Whether it was the eight thousand soldiers of the Cang Guard or the hundred officials of the Tai Cang,
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the swirling mist.
The mist obscured a certain area, blurring the shapes within, hiding them from view.
As soon as the mist appeared, an inexplicable, chilling sensation arose in everyone's hearts.
It felt as though a mighty savage beast from the wilderness was hidden within the mist, ready to pounce out and tear them apart.
Ji Qianqing also observed the scene, but unlike the others, as a powerful practitioner of the Ninth Heaven, she could clearly sense that within the mist, there were three formidable presences.
These three presences felt cold, damp, and decaying.
Yet, despite the eerie nature of their aura, the strength they exuded was undeniable—powerful enough that even she felt a need for caution.
In Tai Cang, a small country with only sixty thousand people, aside from the presence of the sovereign of the Shang Kingdom, Ji Qianqing had never felt such a level of power before, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
"Is the Crown Prince colluding with the crows and dogs, inviting wolves into the house?
Could the mist conceal vicious dogs?"
The thought crossed Ji Qianqing's mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
"Different races, different skins—such an alliance would yield nothing."
The mist began to slowly dissipate, and its chilling aura began to fill the entire training ground. Those with weaker constitutions started to shiver uncontrollably.
Finally, from within the haze, three figures slowly emerged, their silhouettes gradually becoming clear!
Three slender-armored warriors, each with a long sword at their waist, their eyes glowing blood-red beneath their helmets, as though they hailed from an ancient inferno!
They wore black armor, though it was rusted and covered in brown patches. Even their helmets, which wrapped around their entire faces, were marked with rust.
But no one dared to underestimate them!
As they emerged, a sudden, ominous wind began to blow across the sky, and everyone could feel the oppressive force in the air.
This was an aura they had never encountered, even when facing the crows and dogs.
"These three are strong!"
Ji Qianqing voiced her thoughts.
"Where did they come from?
How did they appear out of thin air?"
The head of the Tai Cang military slowly spoke.
More and more people were shocked, unable to believe that three powerful figures had been brought in by mere mist, right under their noses!
But the surprise didn't end there.
As the three warriors fully revealed themselves, a strong gust of wind blew through, dispersing all the mist.
To everyone's astonishment, they saw a squad of similarly slender soldiers in brown armor—about a thousand of them—standing perfectly in line!
The Cang Guard immediately turned to face them, drawing their weapons, preparing for battle.
These thin soldiers put immense pressure on them.
Even Ji Qianqing had already drawn half of her longsword from its scabbard.
As the thousand shadow soldiers and three shadow generals fully revealed themselves, Ji Xia finally exhaled.
He couldn't gauge the true strength of the shadow soldiers summoned by the Shadow Nest, but seeing Ji Qianqing and the officers' reactions made it clear that their strength would not be trivial.
The three shadow generals drew closer, and in the blink of an eye, they stood before the palace.
"Who goes there? Halt!"
A middle-aged general from the Cang Guard shouted, trying to stop the three shadow generals, but they ignored him and continued their advance.
Ji Qianqing suddenly erupted with a powerful aura, causing Ji Xia, standing in front of her, to instinctively step back.
The three shadow generals, seeing this, became even more intense, their throats producing hoarse growls, their swords drawn as they leapt high into the air, charging toward Ji Qianqing!
Without hesitation, Ji Qianqing's longsword gleamed with a faint red light, and with one swift movement, she stepped off the palace wall, holding her sword in a defensive stance!
Ji Xia immediately understood what was happening.
The three shadow generals had mistakenly thought that Ji Qianqing was attacking him!
He quickly shouted, "Stop!"
Upon hearing Ji Xia's command, the shadow generals immediately obeyed, twisting their bodies in mid-air and landing on the ground.
Ji Qianqing, seeing the shadow generals' obedience, hesitated for a moment. "Could it be that everything His Highness said is true?"
The three shadow generals knelt on one knee, and one of them shouted, "Shadow Generals Hei Ding, Yin Ding, An Ding pay homage to the Master!"
The thousand shadow soldiers, who had remained perfectly still like statues, suddenly knelt on one knee toward the palace and shouted in unison, "Pay homage to the Master!"
Ji Xia was stunned.
The shadow soldiers from the Shadow Nest—had they gained intelligence?
He had previously thought they were nothing more than puppets, but now he realized they could speak and think for themselves!
This was an unexpected delight!
He cleared his throat, glancing surreptitiously at the stunned officials. Even Ji Qianqing and Lu Yu seemed visibly shocked.
"Everyone, please rise."
Ji Xia said in a calm and dignified voice.
"Yes!"
The shadow generals replied in unison, standing up first, with the shadow soldiers following in formation. The sound of their rusted armor resonated in unison.
Lu Yu, seeing these formidable warriors, finally relaxed a little.
His voice trembled as he asked, "Your Highness, do they recognize you as their master?"
Ji Xia nodded, trying to appear more at ease and instill some confidence in the old ministers. "They are a gift from the Great Wind. From now on, with me here, they will fight for Tai Cang."
Now that non-human soldiers were at their gates, fighting was inevitable.
Lu Yu nodded, his eyes filled with unshed tears. He looked at the formidable shadow soldiers and muttered, "Perhaps this is Tai Cang's only way out?"
Tai Cang's official Zhuo Qu, observing the uncertainty in some of the officials' eyes, sighed inwardly. "The Great Wind's envoy walks among us, the earth cracks, and the rivers turn—how could things be so peaceful?"
Yet now, Tai Cang was in great peril, and everyone was on edge. Perhaps the "Great Wind's envoy" was needed to calm their hearts.
Zhuo Qu made up his mind and moved to the front of the palace, bowing deeply to Ji Xia's back.
To the puzzled gaze of the officials, he spoke slowly. "One month ago, I, Zhuo Qu, divined that Tai Cang still had a sliver of hope. I believed this hope was the disgraceful peace negotiation, but I did not expect that the true hope would lie with His Highness!"
He then knelt before Ji Xia, shouting, "Great Wind's protection."
Ji Xia turned around and met Zhuo Qu's gaze.
Tai Cang's officials were shocked to see Zhuo Qu, the high priest of sacrifices, bowing to anyone—let alone the Crown Prince.
The reason for his bow was clear: Zhuo Qu had acknowledged Ji Xia as the Great Wind's envoy!
The officials were still in shock.
Lu Yu was the first to step back, raising his arms and bringing his palms together in prayer before kneeling. Soon, all the officials followed suit!
The only one who remained standing was Ji Qianqing, her eyes fixed on Ji Xia with a look of confusion.
Ji Xia turned to face her. Their gazes met without a hint of retreat.
Finally, the confusion in Ji Qianqing's eyes dissipated, and in her armor, she knelt on one knee as well!
Ji Xia's expression grew unusually serious and stern. He let out a long breath. "Thankfully, my memories have fused. For a moment, I thought this strange pouch under me was just part of Tai Cang's unique clothing…"
Ignoring the kneeling officials, he turned and discreetly pulled a pouch from his waist.
He glanced at the still-kneeling officials, letting out a sigh of relief. "The former crown prince certainly hid things well. If he hadn't, I might have woken up in a dark cell."
Just as Ji Xia was about to order the officials to rise, he caught sight of Ji Qianqing from the corner of his eye.
He noticed she was pointing at the pouch with her index finger. Looking down, he was stunned to see that the emblem embroidered on the pouch was the Great Wind totem!
He awkwardly cleared his throat and quickly pulled the Tai Cang imperial seal from the pouch, stuffing it into his sleeve.
"Everyone, please rise."
Ji Xia said in a stern and dignified tone.