What Would You Do If An Ugly Woman Asked You To Dual Cultivate?-Chapter 35: The Fall of Kingdom

The next morning, shocking news spread like wildfire through the Southern Kingdom.

The king was dead.

The Han Clan's leader, Han Zhentian, was dead.

And after the terrifying battle in the sky the night before—white flames and green mist clashing, a white barrier barely saving the Royal City—the kingdom was left in chaos.

The worst news was that the West Province's every mortal there had perished. The land had become a graveyard, silent and lifeless. Word spread quickly, and fear gripped the people.

In the streets, markets, and homes, the air buzzed with whispers.

"Did you see it? The fire, the mist—it was like the gods were fighting!" an old man muttered, his hands trembling on his cane.

His wife's eyes were wide with terror. "The king is gone. The Han Clan is destroyed. Who will protect us now?"

Mothers clutched their children close, their eyes darting to the sky, afraid it might split open again.

"I heard the West Province is empty now," a woman murmured as she rocked her crying baby. "Not a single soul left. What if it spreads here?"

"We're cursed," a flour-dusted baker said grimly. "If the king and the Han Clan couldn't stop it, no one can."

In the taverns, men drank more than usual, their voices unsteady.

"The king couldn't stop it—what was he good for anyway?" a grizzled farmer slurred, slamming his mug down. "And the Han Clan? The strongest clan in the kingdom, and they're dead too. We're doomed!"

A merchant with a patchy beard leaned in. "I saw that white barrier—it saved us here, but who did it? Who's left with power?"

Fear turned into panic. Shops shut early, doors were bolted tight. People stockpiled food, and prices skyrocketed overnight. Some whispered of fleeing south or east—anywhere but here.

"I won't wait to die," a young carpenter said, hurriedly packing his belongings into a cart.

His sister grabbed his arm. "But where can we go? What if whatever caused this follows us?"

Not everyone gave in to fear. Some clung to hope.

"Maybe it's over," a priestess said outside her temple, her hands clasped in prayer. "The barrier held. Someone is protecting us."

But the crowd around her wasn't convinced.

"Then why is the West dead?" a fisherman spat. "If someone cared, they would have saved everyone!"

Doubt and dread settled over the kingdom. The nobles were silent, the ministers hesitant, and the guards unsure. Rumors spread like wildfire, filling the void left by leadership.

By noon, the Southern Kingdom was on the verge of collapse. The people mourned their king and the Han Clan in hushed voices, but their fear of what came next was louder. The West Province was a tomb, and no one felt safe.

"We're next," an old woman whispered, staring at the horizon. "Mark my words, we're next."

One Month Later

The kingdom unraveled faster than anyone expected.

Crime surged. With no clear ruler, bandits and rogue warriors seized the opportunity to plunder and kill. The Royal Castle lay in ruins, its once-golden halls abandoned. Ministers and nobles debated fleeing, but many stayed, hoping for order to be restored.

Of the four great generals, two had already deserted the Southern Kingdom. The remaining two tried to keep control, but the situation worsened.

Then, disaster struck. The Crown Prince, desperate to secure his rule, demanded a general's daughter as his bride. The general refused. Enraged, the prince attacked, and a bloody fight broke out in the palace. The general was killed, and his daughter fled into the night.

That was the breaking point. The last remaining general, witnessing the chaos, abandoned the kingdom as well.

With no ruler, no generals, and no military leadership, law and order completely collapsed.

Robbery, murder, and even worse crimes became common. Food prices soared. Merchants closed their shops out of fear, but that only led to looters breaking in.

The unrest spread beyond the Central Province. The East, South, and North Provinces, seeing the kingdom in shambles, stopped sending resources to the capital. Each province's governor declared their own authority, refusing to follow a king who no longer existed.

The North Province was the first to break away. Their governor officially declared independence, renaming it The Woodland Nation. Unlike the chaos in the capital, the North had a strong military presence, and they quickly secured their borders.

Seeing this, the East and South Provinces followed. They announced their independence, cutting ties with the Central Province entirely.

Without the outer provinces supporting it, the Central Province collapsed into complete anarchy.

The streets became battlegrounds. Those who could afford to flee left in waves, heading to the newly independent provinces or even to neighboring kingdoms. But not everyone could leave. Those left behind were at the mercy of criminals, warlords, and opportunistic nobles who carved out their own territories.

The Southern Kingdom was no more.

And for the first time in centuries, there was no king on the throne.

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