious flying profound beast... including those from the Burning Heaven Clan.

The Gale Bird flew closer and closer, and in a flash, it was directly above them. A dark figure plummeted from the Gale Bird high above amidst the crowd's exclamations... With a prolonged cry, the Gale Bird circled once in place before turning back and flying towards Heavenly Sword Villa.

"Some... someone fell!"

"Not fell, *jumped*! From that height... isn't he afraid of falling to his death?"

"Nonsense! Someone who can ride a Gale Bird wouldn't be simple, would they? This height probably means nothing to them."

"Quick... move out of the way!"

The dark figure plummeted from the sky at an astonishing speed. Midway through his descent, a flash of light appeared in his hand. An astonishingly large greatsword was grasped in both his hands. Instantly, a heavy pressure, like that of a towering mountain, enveloped the area from above. The dark figure's descent speed abruptly accelerated the moment the greatsword appeared, and then he slammed fiercely into the ground directly in front of the Burning Heaven Clan's procession.

BOOM!!!!

Although it was only one person falling from the sky, it caused a deafening roar. Amidst the tremendous sound, large sections of the ground directly exploded, sending shattered rocks and dust flying everywhere. Even the entire earth seemed to tremble. Countless cracks frantically spread outwards along the ground, with the longest extending for dozens of zhang.

This was nothing like a person falling... it was clearly as if a ten-thousand-jin boulder had slammed down from the sky!