“Envoys from the Dark Moon Palace, we are from the Barbarian tribe and have urgent matters to discuss with the palace,” one of the Barbarian envoys quickly spoke up.
Qing Ling and Qing Shuang exchanged glances. Weren’t these Barbarian tribesmen always terrified of meeting anyone from the Dark Moon Palace?
Why did they come seeking an audience today?
It was like seeing the sun rise from the west.
In the past, the Barbarian tribe guarded against the Dark Moon Palace as if they were thieves.
“Whatever you have to say, say it from there,” Qing Ling said coldly.
Although the Dark Moon Palace was deep in the northern lands, their attitude towards the Barbarian tribe wasn’t much better. The Dark Moon Palace had once tried to control the Barbarian tribe, much like how the Shamanic Cult controlled the Huns.
But the Barbarian tribe resisted fiercely, and the Dark Moon Palace, not being a demonic sect that suppressed through slaughter, had to give up.
However, in secret, the Dark Moon Palace had always been preventing the rise of Martial Saints within the Barbarian tribe. The relationship between the two was far from harmonious.
“Envoys of the Sacred Palace, the people of Great Wei have invaded our grasslands, slaughtering our kin, committing all sorts of atrocities, their hands stained with blood, inciting the wrath of both heaven and man. We have come to seek the Sacred Palace’s intervention to save our millions of tribesmen,” the Barbarian envoy spoke earnestly, his tone filled with sorrow, making one feel heartbroken upon hearing it.
However, Qing Ling and Qing Shuang remained indifferent. They were not Barbarians but people from the Central Plains, taken in as disciples by the Dark Moon Palace and brought to the northern lands.
So, the life and death of the Barbarian tribe had nothing to do with them.
“Wait there while we report this inside,” Qing Ling said coldly.
Whether to help or not, and how to help, were decisions for the elders and the palace master, not for the two of them to decide.
“Yes, envoys, we will wait here. Please inform the palace on our behalf,” the Barbarian envoy replied.
Qing Ling and Qing Shuang returned to the palace, leaving the Barbarian envoys standing outside, looking at the palace made of ice sculptures.
Their Great Grandmaster had been slain by Oliver Sheng, and now they didn’t even dare to speak loudly to the disciples guarding the palace gates. It was utterly humiliating.
But without seeking help from the Dark Moon Palace, they would face extermination by Great Wei.
For the sake of their tribe, they had to endure.
Qing Ling and Qing Shuang went to see the external affairs elder.
“Elder Lan Wu, Elder Lan Wu!”
“Qing Ling, Qing Shuang, isn’t it your turn to guard the palace gates today? Why are you here?” A noblewoman in blue palace attire walked out, her phoenix eyes and almond-shaped face exuding an unparalleled charm.
“Elder Lan Wu, there are nine Barbarian envoys at the gate. They say the Great Wei army has attacked, and they can’t withstand the onslaught. They’ve come to seek our help,” Qing Ling explained.
“Barbarian envoys seeking help? How interesting,” Lan Wu chuckled, her smile enchanting.
For hundreds of years, this was the first time the Barbarians had bowed their heads to the Dark Moon Palace.
“I need to discuss this with the palace master and the others. Let’s see what the Barbarians are up to,” Lan Wu said, thinking this might be a good opportunity.
Previously unable to control the Barbarian tribe, they could now use this chance to turn the tribe into their puppets.
Lan Wu went to find the palace master, Lan Ying.
“Palace Master, the disciples report that the Barbarian tribe is seeking aid.”
Lan Ying looked at Lan Wu, thinking she had misheard.
“The Barbarians are seeking aid?”
“Yes, the disciples on gate duty today reported that Barbarian envoys have come, asking for our help against Great Wei,” Lan Wu nodded.
“How peculiar.”
Lan Ying pondered for a moment, “Let’s invite those Barbarians in and ask for the details.”
“Alright, I’ll bring them in,” Lan Wu nodded.
Lan Wu went out and soon brought the nine Barbarian envoys to the main hall.
At this moment, the palace master Lan Ying sat at the head, with six noblewomen in blue robes seated on either side, all exuding powerful auras, clearly Great Grandmasters.
