Chapter 276: Mu Qinghe (Second Update)

The Vice General of the Black Cavalry of the Tianling Empire—Mu Qinghe!

His face was naturally handsome, but a scar running from his left eyebrow, across his eye, and down to his cheekbone lent him a touch of ferocity.

Combined with the cold, unapproachable aura radiating from his entire being, he seemed even more difficult to get close to.

That was a battle intent forged through countless brushes with death on the battlefield!

Even though more than a year had passed, Chu Liuyue recognized Mu Qinghe at a single glance.

He was one of her most trusted confidants!

As she saw that the newcomer was actually him, a multitude of emotions flashed through Chu Liuyue's heart.

Shock!

Confusion!

Doubt!

In the Tianling Empire, everyone knew that the youngest Vice General of the Black Cavalry, Mu Qinghe, was a subordinate of the Heavenly Mandate Imperial Princess.

He came from a lowly background and had been a wanderer since childhood; from the age of thirteen, he had followed by Shangguan Yue's side.

Later, he personally requested to join the Black Cavalry and went to the most perilous Great Desolate Marsh, risking his life to earn military merits, rising to the position of Vice General at the fastest possible speed.

By the time he had established a firm foothold within the Black Cavalry, it happened to be the critical period when Shangguan Yue was about to seize power.

At that time, he held military authority and became a major pillar of support for Shangguan Yue.

And later...

Shangguan Yue was trapped in the Imperial Ancestral Hall, and all the messages she sent for rescue vanished into the sea.

Including the ones sent to Mu Qinghe.

Looking at that all-too-familiar face, Chu Liuyue's heart surged with many emotions.

After her rebirth, she had replayed the situation countless times, and no matter how she thought about it, something felt wrong.

Mu Qinghe had always carried the items used for her transmissions; logically speaking, he shouldn't have failed to receive the messages.

Even if he truly didn't know, she had been trapped in the Imperial Ancestral Hall for three whole days and nights!

Given Mu Qinghe's usual prudence, he absolutely should have realized something was wrong!

Yet from beginning to end, she never saw Mu Qinghe appear.

She had not been without suspicions regarding the many oddities.

However, Mu Qinghe was one of the people she trusted most.

He had followed her for many years and had always been fiercely loyal; Chu Liuyue simply refused to keep thinking about it, even once worrying that Jiang Yucheng and Shangguan Wan might have moved against Mu Qinghe after her death.

But now, Mu Qinghe was appearing here representing the Tianling Empire!

In other words, during the year and a month after her death, Mu Qinghe had not been implicated!

Given Jiang Yucheng's personality of wanting to kill everyone off quickly, how could he easily let go of anyone who had a close connection to her?

Unless—

Mu Qinghe's sudden appearance shocked everyone on the spot.

The sheer, peerless aura emanating from him alone was enough to look down upon all!

Emperor Jiawen was the first to react

"Vice General Mu!"

The newcomer was actually Mu Qinghe!

He had seen Mu Qinghe before when he traveled to the Tianling Empire.

At that time, he was still by the side of the Imperial Princess.

Now that the Imperial Princess was gone and rumors said the ruler had changed, he had thought Mu Qinghe would have fallen from grace, but now it seemed he had not been affected at all.

A flash of light appeared beneath Mu Qinghe's feet, and his longsword quickly vanished.

He walked through the air, stepping down from mid-air one step at a time, his gait as steady as if walking on level ground.

Chu Liuyue pursed her lips.

Mu Qinghe had long been an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, but now, outside the Sky Curtain Realm, his cultivation level seemed to be suppressed to the Sixth Rank.

Even so, he was still the most powerful existence here!

The pressure from a top-tier powerhouse was almost tangible, causing everyone in the plaza to feel an involuntary sense of awe!

The originally spacious plaza now seemed much more cramped.

Everyone fell silent, feeling a mix of tension, excitement, and reverence.

Most people had even lowered their heads, not daring to look Mu Qinghe directly in the eye.

Mu Qinghe walked up to Emperor Jiawen.

His aura was so strong that it made Emperor Jiawen appear much smaller and weaker by comparison.

"Rong Xiao, I trust you have been well."

Mu Qinghe spoke, his voice cold, like ice and falling snow in the depths of winter, piercing to the bone.

Emperor Jiawen instinctively shuddered and bowed slightly, becoming even more respectful.

"Vice General Mu has come from afar, and we failed to welcome you properly. I hope you can forgive us."

The extremely simple dialogue between the two sent shockwaves through the hearts of the crowd!

This man called "Vice General Mu" actually dared to call the current Emperor by his personal name!

And far from being angry, Emperor Jiawen was even more attentive and respectful!

From this, it was evident that this person's status was definitely even more noble than imagined!

"It matters not. This trip was quite sudden," Mu Qinghe said indifferently.

Despite his words, his face remained expressionless and exceptionally cold.

Emperor Jiawen was still very nervous and asked tentatively

"Vice General Mu, would you like to change locations so you can rest properly first? Oh, right, rest assured, your accommodations have already been prepared here and are ready for immediate occupancy! Since it is late today, why don't we hold a formal welcome banquet for you tomorrow?"

Mu Qinghe thought for a moment and nodded.

"That will suffice."

Emperor Jiawen breathed a sigh of relief.

This man had once been the Imperial Princess's favorite, and rumors said he was difficult to get along with; when he saw that the envoy was him, he had been quite worried for a while.

But now, it seemed it wasn't that exaggerated.

"Then I shall lead the way? Vice General Mu, please—"

In front of Mu Qinghe, Emperor Jiawen did not dare to use the word "Zhen" (the imperial "I").

Mu Qinghe's gaze swept indifferently over Emperor Jiawen and the crowd behind him.

Emperor Jiawen didn't know what he was looking at and didn't dare to rush him, so he could only wait to the side.

Mu Qinghe suddenly said

"The Qingjiao Assembly? It seems it's not just the Yao Chen Kingdom; the young geniuses of the Xing Luo Kingdom and the Huai Cang Kingdom are also here?"

Hearing this, Cheng Han, who was standing nearby, felt a surge of joy and immediately stepped forward two paces

"Greetings, Vice General Mu! I am Cheng Han, the Dean of Taiyan Academy in the Xing Luo Kingdom. It is an honor beyond measure to meet you!"

For many years, the Tianling Empire had always been a legendary existence.

This was the first time he had met a powerhouse from the Tianling Empire, and he sounded like he held a high status.

If he could take this opportunity to build a connection, wouldn't his rise to prosperity be just around the corner!?

Mu Qinghe gave Cheng Han a calm look.

Suddenly, Cheng Han felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him! His whole body was in intense pain! The blood in his body flowed rapidly, and his ears roared!

He was terrified and wanted to speak, but found he couldn't even open his mouth!

Most people did not notice this, but Fu Yunshan, Sun Zhongyan, and the others standing nearby were all startled.

Cheng Han was, after all, a Fifth-Level Heavenly Physician and a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist; even if his combat power wasn't top-tier, he shouldn't have been that easy to deal with.

But this man—no, he hadn't even made a move, he had merely looked at him, and yet he had suppressed Cheng Han to this extent!

His strength was unfathomable!

More importantly, this man looked very young, at most in his twenties, yet he had already reached such a level!

After a long while, Mu Qinghe withdrew his gaze, and only then did Cheng Han feel the pressure on his body suddenly vanish.

The taste of thick blood filled his mouth!

He retreated a step in panic, not daring to speak again.

Mu Qinghe turned to leave, but suddenly felt a gaze falling upon him.

His eyes flickered slightly as he turned to look—