Ji Xia drew back the massive bow of the Ten Directions, shooting away the dark arrow that was trapping Ji Qianqing. He then consecutively killed the phantom of Mo Duo and the Koguni Kingdom's ruler, Ji Lun. The blue light between heaven and earth suddenly vanished, and the resurrected corpses seemed to lose their strength, making a horrifying sound as their bones rubbed together, before turning to dust.
The battle between Taicang and Koguni finally came to an end. The result was that Ji Lun, the Koguni ruler, was killed by Ji Xia, all eight Koguni tribal leaders died, and the remaining 3,500 Koguni soldiers were obliterated, their bodies no longer existing.
The Taicang Silver Guards had minimal casualties, with over 1,600 still alive. The Yin Army, however, had only 200 left. Yin Ding, severely injured by a Koguni leader, was barely alive and was taken into the Yin Army's base for recovery.
Even though Ji Xia valued his forces, he had to admit that the cost was insignificant, leaving all the Taicang officials elated.
"March into the city, go straight to the palace. If the Koguni civilians don't resist, let them be. If they do, they will be killed without mercy."
While giving orders to Rong Lu beside him, Ji Xia also supported Ji Qianqing, who was exhausted and weak from her depleted spiritual energy.
Ji Qianqing's cheeks flushed slightly, as if she wasn't used to looking so frail or being supported. The wind blew her red hair over her face, obscuring her beautiful features. She wanted to push her hair behind her ear but decided against it, leaving her face partially hidden.
Ji Xia, seemingly unaware of the beauty beside him, said excitedly, "Now that Koguni has lost its ruler and many strong fighters, their strength has plummeted. We don't need to kill the civilians. In the future, we'll have them raise livestock for us, so that Taicang's people can eat meat."
Pe Xian, hearing Ji Xia's words, couldn't help but smile slightly. "The Lord's plan is thorough. If we had wiped out Koguni completely and killed all their people, Du Sang would likely abandon Crocodile Horn and lead the Koguni army to fight us immediately."
Ji Xia nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly. Although we may not be afraid of Du Sang, that kind of war wouldn't benefit us at all. It would only cost us soldiers, and that's not worth it."
"The best outcome is for Crocodile Horn and Du Sang to stalemate and retreat to their respective countries. By then, Koguni's strength will be greatly weakened, and we will be able to take what we need, compensating for Taicang's lack of resources."
Hearing this, Ji Qianqing, who had been listening to their conversation, reminded them, "Hurry and enter the city, lest Du Sang learns of this and intercepts you. By then, you might not get the Koguni livestock, and you'll be cooked by Du Sang yourselves."
Ji Xia nodded. "General Ji is right. Although the Taicang Silver Guards are strong, they are few in number. Moreover, the guards have been exhausted after consecutive battles, and there's little spiritual energy left in the Snowy Mountains. With General Ji losing her combat ability, Koguni still has tens of thousands of soldiers. If they are truly determined to stop us, we will have no chance of survival."
He immediately issued orders to speed up the march, and soon the army entered Koguni's royal city.
As they entered the city, they were greeted by countless cries of grief. Koguni corpses were scattered throughout the royal city's main streets, with many Koguni people crying over the bodies, devastated by their loss. These dead Koguni had been sacrificed to the evil god Mo Duo by Ji Lun.
"Using the evil god as a totem is a very risky decision. Even if one could communicate with the totem, the evil god's craving for flesh is far too great, requiring a constant stream of intelligent beings to be sacrificed," Pe Xian remarked with some disgust.
"It's probably because the evil god is easier to communicate with compared to other gods, and it grants power more readily," Ji Qianqing added.
Ji Xia had read about this history in Taicang's records and wasn't concerned. "To us, gods are no different from ants. We cannot fathom their emotions. If we accidentally offend them while communicating, the result will be the destruction of our race. Rather than relying on external forces, it's better to focus on developing Taicang."
Pe Xian nodded thoughtfully.
The streets were littered with bodies, and many of the Koguni, seeing the Taicang army enter the city, were so frightened that they couldn't even look at their family members' bodies and rushed to hide in tents. Some, braver, glared at the Taicang army.
"Kill them all," Ji Xia said indifferently.
The Taicang Silver Guards, receiving the order, immediately had ten soldiers step forward. In a flash, dozens of Koguni heads fell to the ground, and the street was soon emptied.
There were still a few guards at Koguni's palace, but the Silver Guards were too strong and numerous. Within half an hour, the small resistance forces were wiped out.
The Taicang army, divided into groups of a hundred, searched the entire palace and gathered the Koguni royal family, pushing them to an open area in front of the palace.
There were over a hundred of them, densely packed.
"These black, glossy-haired people are the Koguni royal family. Lord, how should we deal with them?"
After confirming that the palace had been thoroughly searched, General Meng Yan bowed to Ji Xia.
Ji Xia waved dismissively. "Of course, we kill them. What, should we take them back for meals?"
Hearing Ji Xia's order, the Koguni royal family members immediately burst into tears, some even fainting from despair.
Ji Xia smiled and comforted them, "You Koguni royal bloodlines have no idea, but your ruler is dead now. I see that you royal descendants are nothing but useless, incapable of taking over the throne. When Du Sang returns, he will surely seize power. By then, you wasteful lot won't even have the right to face him. The Taicang Silver Guards will kill you all with one strike, and you won't even feel much pain."
"However, if Du Sang returns, he might slowly skin you alive and force you to eat your own flesh."
Upon hearing this, the Koguni royal bloodlines cried even harder. Ji Xia, unwilling to hear their wails, gave Meng Yan a signal.
Meng Yan understood immediately and, with a sinister smile on his face, quickly executed his orders. In no time, over a hundred Koguni royal bloodlines had their heads severed.
Ji Xia looked at Meng Yan's cold smile and quietly said to Rong Lu, "I didn't realize General Meng Yan was so skilled at playing the villain. Just look at that smile, it's enough to stop a child from crying."
Rong Lu, in a mysterious tone, replied, "That's because the Lord misunderstood. General Meng Yan enjoys beheading enemies and tormenting them. He's a true villain."
Ji Xia paused, then glanced at Meng Yan, who had finished decapitating the royal family. His expression was serious and righteous as he saluted Ji Xia.