Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 736 - 460: Golden Armor of the Northern Frontier

Chapter 736: Chapter 460: Golden Armor of the Northern Frontier

Northern Frontier, Ice Spirit Palace.

The vast mountain range was covered with boundless, pure white snow, and a path like a staircase reaching to the heavens extended from its base to the summit, with the grand palace complexes intermittently visible amidst the wind and snow.

The cold wind was as sharp as a knife, and the falling snow like arrows.

A man clad in black armor walked down the staircase, his heavy metal armor grinding with each step, his iron boots crushing the ice and snow on the ground.

"Crack."

A crisp sound amidst the wind and snow made the black-armored man halt his steps, and he looked down toward the direction of the sound.

At his feet, a severed arm buried in the snow caught his eye.

The neat cut, as well as the frozen flesh and blood, all suggested that the owner of the arm had been dead for a long time.

Gazing at the severed arm for a few breaths, Yuan Hao slowly lifted his eyes towards the Ice Spirit Palace hidden in the wind and snow below.

Under the dome of heaven, amidst the mixed wind and snow, all was as silent as the night.

The once-thriving structures of fine jade and bejeweled halls had succumbed to the flames of war, leaving behind ruins that told of the existence of a sect once known as the Ice Spirit Palace.

Continuing to ascend the steps, Yuan Hao encountered more skeletons.

Some lay scattered by the staircase like fragments, while others were piled up in front of the ruined jade structures like debris, then buried by the white snow into a massive grave mound.

To establish a sect’s celestial palace would take decades, even centuries, but to destroy it required only a single day.

"Creak... creak... creak..."

His boots crunched in the snow with each crisp step.

Every so often, Yuan Hao would see the main hall of the Ice Spirit Palace, now collapsed into ruins, and a golden-armored woman sitting alone on a large boulder in front of the wreckage.

The woman was beautiful, with phoenix eyes like moons and a face as clear as water.

Atop the tempestuous peak, her smooth locks, like thousands of strands of turquoise, were carelessly scattered in the air, while the bloody armor and blade in her hands brought an uncountable aura of sharp fierceness around her.

As Yuan Hao approached, the woman’s knife-sharp gaze also slowly fell upon him.

"Crack, crack..."

With the sound of armor rubbing, the valiant woman slowly stood up, looking at the Black Scale Commander in front of her with a trace of weariness:

"You’ve arrived too late."

Yuan Hao respectfully saluted her, replying with a smile:

"Indeed, we are late. Prince Wu Yuan must have conquered the Ice Spirit Palace about ten days ago, and by now all the supplies and treasures inside should have already been inventoried."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan looked at him for several moments, her lips parting slightly:

"Commander Yuan made a special trip here to borrow supplies? I recall that your Black Scale Guards just recently annihilated the Falling Immortal Sect, so you shouldn’t be in need of supplies for the time being."

Due to a horrific plague that had almost swept through the Three Prefectures of the Northern Frontier, the roadways were almost completely blocked, causing logistical issues for the various military forces within the Northern Frontier.

It wasn’t just the soldiers’ rations that were in shortage, but also the spiritual weapons, armor, and siege machinery.

To continue maintaining their strongest combat force, the various military forces basically had to sustain themselves through warfare.

Of course,

closely allied forces could also support each other.

Since Li Qingyan had a relationship with Xu Yuan, and her supplies were currently very abundant, if he wanted to borrow...

"Your Highness, you misunderstand,"

After bowing, Yuan Hao slowly stood up and said softly, "I am here to relay a message to Prince Wu Yuan."

To relay a message...

Li Qingyan’s expression immediately became solemn as a trace of contemplation appeared in her crimson phoenix eyes.

A few moments later, she asked in a soft voice,

"Do you want to cooperate?"

Was the other party here now to pull her into a big venture?

She swiftly reviewed the current situation in the Northern Frontier in her mind.

The original plans had been thoroughly disrupted due to the blizzard, a natural disaster, and the subsequent epidemic, a human calamity.

While dealing with the mass of infected people, which was as endless as the tide, her Feathered Forest Army had cooperated with the Black Scale Guards of the Prime Minister’s Mansion a few times. However, the outbreak was now under control, and there had been a slight shift in the united stance between the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

They were still in collaboration on a large scale, after all, the Sect Alliance was trying everything to destroy various types of infrastructure in the Three Prefectures of the Northern Frontier. Their ultimate goal was to eradicate the Sects of the Northern Frontier while preserving their various industries, ensuring a stable rear area for producing various war materials in the future.

But there were still differences and contradictions between them when it came to details.

Because a new round of the slaughter competition had begun.

This time, however, the targets were no longer the millions of people infected by the epidemic, but the Northern Border Sects which had been severely weakened in the war against the Barbarian Tribes.

In short,

The Imperial Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion started competing for territory.

The territories and industries controlled by the Black Scale Guards would obviously not be handed over to the Imperial Court.

And vice versa.

At this thought, Li Qingyan sighed softly in her gaze towards the man in front of her.

The Feathered Forest Army under her command was well-disciplined under her control, but the rest of the Imperial Family’s armies had already begun to trip each other up with the Prime Minister’s Mansion over this matter.

Neither side wanted to see the other take too much of the Northern Frontier’s industry and inflate its power excessively.

According to the information she received, both parties were still in the probing stage, only making small moves such as cutting off supplies and harassing the other party’s logistics on a small scale. If this trend were not suppressed, things could escalate.

In the end, it could even evolve into the Imperial Family and the Prime Minister’s Mansion deliberately destroying each other’s production facilities.

After a moment’s reflection, Li Qingyan’s eyes changed slightly, and she said solemnly,

"If it is reasonable, I can agree."

As one of the only three Commanders of the Imperial Family in the Northern Frontier, her choice to cooperate with the Black Scale Guards at this moment was a very clear stance.

With the Sect Alliance still lurking nearby, how could the Imperial Court begin infighting?

Yuan Hao’s cultured eyes revealed a touch of surprise upon hearing this, but he soon understood Prince Wu Yuan’s intent and smiled lightly,

"Your Highness has great righteousness, this matter can indeed be discussed. However, the message I’ve come to convey is not of military matters."

"....."

The snow fluttered in the wind, a moment of silence ensued.

Li Qingyan slightly furrowed her brows, casually gathering a stray strand of green hair behind her, and asked,

"Then what is the so-called matter for which you have come?"

Yuan Hao lowered his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and then chose to be direct with the Princess, who had considerable military achievements:

"Third Young Master was assassinated and perished on his way south."

"....."

On hearing this, Li Qingyan was briefly stunned, then her expression turned somewhat strange: "You... are saying that guy is dead?"

Yuan Hao kept his head down, his voice very soft,

"Your Highness, you have been besieging the Ice Spirit Palace here for some time, under the cover of darkness, preventing the news from reaching you. In two or three days, the Imperial Family should also send someone to inform you of this."