She reached over to take the letter and seemingly asked unintentionally, “The Beiming Dynasty has never interacted much with us. Why would they suddenly send us a letter?”
Shangguan You shook his head. “I haven’t looked at it.”
Chu Liuyue looked down at the invitation letter, which had a line written on it: “Dear Tianling Dynasty’s Emperor.”
Her brows harshly twitched! The handwriting is exactly the same as the one on the previous note!
She suppressed her wildly beating heart and opened the letter—there was an invite inside.
Chu Liuyue rapidly read it and slightly knitted her brows.
Shangguan You asked rather worriedly, “What? Is there something wrong?”
Chu Liuyue passed the invitation card over. “The Beiming Dynasty invites the other four dynasties to go to Lin Zhou.”
“To do what?” Shangguan You asked as he read the invitation.
Lin Zhou was the Beiming Dynasty’s capital.
Even though the dynasties within Heaven’s Canopy would occasionally communicate, it wasn’t very regular. It was very rare for one to suddenly invite people from so many dynasties to go to the same place together.
He then shockingly said, “Ancient Phoenix Mountain is about to erupt?”
“That’s right. The letter says that Ancient Phoenix Mountain will erupt around half a month later, and they feel that the Beiming Dynasty alone can’t handle it. Hence, they invited other dynasties to go there.”
Chu Liuyue tightly knitted her brows. Ancient Phoenix Mountain is actually a mountain outside Lin Zhou City. I hear that it was where the Beiming Dynasty’s ancestor tried to break through last time.
Different from Shangguan Jing, that ancestor of theirs actually did it successfully. Ever since then, the entire Ancient Phoenix Mountain became the Beiming Dynasty’s holy mountain.
Even though it happened a thousand years ago, it was because of this that the entire Beiming Dynasty seemed to be above the rest. The surrounding dynasties were all more polite toward the Beiming Dynasty.
“This invitation is written by the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince. I heard that he is the Old Emperor’s only son and is very talented. He has always been doted on, and half of the Beiming Dynasty’s royal power is in his hands.” Shangguan You glanced at the letter and fell into deep thought. “No matter if they are going for Ancient Phoenix Mountain or doing it for the Beiming Dynasty, the other dynasties will most likely go this time.”
Chu Liuyue nodded; she thought so too.
Shangguan You thought seriously for a moment and asked in confusion, “But the other three dynasties are closer to the Beiming Dynasty, and they interact a lot more frequently. Only the Tianling Dynasty is further away from them, and I don’t think we have ever interacted with them in this manner before. Why would they send this invitation?”
Chu Liuyue’s gaze turned cold. So the person who abducted Chu Ning is from the Beiming Dynasty! And if I didn’t guess wrongly, the mastermind is this so-called Beiming Crown Prince—Jun Jiuqing! This is targeted at me! However, I’ve never been to the Beiming Dynasty and don’t know this Jun Jiuqing. So why must he do this?
“No matter what it is, we’ll know if we go there,” Chu Liuyue said calmly.
Shangguan You hesitated for a moment. “Yue’er, why don’t I go on this trip for you?”
Chu Liuyue shook her head. “The letter invited each dynasty’s emperor to bring people with them. They must know that I’ve ascended the throne. If you go in my place, it might incur unwanted gossip and trouble.”
Shangguan You was actually quite worried. “But…”
It was precisely because the letter’s target was too obvious that he was hesitant. For some reason, he just felt that the invitation contained ill intentions.
Chu Liuyue looked at his worried expression and laughed as she raised her hand to relax his knitted brows. “That’s enough! Father, are you so worried about me doing this? Besides, they said that Ancient Phoenix Mountain was about to erupt, so they invited all the dynasties to bring outstanding talents with them. With so many people around, it can also be considered as a grand event that everyone will be focusing on. Nothing much will happen.”
Shangguan You was caught between laughter and tears from her actions. “Yue’er, you’re smart, and I’m not worried about anything that you do! Since you’re already set on it, tidy up your belongings these few days and choose people to go with you!”
She nodded. “Ancient Phoenix Mountain is about to erupt, and rare treasures will present themselves. I’ve heard that the force tides will also come. This is a very rare cultivation opportunity to any cultivators, and I wouldn’t want to miss it.”
When Shangguan You saw his daughter’s serious expression, his heart tingled. “Okay! You can do whatever you want! I’ll always be behind you to support you!”
…
The news of the Beiming Dynasty inviting Chu Liuyue to bring people to Lin Zhou to witness Ancient Phoenix Mountain erupting had quickly spread to many clans and aristocratic families.
Many were tempted, and they were eager to go.
The Beiming Dynasty was a legendary existence! Ancient Phoenix Mountain was also a place of rare treasures! Which cultivator in the world wouldn’t like to go and see it for themselves?
Additionally, it would be even grander with people from other dynasties going! Even if they just went to look around, it would be a precious experience!
It was extremely fortunate for one to meet so many top outstanding talents!
In no time, the nominee list became the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know who Chu Liuyue would pick to go with her.
…
Study, Shaoyue Palace.
Chu Liuyue sat before the study table and looked at the list she had just written. The invitation said I could bring a total of ten people. Five top warriors and five outstanding talents… This number isn’t considered small as people from three other dynasties besides the Tianling Dynasty will also be going, not to mention the Beiming Dynasty’s people as well. There is a limited number of vacancies, so the choice of people is extremely important.
Chu Liuyue first crafted her own list of nominees. On the one hand, the people who go there have to be sufficiently strong. Adequate manpower also has to be left behind on Xi Ling’s side just in case someone stirs trouble when I’m not around. Besides, all the clans and aristocratic families must be closely watching this limited number of vacancies, so I have to balance it well.
Staring at the list in her hands for a while, she edited it again before settling on the finalized one.
Ten days later…
The Tianling Dynasty wasn’t near to the Beiming Dynasty. Even if they used transportation formations, they would still have to spend quite a few days on the road. Thus, they should set off after settling everything on Xi Ling’s side.
Chu Liuyue’s gaze turned, and it landed on the invitation at the side. Her expression turned slightly solemn. Jun Jiuqing… Did we know each other before?
Plop!
A sound suddenly sounded from behind.
The girl turned around and saw that Tuan Zi had accidentally knocked down a few books from the rack.
She stood up to pick the books up.
When she picked up the last book and was about to put it back in order, she realized that the book was slightly different.
Chu Liuyue’s heart tingled, and she flipped open the book.
After a moment, shock flashed across her eyes. This is my handwriting, but I have no memory of writing this!