The princess only wants to survive, and the cold-faced king of hell begs for mercy

Zhao Qiyan frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Zhang Sheng. He asked in a deep voice, "We just received a confidential report. Indeed, they must arrive at the designated location within three days. But how did you learn this information? Could it be that you are behind this? Are you also involved in the planning of this operation?"

Facing Zhao Qiyan's questioning, Zhang Sheng quickly shook his head and denied, "I had absolutely no involvement in this matter, not even the slightest bit! Your Excellency is very perceptive and will surely distinguish right from wrong. Back then, after I took Lin Zhiyi away from the city gate, not long after, I encountered an extremely strange incident—Mr. Jiu, who had been dead for a long time, unexpectedly came back to life and reappeared before me in a new body. Then, they forcibly took Lin Zhiyi away without explanation."

At that moment, a faint sense of unease rose in my heart, and my intuition told me that something was amiss. From that moment on, I poured all my energy into investigating this matter, not missing a single detail or clue.

Over the past few days, whenever the sky darkens and night falls, I would climb up a tall building alone and quietly gaze at the stars in the sky. After several consecutive nights of observation, I finally discovered an astonishing phenomenon - during the day after tomorrow, there will be a rare conjunction of seven planets.

Meanwhile, a series of significant events have recently occurred in the capital. These events seem unrelated, but when I connect them with the members of Organization 073's hasty migration north, everything begins to fall into place. Through in-depth investigation and tracking, I've discovered that their destination is the Black City, the location closest to the Seven Stars Conjunction.

Hearing this, Meng Tai, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly widened his eyes, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face: "Seven planets aligned? Could it be that... the day our group traveled through time was also the day of nine planets aligned?"

Zhang Sheng nodded and said affirmatively, "Indeed, it seems there is a connection. And based on the current situation, their eagerness to take Yun Shang to Black City probably has only one purpose: to find a time tunnel that can enable time travel!"

Zhuo Fang's forehead began to bead with sweat. He clenched his fists tightly, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness. "This situation is terrible! If those people get ahead of us and open the tunnel, the consequences will be unimaginable! We have no idea what their purpose is, let alone the technology they possess. What if they succeed in opening the tunnel and send a large number of troops from their planet here? Wouldn't Yu Kingdom be razed to the ground in an instant?"

Yu Ruyi, standing beside her, was equally anxious. Her beautiful face was filled with worry as she said in a delicate voice, "That's right! And it could be even worse! What if they find a way to send all of us time travelers from different eras back to our original worlds? What then?"

Zhao Qiyan, standing nearby, looked bewildered, completely baffled by the concepts of time and space tunnels they were talking about. However, when he heard Yu Ruyi mention the possibility of sending all future generations back, his heart sank.

Especially when he thought about the possibility that his beloved Yun Shang might be involved, Zhao Qiyan felt a wave of panic surge in his heart. If such a thing really happened, what fate would he and Yun Shang face?

Would Yun Shang really leave him like this? Would he never see the Yun Shang that haunted his dreams again in this life? Thinking of this, Zhao Qiyan's heart suddenly sank, and he became extremely anxious. He suddenly stood up and called out, "Qi Chuan! Come quickly!"

Soon, Qi Chuan rushed into the palace, bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Zhao Qiyan said solemnly, "Gather the troops immediately. I will personally go to welcome Yun Shang back to the palace!"

However, at this moment, Zhang Sheng, who had been silent all the time, suddenly spoke again and said: "Your Majesty, I sincerely request to go with you." After a little thought, Zhao Qiyan nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Sheng seemed to remember something important and said quickly, "Wait! We need to take Lin Zhiwei with us. After all, the body she's using now is Yun Shang's. If they can meet, it might help us find Yun Shang."

Less than half an hour had passed, and everyone had already prepared everything. To expedite their journey and reach their destination as quickly as possible, Zhao Qiyan hadn't brought too many guards with him. After all, too many people would inevitably slow things down. Thus, the team consisted of only twenty people.

These twenty men, dressed in their finest attire, rode their fine horses, neighing and their hooves clattering through the air. They galloped down the broad, flat official road like a gust of wind, raising clouds of dust.

Wherever they passed, passersby looked on in awe. Zhao Qiyan, however, led the group, galloping straight towards the most convenient shortcut that would shorten their journey. Their goal was the mysterious Black City!

Black City, this isolated city in the far north, stands in stark contrast to the bustling, vibrant capital of Beijing. While Beijing still basks in the warmth of spring, here, it's already deep autumn, with fallen leaves and a bleak autumn wind sweeping through every corner.

Yun Shang, dressed in thin clothes, stood alone in the cold wind, her body shivering uncontrollably. Her delicate body seemed unable to withstand the cold, which made people feel pity for her.

The mysterious Mr. Jiu had vanished without a trace since entering Black City. At this moment, only Lin Zhiyi and a few guards remained by Yun Shang's side, closely watching her every move.

Yun Shang and Lin Zhiyi sat across from each other in a simple inn. Any other day, given Lin Zhiyi's personality, she would have mercilessly hurled some harsh and sarcastic remarks at Yun Shang. However, today, she was uncharacteristically quiet, even her eyes taking on a deep, deep expression.

An eerie silence permeated the entire inn, no one making any unnecessary noise. Everyone silently went about their business, yet this silence wasn't peaceful and tranquil; instead, it exuded a suffocating solemnity, as if a massive storm was approaching.

At this moment, everyone's face showed a solemn and dignified expression, as if shrouded by an invisible haze.