Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return Chapter 1398: Too Shocked to Speak

"What has transpired? Where is Grandfather? What about the elders?" Mu Hanyan inquired with evident concern.

"Enter first, and we shall converse." Mu Rui’an, dismissing a gaggle of idle youths, guided Mu Hanyan towards the rear garden.

"You journeyed from Fang Town, did you not?" Mu Rui’an inquired once Mu Hanyan was settled.

"Indeed." Mu Hanyan offered a nod.

"Then you must have some knowledge of the Exotic Beasts’ assault upon the Capital, I presume." Mu Rui’an stated.

"I am aware of some details," Mu Hanyan responded. Even without explicit information, the ravaged state outside the city walls hinted at the conflict's severity.

"This onslaught upon the city was far more devastating than you can imagine. The sheer number of Exotic Beasts involved reached into the tens of thousands, comprising legions of formidable beasts comparable to Sword Masters. Even apex predators like Fierce Stone Demons and Angry Dragon Beasts were present in the thousands, many having undergone Bloodline Awakening, their might echoing that of Sword Saints," Mu Rui’an declared with a somber expression.

"What?" Mu Hanyan expressed a flicker of astonishment. Despite sensing the battle's ferocity, she hadn't conceived that the creatures besieging the Capital possessed such overwhelming power.

"That, however, does not represent the most horrifying aspect. The true terror lies in the presence of certain unprecedented and unknown Exotic Beasts among them, beings whose might surpasses even those of the Sword Saint caliber. If my assessment is correct, these are Jiuyou Netherworld Beasts!" Mu Rui’an elaborated.

This revelation left Mu Hanyan utterly speechless. While she had harbored suspicions that the beastly unrest in Longyan Mountain was linked to the Jiuyou Netherworld during her journey to Shangyue Country, she hadn't foreseen their direct involvement.

Recollections of the Netherworld Beast Lords encountered within the Long Yan Illusion Realm sent a shiver down Mu Hanyan's spine.

"To repel the beasts and safeguard the Capital, more than half of the City Guard and the Imperial City Guard tragically perished, with the majority of the survivors sustaining severe injuries. Ultimately, a united front formed by the various aristocratic families and the Four Great Academies managed to drive back the monstrous horde.

During this cataclysmic battle, the aristocratic families, spearheaded by the Eight Great Families, bore immense losses. Hundreds of esteemed Elders and contributors were lost, and thousands of younger disciples suffered either injury or death. The Four Great Academies mourned the loss of over a hundred instructors, with more than three thousand disciples falling and an immeasurable number wounded," Mu Rui’an narrated, his face etched with pain.

"And what of our Mu Family? What fate befell Grandfather?" Mu Hanyan pressed urgently. Her earlier observation of the elders' absence fueled her fears. Could they have all been lost? While she felt sorrow for any fallen kin, the potential absence of her grandfather caused her profound distress.

"The Mu Family's Great Elder and the Fifth Elder have sustained critical injuries, the Supreme Elder has suffered minor wounds, yet your grandfather and several other elders remain unharmed. However, numerous contributors and house elders faced casualties, and several hundred from the younger generation were also lost or injured," Mu Rui’an reported.

These words brought a measure of relief to Mu Hanyan. Warfare, by its nature, breeds tragedy, and casualties are an unfortunate reality. Yet, knowing her grandfather was safe was a profound comfort.

"And Grandfather's present whereabouts?" Mu Hanyan inquired once more.

"Your grandfather, alongside the Supreme Elder, the Third Elder, the Fourth Elder, and other unharmed contributors and elders, have already departed for Longyan Mountain. This is why you did not encounter any of them upon your arrival," Mu Rui’an explained.

"Why did they journey to Longyan Mountain?" Mu Hanyan asked, a touch of confusion in her voice.

