Chapter 170: Bad News

"Yumen Pass?"

Looking at the natural chasm ahead, Ye Qiu was stunned, feeling a bit as though he had just awakened from a long, past-life dream.

"When was a natural chasm built right here?"

Ye Qiu was puzzled. When he had come this way earlier, this defensive barrier did not seem to exist yet.

Because of this towering barrier, the hundreds of miles of yellow sand across the wasteland were blocked outside, and even the gloomy, dark clouds and baleful black Qi were completely cut off.

Just as Ye Qiu was marveling, a white figure descended from the sky, landing gently beside him.

It was Yuechan!

"Huh? Where did you go? I didn't see you just now..."

Ye Qiu was momentarily dazed. When he first emerged from the restricted zone, he hadn't seen Yuechan anywhere and had assumed she had followed them inside.

He never expected to find her appearing right here...

With a cold and expressionless face, Yuechan gazed at the chasm ahead and slowly said, "I came back days ago! The disciples of the Heavenly Palace reported that many void creatures have secretly infiltrated the Great Wasteland and have already begun making their moves. I had no choice but to return and reinforce our defenses..."

"What?!"

Ye Qiu was shocked. He hadn't expected this brief period of peaceful respite to pass by so quickly.

"Wait a minute! How long did we even spend inside the restricted zone?"

Ye Qiu turned to Cao He and asked. Cao He looked perplexed and replied, "It doesn't feel like it's been long at all. Wasn't it just one day?"

"No, you all were trapped in there for nearly half a month!"

Qingcheng chimed in to refute, leaving Ye Qiu thoroughly astounded!

Half a month!

"Hiss... How is that possible! That restricted zone is truly so bizarre that time flows by that fast?"

Half a month! No wonder so many things had happened in the meantime.

Was the war finally about to begin?

"Was this natural chasm built by you people?"

Ye Qiu immediately inquired. Yuechan did not speak, only nodding slightly. Then Xingtian interjected, "This chasm is quite clever, actually. By blocking the way downwards like this, it can hold off thousands of troops and horses! Perhaps this is the most secure defense line in the Great Wasteland... However, tall as the chasm may be, it is ultimately useless. If this defense line truly has to be put to use, then the Great Wasteland at that time will already be beyond saving..."

Xingtian gave a blunt and ruthless evaluation. And the truth was precisely that: this was the connecting point between the Imperial Domain and other realms. If this defense line ever became necessary, then presumably... the entire Imperial Domain had already fallen.

Once the Imperial Domain fell, the millions of soldiers stationed within it would likely have already perished. When that day came, could the Great Wasteland still be saved?

Yuechan looked at Xingtian with extreme astonishment, her expression suddenly freezing as her jaw dropped in shock.

"This... what kind of divine entity is this? How come he doesn't even have a head?"

Yuechan tugged at the corner of Ye Qiu's robe. For all her vast experience and knowledge, she was still startled by Xingtian's bizarre appearance, revealing the reaction of a young maiden.

"Uh... let me introduce you. This is Xingtian! An ancient immortal God of War who died in battle during the final cleansing wars tens of millions of years ago. However, due to his overwhelmingly potent killing intent, he miraculously revived. By a fortuitous coincidence, I rescued him from the darkness, and now he is our companion."

After hearing Ye Qiu's introduction, Xingtian grinned broadly at Yuechan and said, "Hehe, my apologies for frightening you! Don't look at me like this; I might seem terrifying now, but back in the day, I was quite the renowned handsome young man in every village for miles around."

*Damn, this little beauty is gorgeous! Could she be that scoundrel's little wife? Hehe, no way, I better put on my best behavior. I mustn't scare the young lady, or she might hold a grudge...*

Xingtian stroked his belly, where the massive mouth on his navel stretched wide open into a naive, goofy expression. At a glance... he looked nothing like a God of War anymore.

This foolishly innocent expression stunned even Ye Qiu. He never imagined that the mighty God of War could also act so cute?

*Good grief, have you no shame left?*

"That's quite enough of that!"

Xingtian's performance genuinely astounded Ye Qiu, though he didn't mind too much, as long as Xingtian didn't turn out like Cao He.

