A Glimmer of Hope (2)

Inside a large, spacious room, a woman was sitting in front of a small table that contained several objects on it.

The woman, who looked to be in her near 30's, was holding a cup of tea, sipping it slowly while her gaze was focused on the table.

One could easily say that this woman's beauty could topple cities, empires and even shake the entire heaven. The silky black hair shone with the reflection of the sunlight, highlighting and demonstrating even more her obvious and spectacular beauty that would make everyone could not help but take their eyes off her. The robe enhanced her beauty even more and made her have her own unique charm, making her even look as if she were a Queen, an Empress of the heavens....

Her deep jet black eyes seemed to be unparalleled, as if there couldn't be a more beautiful and perfect pair of eyes than hers....

It was just that, those beautiful and majestic eyes had lost the shine in them, going from being able to see an entire galaxy in them to seeing complete mist and darkness, subtly showing this woman's shattered soul.

An aura of maturity caused by life's ups and downs and experience gave this person a different charm, as if at first glance one could tell that she had already found the secrets of life and fulfilled her own purpose.

Although one could not discern what this magnificent and beautiful woman harbored within even by paying meticulous attention, those who knew her knew of the deep pain in her heart. They knew exactly what she held in her innermost being.

It seemed that nothing could bring her that unique sense of happiness that she had once obtained long ago...

However, her gaze, her aura and her being would light up when she looked at the paintings and portraits on the table.

This woman who exuded an aura of sadness and depression could also wield a terrifying force, a power capable of splitting the sky and destroying rivers and mountains with a single wave of her hands!

"Madame, the Palace Master said it would take a little longer to return as he got news that another part of this continent could be accessed."

A maid entered after knocking and informed the woman.

This time, the woman smiled when she heard the news about the Palace Master.

There were only few people that she still show and have a smile and could even lessen the pain in her heart. Her beloved husband was certainly one of those people, her most important point of support at present after losing the most important thing to her...

"Did he tell you anything else related to that?" A soft, calm voice came from her. Her eyes lit up briefly before fading again.

"No. The Palace Master reported that it was still improbable that the Grand Formation Masters would be able to do the formation to leave this world, which is precisely why he went out of his way to personally check on the matter." The maidservant said all she knew, always maintaining a respectful and calm tone.

"I see." The woman nodded and added, "If there is any more news, please keep me informed."

"Of course." The maid nodded her head.

"By the way."

Before the maid left, the woman spoke again.

"Where are the girls, little Zhimeng, little Yangzhu and little Ruyao?" The woman's eyes lit up again as she held a smile at the mention of the three names.

"Young Lady Yan is alone practicing with her sword in the back garden. Young Lady Xiao is in one of the special rooms practicing alchemy. And Young Lady Murong is behind one of the Palace peaks with her pet, playing with her zither."

The maid replied, explaining the situation of each of the women before asking, "Do you want me to send for them?"

"No." The woman shook her head before lifting the teacup and quietly sipping some and saying, "Don't interrupt them."

"Understood." The maid nodded before leaving the room.

After a few seconds, the beautiful woman picked up a portrait from the table and looked at it deeply. Her lips lifted, forming a beautiful smile as the sparkle in her eyes returned and increased in intensity.

But some time later, water droplets flooded her eyes, subduing the sparkle in them and exuding sadness again.

* ROAR!!! *

* Crack! *

The clear, thunderous roar of a Dragon stunned this woman and she unconsciously dropped the cup from her hand, shattering on the ground.

She unconsciously looked up and surveyed the blue sky that now held a vast, gigantic shadow of a Dragon crossing the clouds.

"My child..."

A low whisper was heard as her breathing quickened and she brought her hand to her chest, feeling the intense pounding of her heart as she had sensed "something" deep within that mysterious shadow in the sky.

It's as if she had found a glimmer of hope within that roar!

Her aura changed and her temperament differed, letting out a faint breath of her power.

She didn't care what the manifestation of that shadow in the sky could mean. All she cared about was that she inexplicably felt the connection of her life in that roar! She just wanted to find the source of where that feeling came from!

The last flame inside her reignited and kept traces of hope!

The figure vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving ripples in space as it demonstrated the restlessness in her heart.