Seeing this, the Barbarian envoys felt a sinking feeling. This was clearly an intimidation tactic.
The nine Prenatal Realm Barbarian envoys didn’t dare to breathe loudly.
Seven Great Grandmasters, their auras like deep abysses, their gazes weighing heavily on the envoys.
“Why have you come to our Dark Moon Palace? Speak in detail,” Lan Ying’s voice was melodious, clear, and pleasant.
Lan Ying’s voice carried a seductive power, making the less cultivated Barbarian envoys feel an inexplicable warmth, causing them to spill everything without reservation.
After hearing the envoys’ words, Lan Ying, Lan Wu, and the others exchanged shocked glances.
Eleven Great Grandmasters of the Barbarian tribe, all fallen?
And all killed by one person!!
The Great Wei army had reached Shelechuan?!
Sixty to seventy thousand Barbarian troops defeated by the Great Wei army?!
Even more shocking was that Great Wei had a Martial Saint on the grasslands!!
No wonder the Barbarian tribe was utterly defeated, with even their eleven Great Grandmasters dead.
Without a Martial Saint, the Barbarian tribe couldn’t possibly resist the Great Wei army.
No wonder they sought help from the Dark Moon Palace; they were on the brink of extermination.
“You’ve traveled far and must be tired. Rest for now. We will discuss the matter of aid,” Lan Ying said.
“Someone, take our nine guests to rest,” Lan Ying ordered.
“Please, follow me,” a young girl from the Dark Moon Palace entered the hall and addressed the Barbarian envoys.
The nine envoys opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
They had been easily charmed by the palace master and had revealed everything about their tribe. Now, any further words would be futile.
They could only wait to see how the Dark Moon Palace would treat their tribe.
The tribal leaders had discussed it before they came; at worst, they would become puppets of the Dark Moon Palace, slowly regaining strength for future plans.
After the envoys were taken away, Lan Ying, Lan Wu, and the other five Dark Moon Palace leaders began their discussion.
“Everyone, what do you think we should do?” Lan Ying, as the palace master, spoke first.
“Even if we decide to help the Barbarian tribe resist the Great Wei army, we need the Divine Mother to act. Otherwise, we might not be able to contend with the Great Wei Martial Saint,” the elder Lan Xin said.
The others nodded in agreement.
Without the intervention of the Divine Mother, they couldn’t leave the mountain to help the Barbarians.
“This is a great opportunity to control the Barbarian tribe. Palace Master, why don’t you ask the Divine Mother?” Lan Wu suggested.
The Divine Mother of the Dark Moon Palace, a Martial Saint, was their stabilizing force.
Only by persuading the Divine Mother to act could they contend with the Great Wei Martial Saint.
“Alright, I’ll request an audience with the Divine Mother and see what she decides,” Lan Ying nodded.
Lan Ying got up and went to the secluded area where the Divine Mother was in seclusion.
“Divine Mother, Lan Ying seeks an audience!” she called out in front of an ice-sealed door.
Behind the ice-sealed door was a cave within a mountain.
After a while, the door opened, and a cold voice came through.
“Come in!”
Lan Ying entered, the blue flames inside the ice cave illuminating the space.
On an ice jade bed sat a woman in white, her beauty unparalleled, her hair white as snow.
Her clear eyes carried a hint of coldness, her face serene, exuding an icy aura that kept people at a distance.
With phoenix eyes, a delicate nose, and skin as white as snow, her red lips stood out like a lone red plum in the snow, resembling an ethereal ice fairy.
“Divine Mother!” Lan Ying bowed.
The woman on the ice jade bed was the Divine Mother of the Dark Moon Palace.
Despite her youthful appearance, she was nearly three hundred years old.
“What is it?”
Her cold voice seemed to freeze the air.
This wasn’t her natural disposition but a result of her cultivation method.
“Divine Mother, the Barbarian tribe has come seeking aid, willing to submit to our palace…”
Lan Ying reported the situation to the Divine Mother, leaving the decision of whether to aid the Barbarian tribe to her.
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