My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 521 - 518: The Winds Rise and the Clouds Swirl (Part Ten)

"Who did this!!!"

An extremely angry roar suddenly echoed in the Central Grand Hall, the voice of a woman.

Standing alone in the spacious hall was a woman dressed in lavish clothes, strikingly beautiful; she was none other than Shangguan Yunyue, the Palace Master of Piaomiao Palace. As soon as she arrived at the Central Grand Hall, she sensed something wrong. First, Ximen Lie was missing, and second, the Earth Core Flame that was hidden underground was gone too. The Earth Core Flame was the lifeblood of Shangguan Yunyue, her most powerful trump card. Now that the Earth Core Flame had disappeared, Shangguan Yunyue was instantly driven to madness.

"Ximen Lie is gone, and the Earth Core Flame is gone as well."

"Where in the world is such a coincidence possible?"

"It must be Ximen Lie's doing!"

Upon calming down and thinking it over, Shangguan Yunyue immediately locked her suspicions onto Ximen Lie. The only thing she couldn't figure out was... how did Ximen Lie steal the Earth Core Flame?

"No matter what, I must find Ximen Lie and get some answers!"

"Fortunately, I had a backup plan! Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to retrieve the Earth Core Flame!"

Shangguan Yunyue's brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes flashing with sharp light; those familiar with her knew she was angry to the extreme at this moment.

"Shangguan Yunyue, are you in there? Why haven't you sent the Immortal out yet?" Dugu Jingtian's voice came from outside the hall. He had waited for a long time without seeing Shangguan Yunyue return and came over to check.

Shangguan Yunyue's body flickered, and she disappeared on the spot. When she reappeared, she was already outside the Grand Hall.

"How come you are the only one to come out?" Dugu Jingtian asked with suspicion, "Where's the Immortal?"

"He's gone," said Shangguan Yunyue coldly.

Dugu Jingtian was stunned, "What do you mean 'gone'? What are you trying to say?"

"Didn't you understand?" Shangguan Yunyue huffed, "Ximen Lie is gone! He's vanished! Or rather, he has fled."

"Impossible," Dugu Jingtian frowned, "If the Immortal were to leave, he would definitely notify me..."

"Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Shangguan Yunyue said, "Other than Ximen Lie, another thing has gone missing."

"What?"

"The Earth Core Flame."

"Huh? Did I hear you wrong? You're saying the Earth Core Flame is missing?"

"Yes."

"When did this happen?"

"Just after we left, missing along with Ximen Lie."

"What do you mean by this?" Dugu Jingtian's eyes narrowed, "Are you suspecting that the Immortal took the Earth Core Flame?"

"He's the prime suspect."

"Use your head! If the Immortal really had a way to take the Earth Core Flame, he and I wouldn't have been trapped by the Earth Core Flame for several days, and in the end, we wouldn't have been threatened to relinquish our souls to you."

"Then how do you explain it?"

"How would I know?" Dugu Jingtian said irritably, "Maybe there's an inside thief in Piaomiao Palace, one who's guarding and stealing for themselves." At this, Dugu Jingtian added, "The Immortal could have also fallen victim to a secret plot."

"Impossible!" Shangguan Yunyue shook her head vigorously, her tone very firm, "There will never be an inside thief in Piaomiao Palace! Besides, in the entire Piaomiao Palace, only I know how to subdue the Earth Core Flame. No one else knows."

Dugu Jingtian was adamant that there was an inside thief in Piaomiao Palace while Shangguan Yunyue believed that Ximen Lie had stolen the Earth Core Flame. Both stood firmly on their own views, and neither could persuade the other.

"I don't have time to chit-chat with you! I'm going to track down the thief right now. Once I catch him, we'll know who did it." After dropping this statement, Shangguan Yunyue left in a huff.

"Crazy old hag! Biting anyone she catches! Just like a mad dog!" Dugu Jingtian cursed, "I must have been blind to have fallen for you back then! Lucky for me you didn't agree to marry me, or my life would have been ruined!" After this incident, Dugu Jingtian's opinion of Shangguan Yunyue underwent a drastic transformation, from love to loathing. The change was so great, it was beyond belief.

After some cursing, Dugu Jingtian frowned deeply.

Where did Ximen Lie go? Could it really be him who stole the Earth Core Flame? If not him, then who?

Dugu Jingtian thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any explanation.

"Immortal, oh Immortal, you mustn't meet with an accident, I'm still counting on your Ascension to the Immortal Realm," Dugu Jingtian silently prayed.

...

At the foot of the mountain.

The lord of Chaotic Wind City, Bai Daqing, approached the Grand Steward Liu Yifei and asked, "Grand Steward, what should we do next?"

"Let the soldiers disperse. They should each return to their respective barracks," Liu Yifei instructed.

"What about the emperor…"

"I'll stay behind to wait for him."

"How about... I stay too…"

"No need, I will wait here myself. You take your subordinates and go back," Liu Yifei insisted.

"Alright then, I'm off."

And so, the tens of millions of the army left in a grand scale.

Liu Yifei alone remained at the foot of the mountain, waiting for the emperor Dugu Jingtian, who only came down the mountain leisurely after a long while. Liu Yifei quickly went up to greet him, "Your Majesty, what exactly happened? Why did you spare Piaomiao Palace?"

"Don't ask," Dugu Jingtian waved his hand, "The matter is complicated, and I can't explain it all in a few words."

"Your Majesty…" Liu Yifei still wanted to inquire further.

"Let's go, go back," Dugu Jingtian said wearily, "When there's time, I'll explain it to you slowly." After saying this, Dugu Jingtian paused for a moment, "There's something I need you to do for me."

"Please give your command, Your Majesty."

"Assemble men to search for the Immortal's whereabouts. We must find him," Dugu Jingtian ordered.

"The Immortal?"

"The Immortal has disappeared without a trace, and I suspect Piaomiao Palace is behind it, but I don't have any proof! I'm entrusting you to investigate this matter and find clear evidence! Find the Immortal as soon as possible!"

"Understood," Liu Yifei nodded firmly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I'll do everything in my power to find the Immortal."

...

Shangguan Yunyue floated midair, cradling a Three-legged Cauldron in her arms, eyes slightly closed, sensing carefully...

This cauldron was for Alchemy and had been burned by the Earth Core Flame at one time, retaining its scent. Shangguan Yunyue hoped to use the residual qi on the cauldron to sense the whereabouts of the Earth Core Flame; it was the only method she could think of.

Time ticked by, and several hours passed without her realizing it.

"How come I can't sense it?" Shangguan Yunyue slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowed tightly, "Could it be that the distance is too far for my senses to reach?" After pondering for a moment, Shangguan Yunyue, carrying the Three-legged Cauldron, soared into the sky and after flying hundreds of miles, she stopped to cast spells to sense the whereabouts of the Earth Core Flame... Several hours later, Shangguan Yunyue once again carried the Three-legged Cauldron and soared into the sky...

Every few hundred miles, Shangguan Yunyue stopped to carefully sense her surroundings. After each failure, she continued flying.

In this way, Shangguan Yunyue flew for tens of thousands of miles, stopping and starting, exhausted half to death, but still unable to sense the whereabouts of the Earth Core Flame.