Bai Qingyu coldly watched the Rongdi King, whose eyes were about to split with rage, his mind flashing with images of those Bai Family Army soldiers who had desperately saved him from the sea of fire… how they were shot to death one by one by the laughing Rongdi King. He remembered the appearance of each of them before they died.

His mind also held the image of Su Mu’s bright smile among the sheep, and Su Mu’s pale appearance after being violated by the Rongdi King, taking her own life with a blade, her blood drained, and her body deathly white.

His hoarse, unpleasant voice carried a bone-chilling coldness: “Today’s chaos occurred because the Rongdi King feared Tianfeng Nation’s elephant army and wanted to surrender to the Great Zhou. The Ghost-Faced Prince raised troops in desperate resistance and died at the Rongdi King’s hands. Rongdi submits to the Great Zhou, and the Rongdi King is invited by the Great Zhou’s Female Emperor to the capital to become a prince.”

Bai Qingyu’s words essentially nailed the Rongdi King to Rongdi’s pillar of shame. If Rongdi truly passed from his hands, he would be the eternal sinner of the entire Rongdi nation.

The Rongdi King’s face turned completely red with rage, but he was so choked with words that he couldn’t say a single thing, only managing: “You… you…”

Bai Qingyu crouched down in front of the Rongdi King and said to him in a low voice: “As for you, I will let you live well in the capital!”

After speaking, Bai Qingyu stood up and said to Lu Ping, “Have someone take him away. Don’t let him die…”

Lu Ping acknowledged and left to escort the Rongdi King. After they left, Bai Qingyu removed the cloak from his armor, slowly raised his hand to take off his mask, revealing his face – half intact, half burned beyond recognition, neither human nor ghost. He handed the mask and cloak to Wang Dong: “Go handle it!”

From this day forward, the Ghost-Faced Prince would no longer exist.

Bai Qingyu would appear before people openly and honorably under his name.

Wang Dong understood his master’s meaning and left carrying the cloak and mask…

·

At the same time, far away at the Tianfeng Nation camp at the border between Xiliang and Rongdi.

High braziers were erected around the stationed camp, their flames dancing and illuminating the camp as bright as day.

Aksha, who had just returned from inspecting the elephants, gripped the sword at his waist while learning the refined language common to Xiliang, Great Zhou, and Yan Nation from his Xiliang guide, walking toward his command tent.

During the period when Cui Fengnian appeared in Tianfeng Nation, their lord… and the Grand Shaman had shown extremely strong interest in the land that Cui Fengnian described.

They sent people to follow Cui Fengnian to Xiliang and captured some Xiliang people to take back, only then learning that… this land had once been unified, so they shared the same cart tracks, written script, and customs. Although each region still maintained its local dialects, their refined official language was all the same.

This provided tremendous convenience for Tianfeng Nation. As long as they learned their written script, they could understand the books of Xiliang, Great Zhou, and Great Yan. As long as they learned their official refined language, they could understand the speech of anyone on this land.

Aksha was an impulsive but diligent and studious general. Even when going to inspect the elephants, he would bring his guide along, diligently learning the language of this land.

“General…” Aksha’s subordinate was anxiously pacing back and forth outside the great tent. Upon seeing Aksha, he hurriedly approached: “General, the lord and the Grand Shaman’s eldest disciple have arrived!”

Aksha’s steps paused as he looked up to see his lord’s guards standing outside his command tent. He quickly removed his sword from his waist, tossed it to his subordinate, and hurried into the great tent.

Upon entering, Aksha saw his lord sitting in his tiger-skin chair, wearing luxurious fitted clothing with boots adorned with precious pearls, stepping on a tiger’s head. His elbow was casually supported on his knee as he leaned forward to speak with the Grand Shaman’s eldest disciple seated below him.

Seeing his lord and the shaman’s eldest disciple, Aksha quickly stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and beat his chest: “My Lord!”

The lord of Tianfeng Nation had extremely deep and beautiful eyes, with long, curled eyelashes. His features were more three-dimensional and prominent than Xiliang people. Perhaps due to his naturally high brow bone and nose bridge, all Tianfeng Nation people possessed thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a rugged beauty tinged with wildness.

“Aksha, rise!” The lord of Tianfeng Nation moved his foot from the tiger’s head and waved his hand to signal Aksha to stand, his furrowed brows suggesting he had something on his mind.

Aksha had always been most loyal to his lord. Seeing that his lord seemed to have troubles, he felt uneasy. He couldn’t bear to see his lord unhappy and was willing to do anything to make his lord happy: “My Lord, did you come at this time to oversee the battle? Or… is there some troubling matter that requires Aksha’s service?”

“The Grand Shaman has fallen ill and hasn’t awakened until now!” The lord of Tianfeng Nation raised his eyes to look at Aksha.

“How could this be?!” Aksha was surprised.

“Master coughed up blood while divining and urgently had me summon the lord…” The Grand Shaman’s eldest disciple slowly explained to Aksha. “The Grand Shaman said that the gods have given their decree… our Tianfeng Nation is not yet the master of this land. The master of this side of the Divine Snow Mountain still lives. If we forcibly invade, the heavenly gods will bring down divine wrath.”

Aksha’s expression changed dramatically. Although Aksha disliked how the Grand Shaman always restricted their lord in the name of the gods, even interfering with whom the lord could marry, he couldn’t deny that the Grand Shaman possessed great power.

The people of Tianfeng Nation deeply respected the Grand Shaman because he was the person closest to the gods. Successive Grand Shamans had taught them knowledge they didn’t possess, making the people’s lives better.

When Tianfeng Nation was not yet as prosperous as it was now, it was the Grand Shaman’s appearance that gradually made Tianfeng Nation powerful. Whether it was ink powder… or training elephant armies, or various convenient tools and techniques, or refined salt – all came from the Grand Shaman’s hands. Therefore, the Grand Shaman held an extraordinary position in Tianfeng Nation, sometimes even more respected than the ruler.

Successive rulers had all been chosen through the Grand Shaman’s divination…

The shaman’s eldest disciple, seeing Aksha’s expression, said: “I know General Aksha wants to lead the elephant army to conquer this land for our lord, making him the greatest king in the world. But everything must proceed step by step, especially since… the master chosen by the heavenly gods of the Divine Snow Mountain for this land is not yet dead. If we forcibly seize it, we will anger the divine spirits.”

At the mention of the heavenly gods of the Divine Snow Mountain, everyone in the great tent, including Tianfeng Nation’s ruler, assumed reverent postures.

Like Xiliang’s worship of heavenly gods, Tianfeng Nation also believed in heavenly gods, even more devoutly than Xiliang…

This was originally why Xiliang thought they could move Tianfeng Nation with appeals to the heavenly gods, asking Tianfeng Nation to help save their Xiliang. Who knew that after Tianfeng Nation’s elephant army stepped into Xiliang territory, Xiliang was no longer under the control of Xiliang’s Female Emperor?

Tianfeng Nation’s ruler rubbed the white jade cicada he had been playing with in his hands and sighed deeply: “Enough! Before the Grand Shaman coughed up blood and fell unconscious, he left only this one sentence. It seems we have truly angered the heavenly gods!”