Volume One: Cloud Veil Immortal Palace Chapter Ninety-Six: All Are Dead

In the cold and dark void of space, Zhou Hao lowered his head in silence. His eyes were bloodshot red, yet not a single tear fell. He remained dazed for a long time, for upon turning his head to look back, he realized the countless debts he owed Su Qing were truly overwhelming!

Perhaps Su Qing's death served as a punishment for him, consigning him to eternal guilt and an inability to repay such profound kindness? Or perhaps it was that Zhou Hao despised his own impotence, failing to safeguard the vital people close to him, resulting in his own survival at the cost of others' lives!

These myriad causes and effects had plunged the current Zhou Hao into an abyss from which he could not escape.

"Flower, pull yourself together! If Sister Su were still alive, she wouldn't want to see you like this!" Flower tried repeatedly to console him with gentle words, but her efforts yielded little success.

"What's the point of this? Can Sister Su see you? Even if she does, won't it only sadden her further? All her efforts will have been in vain. Could you bear to watch her heartbroken?" Flower could no longer contain herself and sternly rebuked the dejected Zhou Hao.

"Sister Su, if you have a spirit in heaven, please come see Zhou Hao. He harbors deep guilt for your passing and is consumed by remorse. Please persuade him for me!"

Zhou Hao stood motionless like a statue, utterly unresponsive to any sound. He gazed blankly at his feet. This spot had once been where the Great Immortal Cave Mansion had manifested. Following a fierce battle with Luotuo Yi, the cave mansion world had been utterly annihilated. Su Qing, aware that the cave mansion was on the brink of collapse before she could refine her Great Immortal body into a human immortal pill, had sent Flower and Zhou Hao out at the critical moment.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a brilliant light streaked in from afar, swiftly followed by several beams of immortal radiance converging on Zhou Hao.

The light dimmed, the immortal lights faded, and twelve figures stood silently before Zhou Hao, paired into two camps, not appearing allied.

"Zhou Hao, only you here? Where is Su Qing?" Two authoritative voices rang out simultaneously. They belonged to two elderly men clad in yellow dao robes, their gazes piercingly sharp. Upon seeing only Zhou Hao, confusion flickered in their eyes.

Silence stretched for several breaths...

"Zhou Hao?"

"Zhou Hao, what's the matter?"

"Answer the question: where is your junior sister Su Qing?"

Yet the two elders posed the query four times without a response, leaving the atmosphere heavy with awkwardness.

"Hahaha! The disciples of Yun Miao Hall truly are impressive! Even the successors nurtured by our four great powers—Wind, Desert, Thunder, and Fire—dare not slight the master teacher. Who would have thought a mere immortal hall that reveres rules above all could harbor such arrogant disciples? Admirable, truly admirable!" A middle-aged man in red armor laughed boisterously, though the laughter dripped with sarcasm.

"Zhou Hao is a disciple of Yun Fang, and it's only Yun Fang's failure to properly discipline his followers. We elders have lost all face!"

The two yellow-robed elders hastened to absolve themselves, feigning helplessness.

"Forget these trifles. Quickly inquire what transpired in this little ghost's cave mansion world and the whereabouts of our four great powers' heirs?"

Two figures in blue attire spoke as one. Their complexions were pallid, with blue beards and hair, and even their eyes blue.

"Our Cai Xiang Hall's young master Ling has not appeared either. What could it mean? Impossible! Ling possesses extraordinary talent, a peerless genius; how could he come to harm in such a desolate place?" Among the crowd, two twin maidens drew particular attention. Dressed in feathered finery, they were statuesque with alluring figures, towering half a head above the male immortals. They appeared around thirty, yet their faces were exquisite and radiantly beautiful, exuding mature feminine allure.

"Little ghost of Yun Miao Hall, speak: What occurred in the Great Immortal Cave Mansion? Where are the others who accompanied you?"

Two middle-aged men in green armor advanced. Raising their hands, they unleashed a beam of light at Zhou Hao, attempting to extract an answer.

Flower panicked and shoved Zhou Hao aside, calling out, "Ask me if you must! Zhou Hao is in no condition to reply now."

"Oh? A lower immortal maiden, and quite charming too. I could take you back as a maid."

One green-armored middle-aged man eyed Flower's furious expression, his eyes gleaming briefly before he sneered coldly.

Flower's fury ignited. This was her first encounter with such a proposal.

"Such audacity! You dare regard me as a mere maid? Are you courting death?"

Her brows arched sharply, Flower poised to retaliate.

"Hahaha, this little maid is truly unaware of her place, daring to rebuke me. It seems I must discipline her thoroughly before taking her into service."

The middle-aged man laughed without anger, his left hand extending to seize Flower.

Whoosh!

A crimson flash, and Flower vanished. The next instant, the man's hand closed on empty air, only for his face to be slapped twice with resounding "pa pa" sounds.

