Chương 1157: Chapter 1155: Cannot Deny it Any Longer

The sound of shifting stone echoed down the dark stairwell as Elder Huo Zheng rounded the corner with Elder Cai and Ren Shu flanking him. The disciples followed closely behind with their weapons drawn while the glow of their Qi illuminated the subterranean corridor. They stopped their advance when they saw Li Yu standing alongside four weary figures in the gloom. Elder Huo Zheng lowered his broadsword while taking in the sight of the Crown Princess."

It is a relief to find the Crown Princess alive amidst this tragedy." Huo Zheng spoke with a grave tone while observing the group Li Yu nodded and stepped aside to give the elders room to approach.

"They were shielded by a defensive treasure left by the King. The enemy did not breach this lower section too much and they have been trapped down here since the attack began." Yuehan offered a formal bow to the Heavenly Sword Sect elders.

"I thank you for coming to our aid so quickly. We have been waiting in the dark for a long time and we are ready to see the surface. I need to see what has happened to my home." Huo Zheng exchanged a grim look with Elder Cai. He knew what awaited the young royal above ground and he knew it would break her heart.

"The path is clear Princess. Keep your guardians close and follow us." The group ascended the frozen stone steps together. The journey upward was silent and tense. The air grew colder and smelled heavily of acidic residue the closer they got to the surface. When they finally stepped out of the palace entrance, the pale stormy sky of the Frostveil Realm greeted them with a biting wind. Yuehan stopped at the top of the ruined staircase and looked out over the valley as her breath caught in her throat.

The beautiful blue architecture she had known all her life was reduced to scattered rubble. The thriving capital was a silent graveyard of shattered frost glass and melted stone. Her middle aged guardian stepped up beside her to offer support while the younger woman wept into her hands once again. The skilled swordsman gripped his hilt and scanned the empty horizon.

'This is the reality of our world,' Li Yu thought while watching her face pale.

'A kingdom built over millennia can be erased in a single night if a stronger force decides to strike and wipe it completely out.' Yuehan did not scream or collapse from the shocking sight. She stood there and absorbed the devastation while trembling in the cold. She looked for any sign of life but she only saw empty courtyards and barren streets. Elder Huo Zheng stepped away from the group and walked over to a nearby melted pillar. Elder Cai joined him to discuss.

Huo Zheng closed his eyes and had hoped his initial suspicions were wrong when he first saw the destruction. He wanted to believe a rival empire or a demonic sect was responsible for this tragedy because a rival faction could be tracked and fought using conventional means. What he sensed and discovered so far proved his worst fears true. The unique energy signature matched a nightmare he thought he had left behind. The elder stood up and his scarred face looked much older than it had just moments ago.

He turned to face the group of elders and disciples. He gestured for Li Yu and Yuehan to approach the ruined pillar.

"I cannot deny it any longer," Huo Zheng said heavily. His voice carried a chilling certainty that silenced the murmuring disciples.

"I know what did this." Li Yu paid close attention while Yuehan stepped forward with her guardians flanking her.

"Who attacked my home?" Yuehan asked with a trembling voice.

"What kind of monsters leaves no bodies behind?" Huo Zheng looked at the princess and then at the rest of the expeditionary force.

"They are not simple beasts. They are a highly organized and lethal species. I fought them when I and many others were trapped inside the ancient zone." The older elders from the Heavenly Sword Sect widened their eyes upon hearing the mention of the zone that Huo Zheng, the Worldkeeper and his armies had returned from just recently. It was a perilous domain filled with ancient horrors and surviving it was considered a miracle from the stories Zheng had told them.

"We called them the Hollow Husk." Huo Zheng explained while gesturing to the melted ruins around them.

"They are a species of squid-like creatures. They possess flexible bodies that are surprisingly tough and rubbery. You can strike them with immense force and their bodies will just bend and absorb the blow often times. Their tough bodies also make them hard to cut so those two things together make them incredibly resilient. They are incredibly difficult to kill." Ren Shu gripped his twin blades and asked a tactical question.

"If they are so resilient, how did they breach the walls without setting off any alarms or anything at all. The Frostmoon arrays would detect any large gathering of Qi and all the scouts and everything else seemed like they were bypassed."

"Because they are masters of stealth and potent illusions," Huo Zheng answered grimly.

"They can mask their presence and blend into the environment. They move like shadows and some of the top assassins come from their race. By the time the royal family realized the capital was under attack, the horde was already swarming most likely." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Yuehan paled as the horrific imagery took shape in her mind. She imagined her family fighting monsters or were simply killed before they even knew who they were fighting against.

Huo Zheng softened his tone but he did not hide the truth as he continued.

"The Hollow Husk does not take prisoners and they do not conquer territory for just resources or political gain. They are driven by an endless hunger and eat their enemies for nutrients. That is why the city is empty. The horde feasted and then moved on to find their next meal while taking anything and everything they found valuable." The skilled swordsman closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration. The middle aged man placed a steady hand on the princess's shoulder as she swayed on her feet.