The room was empty, with dozens of paintings on the table and a main portrait above them all, where a little boy with a big smile was being hugged by a beautiful woman and a handsome man, showing the immense happiness of the three of them at that moment.

...

At the edge of the continent, a large group of people were gathered as they worked on what appeared to be a huge formation platform.

An invisible barrier blocked the passage of any living thing, preventing anyone from getting out and crossing the void.

Materials, tools and more were being exchanged between the Grand Masters, forming all sorts of formations, matrices, patterns and more. The aura was slowly coming together after a long time.

At this moment, a ship in the shape of an airship arrived quickly.

From the airship, three men got out and headed towards where a group of people were talking to each other. To be precise, two men were following behind the one who seemed to be the leader.

"Palace Master."

One person stepped forward and cupped his fists, greeting the man in the middle. The others in the group who were chatting stopped and also greeted respectfully, demonstrating the status and identity of this new arrival.

This man had an appearance of nearly 30 years old, but anyone could easily notice that he was still very young and that his mature facial features were provided by the kind of aura and energy that flowed into his body after having experienced the tribulations of life. This added a unique charm of maturity and attraction, and together with his handsome and charming face, it was easy to say that every woman could fall for him at first sight.

His eyes showed a direct and even somewhat fierce aura that could melt ice in the winter, as well as the cold barrier of a woman's heart, but also contained a gloomy trace in them. The indifference in his gaze also kept his face expressionless, as if no matter if the sky fell, he would still be calm.

"Mhn." The man nodded quietly before asking, "Have they managed to break through the barrier?"

"There seems to be a chance." Another person responded and said, "Grandmaster Nangong mentioned that he found a weak area in the barrier at this location, so it would be more practical to do the formation here."

"I see." The man nodded after a few seconds and added, "If you need more materials, you can ask Wenqian and he will provide what you need."

"Thank you, Palace Master." The person who had explained clenched his fists together before retreating.

"Brother." Another man of an appearance of an equal age to the Palace Master approached and called him in such a manner.

Only a few people could address this man in such a manner, and he was one of them.

"What happened?"

"It seems that another horde of demonic beings may appear like last time. One of my subordinates found traces of space disturbances in the same place as before." This person spoke seriously, but also showed a trace of caution and tact in speaking this information.

Indeed, the Palace Master's countenance became even darker as he heard about this matter. His aura became slightly chaotic and a coldness flowed from him. His fist clenched fiercely as he recalled the disaster that time when there was a large-scale invasion and that tragedy occurred.

The other man saw his expression and sighed internally; he too remembered that tragedy when everyone was devastated in the end.

Patting the Palace Master's shoulder, the man said, "Brother, you know I am with you, my family and everyone are with you and Yuelan."

The Palace Master took a deep breath, again maintaining his control before frowning and raising his gaze to the sky as he sensed the disturbance in space.

* ROAR!!! *

A thunderous and powerful roar of a Dragon and a shadow in the sky reverberated across the continent, attracting everyone's attention without exception.

"What is that?"

"Is it really the sign of another demon attack?"

"Is it a Dragon?"

The more they watched the figure in the sky, the more uncertainty grew. Some even quickly created their conjectures about this manifestation.

"Look! It seems to have an effect on the barrier!"

Someone exclaimed and pointed to the barrier that enclosed the entire continent.

The barrier seemed to become slightly more visible and strange ripples were created all over the surface, as if by the Dragon's roar really could affect it!

This manifestation could even split the sky and grow the aura in the world, as if it could break the shackles all over this continent and connect to the great higher plane!

"Quickly, finish the formation to see if we can control and comprehend this strange barrier!"

Another Formation Master shouted and threw out several flags of formations, trying to grasp that sliver of energy that produced the barrier.

Everyone quickly formed up and took their places in the Formation Patterns, while others sent messages to the residences to find out the current situation in the City and throughout the continent.

However, there was only one person who stood staring into the sky, directly at that Dragon shadow that seemed to cross and travel into infinity.

A trace of sparkle crossed his eyes before he clenched his fist and believed within himself that tiny little possibility that was slowly disappearing all this time. He didn't know why this mysterious figure could bring him that lost feeling from hundreds of years ago, but he was sure that if this manifestation managed to crack the shackles of this world and bring him even that feeling, then there was still hope.

The Palace Master took a deep breath before disappearing from the place.