Swish!
The secret missive in Tran Kien's hand spontaneously ignited, turning into ash that scattered into the mountain wind. The tiny flame carried an aura of extreme, bone-chilling coldness, making the air atop the Endless Mountain Range feel several degrees colder.
The peace, the satisfaction of seeing his homeland transformed over the past year, completely vanished. In its place was a profound silence, a restrained killing intent far more terrifying than any tempest. The wind still blew, the clouds still drifted, but in Tran Kien's eyes, the world seemed to have come to a standstill, leaving only four words echoing incessantly in his mind:
Target: Commandery Princess Lam Vy.
Uncle Sword, who had been silently guarding him from behind, sensed this shocking change and couldn't help but furrow his brows. He knew something major had occurred.
"Tran Kien?"
Tran Kien did not turn his head. He merely stood there in silence, gazing toward the distant capital. A year. He had been here for an entire year. Over the past year, he hadn't just built up Fallen Leaf Province; he had cultivated bitterly without pause. His cultivation base had long broken through to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm and was steadily advancing toward the late stage. He was already able to preliminarily fuse the Lac Viet legacy with his own learnings, forging a martial path uniquely his own. He had originally thought he would need a few more years—waiting until Fallen Leaf Province had truly become an impenetrable fortress, waiting until his personal strength was enough to confront the Golden Core Realm—before returning to the political chessboard of the capital.
But he was wrong. The enemy did not afford him that time.
"The Sacred Dynasty," Tran Kien said, his voice deep and raspy, carrying an unprecedented chill. "They have made their move."
He revealed the contents of the missive to Uncle Sword. The great sword cultivator's complexion instantly became unimaginably grave. "Lam Vy! How dare they...!"
"There is nothing they do not dare to do," Tran Kien interrupted. "They have been lying low for a year; I knew they were definitely preparing a much grander conspiracy. I just never expected them to strike so quickly. And their target... is Lam Vy."
He knew that Lam Vy was not merely a commandery princess. Her pure Lac Viet bloodline was a priceless "medicinal catalyst" for the wicked secret arts of the Sacred Dynasty. To them, capturing her held far more value than conquering a citadel.
"What must we do now?" Uncle Sword asked, urgency bleeding into his voice.
Tran Kien did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes. In his mind, the thriving chessboard of Fallen Leaf Province and the turbulent chessboard of the capital were rapidly laid out and calculated. Fallen Leaf was his foundation; it could not be easily abandoned. If he marched his grand army away and the news leaked, this place would instantly become a succulent piece of meat for the surrounding factions. Yet, a crisis had struck the capital, and Lam Vy was in mortal peril. He could not afford to be absent.
After a long moment, he opened his eyes. All hesitation had completely vanished, replaced by an iron-clad decisiveness. "Divide our forces," he stated. "It is the only way."
Immediately, an emergency command was issued from the mountain peak. The tranquil Fallen Leaf Province once again roared to life like a war machine.
Within the assembly hall, all the core figures were present. "Ly Tin, Trinh Cong, Old Whale!" Tran Kien commanded. "You three shall remain and garrison Fallen Leaf. The entire Lac Viet Guards are to enter the highest state of martial law. All commercial activities are temporarily suspended. Blockade all entrances and exits. I want Fallen Leaf Province, for the next month, to become a bristling porcupine. Anyone who dares to approach will pay a catastrophic price."
"Understood!" the three men accepted the order in unison.
"Thiet Phu!"
"This subordinate is here!"
"Select the twenty most elite Blood Fiend Guards, those most proficient in stealth and assassination. Set out immediately, one step ahead. I do not need you to reach the capital. I want you to become phantoms on the path from here to the capital. Any eyes and ears belonging to Marquis Vinh An, the Black Dragon Stronghold, or any faction harboring ill intent—kill without mercy! I want the path we are about to travel to be immaculately clean."
"Yes, Exalted Lord!"
"As for the rest," he looked toward Uncle Sword. "We are going to rescue someone."
He did not bring the grand army. He knew this trip to the capital was not a siege, but a war in the shadows. He only needed the strongest, the most elite. Himself, Uncle Sword, and twenty Blood Fiend Guards. A small strike team, yet powerful enough to make the entire capital tremble in fear.
But how to reach the capital as quickly as possible without being discovered? Traveling by land was too slow. Taking the fleet from Flood Dragon Island was too ostentatious. Tran Kien had made his own preparations. He led the strike team to a secret cavern hidden deep within the Endless Mountain Range, a place he had used as a forge for the past year. There, a colossal object covered by a massive tarp lay in silence. He yanked the tarp away. It was a ship, yet not a ship meant for the water. The hull was crafted from the lightest "Wind Spirit Wood," flanked by two exquisitely crafted giant wings. The hull and wings were densely carved with ancient flight arrays.
This was the greatest fruit of his research over the past year, based on the ancient artifact-forging codices of the Lac Viet. A "Cloud-Soaring Skiff"!
"Let us go," he said. "We are running out of time."
That night, from deep within the Endless Mountain Range, a winged ship silently and gently ascended, blending into the cloud layers. It glided through the dark night at an unimaginable speed, heading straight for the Thang Long Imperial Capital.
The wind had risen once again. This time, it carried the fury of a true dragon stepping forth to protect its most precious treasure. "Lam Vy, wait for me," he murmured, his gaze as cold as glacial ice. "Anyone who dares lay a finger on you, I will make their entire Sacred Dynasty... buried alongside them."