nashuaworldcup Chapter 92 Soaring Through the Sky! Yun Luan's Shock!
Chapter 92 Soaring Through the Sky! Yun Luan's Shock!
The next morning, at 3:45 AM.
Before the morning light had completely pierced the night, the imperial city was shrouded in a tranquil blue-gray hue.
Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the stone path was still damp from the night dew.
Yunluan was dressed in a neat black outfit, with a matching cloak over it, and her long hair was tied into a neat high ponytail at the back of her head.
She walked silently through the corridor to the palace door, about to raise her hand to knock—
With a creak, the palace door was pushed open from the inside.
Qin Mu came out.
He changed into a more flowing, moon-white robe with wide sleeves, the robe embroidered with fine silver thread depicting flowing cloud patterns that appeared and disappeared in the dim morning light.
Her long hair was loosely tied up with only an ebony hairpin, with a few strands falling over her shoulders. A white jade pendant hung at her waist, and in her hand... she was holding a closed ivory folding fan.
He didn't look like an emperor about to travel thousands of miles to face a powerful enemy.
He seemed more like a refined young master from a noble family, preparing to go on a spring outing to enjoy the scenery and compose poems under the moon – languid, handsome, and with an elegant demeanor.
Yunluan was slightly taken aback, then lowered her head:
"Your Majesty, the carriages and ceremonial regalia are ready outside Xuanwu Gate. If we depart immediately, traveling day and night, we can reach Suzhou in as little as three days."
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu's lips curled slightly, revealing a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown.
He raised the folding fan in his hand, his gaze passing over Yunluan and looking towards the higher part of the palace.
"Three days?" he repeated, his tone unreadable, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. "Still too slow."
Yunluan was puzzled, but dared not show it on her face. She only said, "Your Majesty, Jiangnan is more than two thousand li away from here. Three days is already..."
"I know the journey," Qin Mu interrupted her, his voice still calm.
He took a step and walked straight toward the white jade steps on the side of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
That's the direction leading to the "Observatory," the tallest building in the palace.
"Come with me."
Yunluan dared not ask any more questions, suppressed her doubts, and quickly followed.
The two of them, one in front of the other, spiraled upwards on the cool white jade steps.
As the morning breeze grew stronger, it caused Qin Muyue's white robe sleeves to flutter loudly. As the wide sleeves billowed, the silver cloud patterns seemed to come alive, transforming into flowing clouds that swirled around him.
Yunluan followed half a step behind him, her black robes clinging to her body, but her gaze remained fixed on that tall, straight back, her heart filled with doubts.
What exactly does His Majesty want to do?
Is there a faster way without using carriages and horses?
But besides carriages and horses, what else is there...?
Before they could even settle their thoughts, the two had already reached the top of the observatory.
This is the highest point of the palace, offering a panoramic view of the entire imperial city.
At this moment, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and the stars had not yet completely disappeared, creating a hazy yet magnificent scene intertwined with the first rays of morning light.
In the distance, the glazed tile roofs of the palace gleamed with a dark golden luster in the morning light, while the plants and trees in the nearby imperial garden were still covered with dewdrops, creating a tranquil scene.
Qin Mu walked to the white marble railing and stood leaning against it.
The morning breeze brushed against his face, blowing the stray hairs on his forehead backward, revealing his smooth forehead and his deep, starry eyes.
He didn't speak, but just gazed quietly into the distance.
Yunluan stood silently beside him, following his gaze.
In the far distance, a line of southward-bound wild geese flew in a V-shape, flapping their wings beneath the soon-to-be-hidden crescent moon.
The figures appeared exceptionally clear and free against the gradually brightening sky.
Just when Yunluan thought His Majesty was simply enjoying the scenery.
Qin Mu suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, as if talking to himself, yet also as if speaking specifically to her:
"Yunluan, look at those birds."
He raised the hand holding the fan, the end of the ivory fan pointing towards the increasingly smaller black dots on the horizon.
"Without the burden of carriages and horses, without the obstruction of mountains and rivers, a thousand miles can be covered in the blink of an eye."
He paused, turned his head to look at Yunluan, his eyes reflecting the dawn's light, shimmering with a light she couldn't fully comprehend.
"Tell me, if a person could soar through the sky like a bird, how long would it take to get from here to Suzhou?"
Yunluan was taken aback by this abrupt question.
Seeing the strange light in His Majesty's eyes, she subconsciously made a quick estimate based on the maximum speed of the carrier pigeons in the army and the distance between the two places, and cautiously replied:
"If one could truly fly like a bird... without sleep or rest, perhaps one could arrive in half a day."
This was already the fastest speed she could imagine.
"Half a day..."
Qin Mu repeated in a low voice, the smile on his lips deepening and becoming even more unpredictable.