The reality of her family being eaten by monsters was a heavy burden to bear. Li Yu frowned and analyzed the information.

"If they are from the ancient zone and my grandfather and you had defeated them, how did they get here? That domain was cleared and is sealed now.

"That is the most terrifying part of this discovery," Huo Zheng said while looking up at the stormy sky of the Frostveil Realm.

"We defeated the main force of the horde inside the zone. But it seems a splinter faction survived or managed to escape before the seals were reinforced. If that is true, they have been roaming the outside realms and growing their numbers in the dark. If a splinter faction is strong enough to eradicate the Frostmoon Empire in a single night, then no faction is truly safe." The veteran elder turned to Elder Cai with a fierce determination burning in his eyes.

"We can no longer treat this as something that only affects us or our allies. The presence of the Hollow Husk in the Myriad Realms is a possible extinction level threat. If they continue to feed and multiply, they will eventually target the Heavenly Sword Sect and the other factions."

"What are your orders?" Elder Cai asked while standing at attention.

"I must return to our home realm immediately," Huo Zheng declared.

"I need to inform Sect Master Ling Wuji and more importantly I must contact the Worldkeeper. Zhan Tian needs to know that a threat from the zone has breached the borders. Everyone must be mobilized to hunt these creatures down before they devour another kingdom." Huo Zheng reached into his robes and pulled out the golden compass Sect Master Ling Wuji had given him earlier. He held it out and handed it to Elder Cai.

"I am leaving you in charge of the expeditionary force," Huo Zheng instructed the older man.

"Your mission is to secure this area and help the Crown Princess search for any scattered survivors. Do not engage the horde if you spot them. If you face imminent danger, you will crush this token. It will teleport the entire group back to our home mountain in an instant." Elder Cai accepted the golden compass and secured it safely within his spatial ring.

"I understand Huo Zheng. We will guard the survivors and tread carefully through the ruins to see if we can learn anything further." Huo Zheng turned his gaze to Li Yu.

"Holy Son. I am heading back to coordinate. Will you return with me or will you stay here with the expeditionary force?" Li Yu looked at Yuehan. The young princess was staring blankly at the ruined city while trying to process the gruesome fate of her father and her brothers. He remembered his own journey through grief and knew she needed stable pillars around her to help her through this process as he had support during that time as well.

His instincts compelled him to be the support that he was given at that time. He wasn't going to be doing anything useful following Huo Zheng back. The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were reliable but they had their own duties to worry about.

"I will remain behind," Li Yu stated firmly.

"I will help the elders secure the ruins." Huo Zheng nodded.

"Trust your instincts, Li Yu," Huo Zheng advised him with a serious tone.

"The horde uses illusions to play with your mind before they strike. Do not trust your eyes if you begin to fight against them. Rely on your internal senses and the power of your soul."

"I will keep my guard up," Li Yu promised. Huo Zheng took a few steps back from the group and drew his broadsword. He gathered his Qi and swung the heavy blade through the freezing air as the edge of the weapon caught the fabric of the Frostveil Realm and tore a jagged black rift into the space before him. The portal hummed with turbulent void energy.

"May your blades stay sharp," Huo Zheng called out to his disciples. He stepped into the spatial tear and vanished into the void. The black rift snapped shut behind him and left a lingering scent of ozone in the frigid air. The expeditionary force was left standing on the ruined steps of the royal palace. The ten elders spread out to form a defensive perimeter while Ren Shu organized the disciples into patrol units.

They took their orders seriously and began scanning the shattered courtyards for any signs of movement once more Li Yu walked over to Yuehan and the princess was shivering despite the clothes she was wearing and her own powerful body. The cold of the realm was biting but the chill in her heart was much worse and was what was actually affecting her.

"We need to establish a camp," Li Yu said with a gentle tone.

"Standing out in the open wind will only drain your energy and make you sick. Let us find a structure that is still intact." Yuehan looked at him with hollow eyes.

"My home is gone, Li Yu. They ate my father. They ate everyone I ever knew."

"I understand." Li Yu replied softly. He did not offer false hope or tell her that things would be fine because he knew they would not be fine for a very long time. He simply acknowledged the brutal truth she was facing.

"It is a heavy burden to carry. But you are still here. We will set up a camp and we will figure out the next steps together." Yuehan nodded slowly and allowed her guardian to guide her down the ruined stairs. Li Yu followed close behind while keeping a watchful eye on the shadows stretching across the pale blue ice. The revelation of the Hollow Husk cast a dark cloud over the expedition and added tension on the shoulders of everyone there. They were no longer just searching for survivors in a dead city.

They were standing in the feeding grounds of an enemy and every dark corner of the ruins felt like a potential trap waiting to spring. Li Yu kept his hand near his waist and prepared to summon Star Abyss if the wind shifted in the wrong direction.