All manner of murmuring, mocking jabs, sarcastic remarks, and even crude cursing filled the entire Sand Sacrifice terrace, forming a starkly ironic contrast with the solemn chanting of scriptures below.

Of course, it was naturally the military officers who spouted such crude, low-class remarks. The strategists and advisors beside the various rulers all stayed silent, glancing at one another, each waiting for someone else to speak first!

They had no intention of stopping the officers either—they were more than happy to hear Jun Beiyue cursed!

And yet, even if they cursed eighteen generations of Jun Beiyue’s ancestors, it wouldn’t do any good.

For a mere prince like Jun Beiyue to dare arrive late, leaving all the assembled rulers waiting here, he must have some confidence behind it.

Even in the worst case, if Jun Beiyue didn’t come today, or tomorrow, or the day after—

Everyone here would still have to obediently wait. No one could leave, and no one dared to.

Winner takes the crown, loser is branded a bandit—and that distinction went far beyond the simple act of planting a white flag in surrender!

Anyone with sense understood that the ones to make things difficult for at this point were naturally the Xijing emperor and his court. After all, everyone present except Xijing was from a defeated nation, and Xijing enjoyed Jun Beiyue’s protection.

If Jun Beiyue didn’t come, naturally someone had to press the Xijing emperor about it.

Yet no one was willing to be the first to speak up, because no one could say for certain how the peace conference would reshape the balance of power across Longyuan, and no one could fathom what game Jun Beiyue was really playing!

Nations weren’t like individuals—they couldn’t remain eternal enemies or eternal allies. Sitting down together to negotiate peace was about securing greater advantages for the future.

If there was no substantial benefit to be had, no one would be foolish enough to offend someone unnecessarily!

The crude military officers were practically on the verge of a brawl, while the civil officials, strategists, and rulers watched the spectacle with composed indifference.

The Sand Sacrifice terrace was like a great suspended circle of anticipation, with the rulers of the various nations seated around it in a ring, a massive round stone table at the center.

The eastern seat was the seat of honor, reserved specifically for Jun Beiyue. Counterclockwise from Jun Beiyue’s seat sat the Xijing emperor, the Xiliang emperor, the Xiongnu emperor, and the Dongqin empress!

At this moment, the Dongqin empress watched everything coldly, having brought only Nanny Qin with her—mistress and servant were the quietest pair present.

The Xiongnu emperor was the most imposing and tall in stature; though from a defeated nation, seated here he still radiated the most commanding presence. Minhan Mudeer sat beside him, arms crossed coldly, staring at Jun Beiyue’s empty seat.

He hated it. He wasn’t afraid of losing—he simply hated that Jun Beiyue hadn’t personally accepted his surrender, leaving instead the unremarkable Jun Beichen to handle it!

He had always believed that after Xichu’s Chu Tiange fell, he alone would stand as Jun Beiyue’s equal in renown.

Yet Jun Beiyue had left before the war had even fully concluded!

The Xiliang emperor, oldest among them, remained thoroughly composed—anyone with sharp eyes could tell at a glance he was an old fox through and through, making Wanyan Lie seem far too green by comparison.

He kept studying the Xijing emperor, unable to understand why Situ Haonan and General Dugu hadn’t come, why Yelu Qianqian hadn’t come either! And Han Ziqing hadn’t shown up at all.

They should have arrived at Akbachu at roughly the same time he had, coming from the western frontier!

Could it be that Jun Beiyue’s lateness had something to do with them?

Or perhaps this bunch was up to some other scheme!

Suddenly, a Xiongnu general slammed his teacup violently to the ground—BOOM!—the sharp crack ringing out. “Playing games with us? Get out here, Jun Beiyue! Can’t handle a loss?”

That set things off. Seeing this, the other generals immediately followed suit, one after another smashing their teacups—boom, boom, boom—each one’s temper flaring hotter than the last, no one willing to fall behind!

In an instant, the already noisy gathering descended into chaos, one step short of overturning the tables!

The Xiongnu emperor, the Xiliang emperor, and the Dongqin empress all remained expressionless. The Xijing emperor was, after all, the host, and they were all waiting for him to step forward and offer some explanation.

But the Xijing emperor wasn’t foolish enough to make himself the target of everyone’s ire, so he only murmured quietly, “Eunuch Xu, where is Prince Yao?”

“This servant doesn’t know either, Your Majesty. Da Zhou’s Second Prince simply won’t say.”

“Doesn’t he know everyone’s waiting?” The Xijing emperor was clearly suppressing his fury.

“Your Majesty, this lowly one suspects Han Ziqing may have…” Eunuch Xu trailed off, but the Xijing emperor understood.

Even General Dugu wasn’t entirely clear on exactly how Situ Haonan had lured Han Ziqing away, or what he’d lured her away to do, but he knew this much: Han Ziqing would find it very, very hard to come back!

They had originally hoped to hold Han Ziqing hostage as leverage against Jun Beiyue at the peace conference. Now that the kidnapping hadn’t worked out as planned, but eliminating Han Ziqing would be just as good as clipping Jun Beiyue’s wings—why not go along with it?

The Xijing emperor gave a cold smile and instructed, “Go check on Qianqian. Don’t let her come out.”

But just as Eunuch Xu was about to slip away, in an instant, the noisy, chaotic gathering suddenly fell utterly silent!

The Xijing emperor and Eunuch Xu froze, hearing only the sound of footsteps—so heavy, so terrifying in the silence!

Listening closer, it was like some monstrous beast, striking terror into the heavens, advancing step by step toward the crowd!

What was happening?

The Xijing emperor and Eunuch Xu turned their heads slowly, unconsciously, only to discover that everyone present had frozen, everyone looking in the same direction!

At the entrance to the Sand Sacrifice terrace stood a man clad entirely in black combat attire, a blood-red cloak billowing in the wind alongside three thousand strands of ink-black hair whipping wildly through the air!

His dark eyes were like blades, his gaze like arrows. The moment he appeared, the entire restless crowd fell still, every discontented heart in the gathering shaken to its core, every grumbling mouth in the whole assembly silenced at once!

One had to wonder—how many soldiers present had never once witnessed the noble bearing of this God of War of Longyuan, this god worshipped in the hearts of every military man!

No matter how much discontent, how much cursing there had been before, the moment they laid eyes on him, everyone fell into complete, awed submission.

At fifteen, he had ridden a thousand li alone to quell the chaos on Da Zhou’s northern frontier; at sixteen, he had led his army west and driven back Xijing’s army of over three hundred thousand; and now, barely into his twenties, he stood as the master of Longyuan, the true and undisputed victor of the great war that had convulsed the continent!

He had arrived!

Who among them dared voice a single word of complaint?

Who among them dared rival him?

He had arrived—surely the peace conference could now begin.

Yet, before the watchful eyes of everyone, before all the assembled rulers, Jun Beiyue treated them all as if they were nothing but air. His fury blazing, he strode step by step toward the Xijing emperor.

He hadn’t found Han Ziqing waiting for him. His heart had been full of joy, full of anticipation—he had sat alone atop the city gate for two full days and nights, smiling foolishly with happiness, yet his woman had never come.

Without question, the only person capable of doing anything to Ziqing was Situ Haonan, and to deceive him successfully would require Xijing’s cooperation.

At the very least, Yelu Qianqian and General Dugu had already returned long ago!

He forced himself to cling to his last shred of reason, forcing himself to calm down, calm down further. Finding Ziqing amid the vast desert sands wouldn’t be easy—but the Xijing emperor surely knew what had happened!