He withdrew his hand from the distant sky, gently twirled the folding fan in his palm, and said, "Then let's use this method."
Yunluan's pupils contracted slightly.
Using...this method?
What does that mean?
Could it be Your Majesty...?
An absurd yet heart-stopping thought suddenly flashed into her mind!
impossible!
That's just a myth, something even land-based immortals might not be able to do...
However, before she could sort out this thought, or even utter any words of dissuasion or inquiry—
Qin Mu suddenly turned around and faced her.
The next moment, he reached out his left hand and grasped Yunluan's right wrist.
Yunluan froze!
"Close your eyes," he said softly, his voice seemingly carrying a soothing tone.
Yunluan instinctively obeyed the order.
Or rather, the body reacted faster than the brain.
She closed her eyes.
Just as my eyelids closed—
She felt a gentle yet incredibly powerful force emanating from the hand holding her wrist!
Immediately afterwards, a feeling of weightlessness suddenly struck!
It was as if the solid ground beneath my feet had suddenly disappeared, and I was gently lifted up by an invisible force!
"His Majesty--!"
The sound of a gasp caught in her throat, and Yunluan suddenly opened her eyes!
The sight before her made her forget to breathe, her mind going completely blank!
Beneath my feet lies the imperial palace, now shimmering like a chessboard!
The familiar red walls and golden tiles, pavilions and towers, have now become exquisite miniature models, quietly displayed in the gradually brightening morning light.
Above us was the sky, which seemed so close, as if we could reach out and touch it!
The remaining stars had not yet faded, and the rosy dawn in the east was spreading out brilliantly, dyeing half of the sky's sea of clouds red.
And she herself was standing hundreds of feet in the air!
The biting morning wind howled from all directions, making her clothes flutter wildly and her long hair fly.
There was nothing beneath my feet, only the flowing clouds swirling below.
She...is flying?
No, it's not her flying.
It was His Majesty who was holding her as they flew!
Yunluan stiffly turned her neck to look at Qin Mu beside her.
He still held her wrist, his long, white sleeves billowing like sails in the gale, yet he showed no sign of distress.
He stood straight, almost leisurely, as if he were stepping not on empty air, but on solid ground.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Yunluan heard her own voice trembling, her tone filled with extreme shock.
She had followed His Majesty for many years and knew that he was unfathomable, that he had mysterious forces like the Dragon Shadow Guard by his side, and that his martial arts cultivation might have reached a state of perfection...
But she never imagined that His Majesty could go this far!
Soaring through the air!
This is a realm that exists only in the oldest books and legends, a realm that even immortals on earth might not dare to claim to master!
This implies an incredibly sophisticated and unbelievable level of control over the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and over one's own power!
Hold on tight.
Qin Mu's voice was somewhat erratic due to the wind high in the sky, yet it still reached her ears clearly.
The moment the words fell, Yunluan felt the invisible force supporting them suddenly change!
"call out--!!!"
A piercingly sharp sound cut through the air! The scenery before my eyes instantly transformed into a blurry, iridescent blur!
The imperial city shrank rapidly beneath my feet, receding into the distance, becoming an insignificant black dot, and then completely disappearing from sight.
Mountains, rivers, towns, fields...
Everything on the ground became blocks of color and lines rushing past at breakneck speed, too fast to distinguish!
The gale slammed against her face and body like a solid wall, forcing Yunluan to exert all her inner energy to protect herself and stabilize her body.
She gritted her teeth, resisting the physical discomfort and mental shock brought on by this unprecedented high speed.
She turned her head to look at Qin Mu beside her.
His Majesty remained as calm and composed as ever.
A faint, almost invisible, shimmering white halo enveloped him, keeping out the violent air currents and chill, and even his hair remained perfectly neat.
Is this... His Majesty's true strength?
Yunluan was deeply shocked.
In awe.
A pure, instinctive awe for a higher existence surged into my heart like a tide.
Just like mortals looking up to gods, they are unattainable and unreachable!
No wonder... no wonder His Majesty showed no fear, only amusement, when he heard that Cao Wei was a master of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.
No wonder His Majesty said there was no need for carriages and horses, and that three days was too slow.
It turns out that in His Majesty's eyes, this distance of a thousand miles is truly nothing more than the blink of an eye!
All the previous doubts, tensions, and calculations about the itinerary, the enemy, and the dangers seemed so ridiculous and insignificant at this moment.
Yunluan slowly lowered her head.
The last trace of unease in my heart quietly dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented sense of certainty and glory.
To be able to follow such a monarch and witness such power, what more could one ask for in this life?
In the east, the morning glow grows ever more vibrant, dyeing the boundless sea of clouds golden and red.
Two figures, one in white and one in black, moved forward without hesitation towards that dazzling place, like shooting stars streaking across the sky.
The speed was so fast it seemed to transcend time.
........