If everyone ended up like Cao He, constantly plotting against other people's wives, who could possibly endure that? As the saying goes... defenses against external foes are easily kept, but a thief within one's own household is hardest to guard against.

Looking at the Yumen Pass before him, Ye Qiu couldn't help reciting aloud, "Why should the羌 flute complain of the fallen willows? The spring breeze never blows past the Yumen Pass! At a time like this, these lines fit the scene remarkably well..."

Ye Qiu suddenly gained a deeper understanding. Ahead... boundless yellow sand; behind, spring blossoms in full bloom! The two sides were as distinct as night and day, completely separated like two entirely different worlds.

The spring breeze could not blow across this natural chasm, and the fires of war from beyond the borders could not spread past this towering barrier either. It was a most fitting scene.

"Why should the羌 flute complain of the fallen willows? The spring breeze never blows past the Yumen Pass?"

Yuechan murmured the lines under her breath, her mood sinking into inexplicable anxiety as she asked, "Does the Great Wasteland still have hope?"

"Who knows? Let's take it one step at a time. At the very least, things aren't as terrible as we imagined, right?"

Hearing Ye Qiu's words, Yuechan smiled. Over the past half month, far too many things had happened, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted.

Seeing that Ye Qiu had returned, a heavy weight finally lifted from her heart. As long as he was still here, anything remained possible.

"Oh right, there is something I must tell you beforehand. You should prepare yourself mentally..."

Yuechan suddenly brought it up, leaving Ye Qiu momentarily stunned.

For some reason, hearing that gave him a very ominous premonition. Could it be... that his home had been burglarized again?

"Spit it out..."

Ye Qiu grew anxious. He had been away in the restricted zone for half a month, and there had been no one keeping watch at home. Aside from Liu Jianchen, virtually everyone from the Heavens and Earth Pavilion had poured out to join the front lines.

Besides, that scoundrel Liu Jianchen was probably out enjoying himself somewhere right now, playing truant while squandering public funds.

If someone wanted to ransack his home at a time like this, they would hit the jackpot on the first try.

Yuechan smiled meaningfully and said, "You can probably guess it!"

That smile made Ye Qiu's heart flutter with panic. Had his home really been sacked?

*Damn it, which death-seeking bastard dares to rob my house? Are they tired of living?*

Furious, Ye Qiu pressed, "Stop beating around the bush and just tell me! What on earth happened?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Yuechan chuckled softly and said, "Actually, nothing major happened, except that... your restaurant was torn apart by a creature that looks half-wolf and half-dog!"

"I wanted to capture it, but it was far too slippery and I simply couldn't catch it..."

*My home was demolished?*

*Half-wolf and half-dog?*

*A... a Husky?!*

Ye Qiu nearly lost his mind on the spot. He had calculated everything, but he never imagined he would fall victim to a dog.

"Wait a minute! Didn't that damned dog run off to the south? Why did it suddenly launch a surprise counter-attack and tear my house down?"

Ye Qiu was flabbergasted. Even dogs knew how to play tactical warfare nowadays? What was wrong with this world? Morals and integrity were truly deteriorating...

He knew that dog had been plotting to demolish the restaurant for a long time; it had been its lifelong ambition. It was only because of Ye Qiu's overwhelming intimidation that the beast had never dared to make a move.

Who could have guessed that it would deliberately wait until Ye Qiu stepped out to launch its attack?

Wasn't this dog's obsession a bit too deep? It had endured humiliation and swallowed its pride for so long, just to wreck a house?

Just how much did it love tearing things apart?!

"I'm losing my mind! I'm going crazy!"

Completely losing control, Ye Qiu didn't even bother looking back as he dashed straight toward home, desperate to see what state his restaurant was in.

Although there weren't many treasures left inside the restaurant—since Ye Qiu had stuffed almost all valuables into his infinite storage box—he still felt a pang of heartache. After all... that was the home Ye Qiu had lived in for twenty years.

"Damned dog, you better hope I don't catch you. Otherwise, you're finished, and your fate will be even more miserable than a monkey's..."

Ye Qiu was genuinely losing his mind, his blood pressure instantly skyrocketing. He never expected that after raising them for twenty years, he would end up with a group of such troublemaking scoundrels who spent every waking moment plotting against the meager belongings in his restaurant!