"Ah ah ah! You're looking for death, you insolent little ghost! I'll kill you!"

Despite her lower immortal cultivation, Flower's abrupt assault exploited the middle-aged man's oversight, yielding spectacular results. The five vivid palm prints on his cheeks were unmistakable.

It was not merely painful but a devastating loss of face—a public humiliation. As the proverb goes, one should not strike the face when hitting, nor expose flaws when scolding. This middle-aged expert's honor lay shattered beneath a girl's palm.

"Haha, wanting to kill me? You'll have to catch me first!"

After vanishing, Flower did not reappear. Those slaps had been delivered via her void-escape technique, rendering her invisible to all present.

"A puny lower immortal dares to flaunt prowess before a golden immortal. It seems you're tired of life!"

The other middle-aged man struck, his companion's defeat not merely a personal slight but an affront to their entire Wind Desert faction.

The middle-aged man activated his immortal vision. His eyes blazed, revealing the true essence of all things around, exposing every concealed form.

"What? Where did the little ghost disappear to? My immortal eye cannot perceive her!" The man was aghast, lips quivering. He, a golden immortal, could not unravel a mere lower immortal's hiding place.

"Look, she's right here in front of you. If you can't see, perhaps dig out your eyes instead."

Flower's contemptuous voice rang out.

Clang!

A azure-gold treasure sword flashed into view, cleaving the void before the middle-aged man, yet no blood sprayed as anticipated.

"Preposterous! This old man refuses to believe it. How could a insignificant lower immortal defy heaven!"

Both middle-aged men gnashed their teeth in rage. In mere moments, they had been humiliated repeatedly by a lower immortal girl they had considered as a maid, their dignity crushed.

Boom!

Terrifying immortal might erupted, sweeping through the space. All but the golden immortals were affected. A powerful tremor rippled like an air cannon, compelling the middle-aged expert to attempt forcing Flower out this way.

Yet Flower's void escape was no trivial art. It fused her truly with the void, concealing her unless struck by an upper immortal or greater. Golden immortals could not compel her retreat.

Swoosh!

A five-colored radiance shot forth, aimed at the Flower who had been pushed aside to shield Zhou Hao. Alarmed, Flower darted toward him, willing to sacrifice herself to block the incoming strike.

Bang!

The five-colored light exploded into a shower of light particles. A young figure cradled a red-clad loli in his arms. Twelve golden immortal experts from the four powers and three immortal halls encircled them.

"Zhou Hao, you...?" Flower blinked her enormous watery eyes at the handsome youth before her, murmuring softly.

"I'm sorry. It was always you who worried for me and got hurt. I feel so ashamed!" Zhou Hao hugged the diminutive Flower, guilt etched across his face.

"As long as you can rise above this, all of it will be worthwhile." An adorable smile blossomed on Flower's face.

"Good. Hide away for now. I'll handle these people!" Zhou Hao nodded, then set Flower down. She transformed into a red light and slipped into his garment.

It had been at that precise moment, when the five-colored light targeted Flower shielding Zhou Hao from the void, that Zhou Hao's sealed heart burst open. Deep in self-reproach, he suddenly awakened. Because Zhou Hao had once been granted Flower's soul-quenching fire, forging an unbreakable mental link. Any peril to one would immediately alert the other.

"What a brilliant two-for-one strategy! The two elders of Cai Xiang Hall are indeed formidable. Though this little girl is enigmatic, if she attacks the Yun Miao Hall ghost, she will surely rush to his aid. Thus both are compelled out. High, high, truly masterful!" The previously silent Lei Shan expert clapped and applauded. The pair wore purple armor—one tall and cold-faced, the other short and hot-faced. The tall man clapped, the short one cheered.

Clearly, the assailants against Zhou Hao had been Cai Xiang Hall's two Peacock beauties. They discerned the special bond between Zhou Hao and Flower. Since Flower could not be extracted from the void, striking Zhou Hao was an optimal tactic.

"Zhou Hao, inform the elders: What did you encounter in the Great Immortal Cave Mansion? Has the cave mansion world been annihilated?" The two yellow-robed elders from Yun Miao Hall approached to question him.

"Yes, the Great Immortal Cave Mansion has truly vanished and perished." Zhou Hao nodded.

"Then the others? Su Qing who went with you?" The yellow-robed elder inquired further.

"Su Jie... she died saving me!" Zhou Hao's teeth bit his lower lip uncontrollably.

"As for the rest, as you see, they all perished within the cave mansion!" Zhou Hao shrugged.

"What did you say?!"

Boom!

Immortal might thundered. The twelve golden immortals unleashed overwhelming pressure. The starry heavens howled with gale and thunder, winds and thunders crashing suddenly. Upon hearing Zhou Hao's declaration, they erupted in chaos.