"Following the repulsion of the Exotic Beasts, our pursuit revealed a spatial rift leading to the Jiuyou Netherworld, concealed deep within the Longyan Mountains. Tens of thousands of Netherworld Beasts are positioned around this rift, seemingly engaged in a ritual to fully breach the Netherworld. Should they succeed, the continent will descend into utter chaos, potentially leading to the extinction of humankind.

Consequently, following deliberations among the various families, academies, and the Royal Family, a decision was made to dispatch elite cultivators on a perilous mission to reseal the Jiuyou Netherworld. They are already en route."

"Ah, I comprehend now," Mu Hanyan murmured, a sudden understanding dawning upon her. She had long pondered the Netherworld Beasts' seemingly reckless actions of forcibly eradicating the Spiritual Marks of Exotic Beasts and instigating conflicts without apparent reason. Her father's explanation illuminated the underlying motive.

It appeared that the Netherworld Beasts were aware that human cultivators, as the continent's dominant force, would inevitably prevent the Netherworld's opening and oppose them. Consequently, they eliminated the Exotic Beasts' Spiritual Marks. This maneuver compelled the Exotic Beasts into launching futile assaults on human settlements, thereby buying precious time. Beings of superior power to the Exotic Beasts, the Netherworld Beasts possessed intelligence on par with or exceeding that of both Exotic Beasts and humans.

"While you were journeying back to Anyun, other nations were simultaneously besieged by Exotic Beasts, plunging them into pandemonium. Reports of Netherworld Beasts' presence also surfaced. However, due to Anyun City's proximity to the Longyan Mountains and the Netherworld Rift, it bore the brunt of the most ferocious assault. Nevertheless, upon receiving Anyun's distress signal, formidable cultivators from various countries are now converging on the remoter regions of the Longyan Mountains, aiming to unite their strength and re-seal the Netherworld," Mu Rui'an elaborated.

"What of the Holy Court?" Mu Hanyan inquired abruptly. Such a grave development occurring, it was inconceivable that the Holy Court would remain inactive. After all, they were recognized as the supreme arbiters of the Holy Court Continent.

"Word has it that the spatial anomaly separating the Holy Court Continent from the Divine Continent has also been compromised. The Holy Court is entirely engrossed in its rectification, rendering them incapable of dispatching substantial aid. Nevertheless, they have dispatched contingents to bolster the collective efforts of the various nation's masters in the Longyan Mountains, and others are assisting in suppressing the Exotic Beast outbreaks across different territories," Mu Rui'an responded.

It was only then that the enigma surrounding Dan Tai Xuan's reappearance within Anyun Territory became clear to Mu Hanyan; this was the underlying cause. She had already found it peculiar that Dan Tai Xuan's disciples and fellow cultivators exhibited unusual traits, their actual combat prowess falling short of their stated cultivation realms. Some were even less capable than scions of noble families possessing similar cultivation levels but superior innate talent, which was unbecoming of Holy Court disciples. Now, the answer presented itself. The Holy Court must be facing internal strife, compelling them to augment their members' power to confront the prevailing crisis. This led to a regrettable misapplication of their enhanced strength, initially targeting her.

Ultimately, the vast populace constituted the bedrock of the Holy Court Continent. A singular focus on the Jiuyou Netherworld predicament could not be sustained at the expense of the populace's well-being and survival.

"Father, what course of action should I undertake?" Mu Hanyan inquired. By this juncture, she surmised that her father's intense desire for her swift return was intrinsically linked to the unfolding events he had just recounted.

"You must forthwith lead the Mu Family's third-generation disciples to Lu'an City in East Sun County, and defend the city without fail," Mu Rui'an decreed.

"Defend Lu'an City? For what purpose?" Mu Hanyan questioned, a sense of perplexity washing over her. While Lu'an City was a familiar locale, situated a mere few hundred miles from the northeastern ingress of the Longyan Mountain range, and a place she had traversed numerous times during her prior life's training expeditions, Lu'an City remained a significant distance, ten thousand miles from the Imperial Capital. How could it possibly be connected to the matters her father had just detailed?