In the distance was a vast ocean.
In the ocean was a ship.
The Second Prince of the Great Western Continent stood at the bow of the ship, his clothes drifting in the wind and his brows deeply furrowed in thought.
Mu Jiushi sat in her cabin, occasionally turning her head to look back, her expression somewhat sorrowful.
… …
… …
To a small stream, the Red River was extremely wide, no different from the vast ocean.
And when it flowed from the Starfall Mountains to White Emperor City, the stream became the Red River.
From the docks to the streets to the plaza to the meadow of Heavensguard Pavilion, kneeling people could be seen everywhere, like a tide.
The White Emperor returned to White Emperor City.
He did not directly return to the Imperial City, but chose to take a boat.
The path from the shore to the Imperial City was incredibly wide.
He slowly walked through the tide of demi-human civilians, his hands held behind his back, his expression unhurried. It was like he only wanted to see if the old city he had not seen for several years had changed.
In the time that he had been casually strolling through White Emperor City, the ministers still loyal to Madam Mu had either committed suicide or had their heads chopped off by their relatives.
The elite Red River Beast Guard, after several extremely intense clashes, had also knelt in front of the Imperial City, their knees covered in blood that had once belonged to their closest comrades.
There was no battle in the truest sense of the word, and it was even calmer and faster than a declaration of war.
He didn't say anything, and everything was settled.
Because this had always been his city.
All the streets and alleys of this city, the mottled stones on the stone walls, all carried his Qi.
All this Qi had now returned to his body.
His body grew larger and larger, his Qi growing stronger and stronger.
The Giant Jings in the river buzzed, expressing their submission and welcome.
The black vultures in the tall pavilions buried their heads in their wings, their bodies trembling in fear.
He had always been the most powerful existence in the world, and now that he silently exuded his Qi, he exuded a peerlessly tyrannical aura.
All of White Emperor City, all living beings inside and outside the city, trembled in fear before this aura, not daring to make a single sound.
In front of the Imperial City, a figure that did not kneel finally appeared.
This figure had always been extremely tall, like a mountain.
The Xiang clan leader stood in front of the city gate, watching the approaching White Emperor, a complex look in his eyes.
He was the Chief Elder of the Council of Elders, the Xiang clan he belonged to was the largest tribe of the Demi-human race, and he himself was the strongest expert of the Demi-human race besides the White Emperor couple.
Madam Mu had imprisoned the White Emperor while he was heavily injured. It now seemed that he was naturally a participant, the true conspirator.
No matter how one looked at it, he indeed had the right not to kneel, and he also had a reason not to kneel.
The White Emperor walked up to the Xiang clan leader.
The Xiang clan leader gazed at the White Emperor's somewhat thin face, his expression shifting as he prepared to say something.
The White Emperor leaned forward slightly, as if trying to get a better look at him.
It was an extremely simple movement, but it had an aura that was hard to resist.
If the Xiang clan leader was a mountain, the White Emperor was the highest snowy peak in the world.
When he leaned forward, the snowy peak moved forward.
He looked down at the Xiang clan leader.
It was like a god poking his head out from the snowy peak.
There was no emotion in his eyes, only a boundless snowy plain.
The traveler in the snowy plain gradually faded into the distance. Just like the past, the benevolence and pity, all that was left was indifference and bitter cold.
A bolt of lightning flashed over the snowy plain, illuminating the traveler's figure.
It was a flash of light in his callous black eyes.
It was a hand descending from the sky.
The Xiang clan leader's expression suddenly changed. With a howl, he raised his two arms in front of him, raising them like two thick stone pillars to meet the hand.
There was no fear in his eyes, no regret, only shock and confusion. It was an extremely strange sight.
Fierce winds howled over the snowy plain.
Thousands of piles of snow were swept up.
The wax figures on the snowy plain began to collapse.
With a light clap, countless fine cracks appeared on the two stone pillars, and then they gradually began to crumble.
With a boom, the stone walls at the edge of the Imperial City's main gate began to collapse, countless stones flying in all directions.
A great cloud of dust obscured all vision. The clash of furious Qis and that terrifying pressure cut off all spiritual sense, making it impossible for sound to escape.
Blood gushed out of the Xiang clan leader's ears, mouth, and nose, making him seem particularly terrifying.
Strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed out of his completely shattered arms.
At the moment of his death, he finally understood why all this had happened, and his eyes were suffused with disbelief and pain.
"So after several centuries, you are still not willing to believe in my loyalty!"
The Xiang clan leader's howls of despair and grief failed to change the expression on the White Emperor's face.
"Believe is the most useless word of all."
… …
… …
The dust gradually settled and the rolling stones calmed down.
Several coughs came from the depths of the Imperial City. The White Emperor was probably there.
The Demi-human Prime Minister, the Shi clan leader, and the other important figures hurried forward to follow.
Xiaode stopped and looked at the Xiang clan leader's corpse.
Of course, someone had to clean up the mess in front of the city gate, but it could not be him.
He had stopped because he felt that the Xiang clan leader's eyes were rather strange.
The Xiang clan leader had died, but his eyes had not closed in peace.
His eyes were filled with shock and rage.
This was what Xiaode did not understand. The Xiang clan leader had pretended to be the White Emperor's decree during the Grand Ceremony of Returning to Origin, and he had even worked with Madam Mu to rebel. His crimes naturally deserved ten thousand deaths, and he should have been well aware of this, so why did he have such emotions at the moment of his death?
… …
… …
At a certain moment before the White Emperor returned to his city …
Many other things had happened in this city.
Some people had left the Starfall Mountains ahead of time, using secret paths to return to White Emperor City.
Some people had begun to make arrangements ahead of time, like the Xiang clan leader who had died later on.
He had gone straight to the Imperial City, bringing no Xiang clan experts with him, nor had he brought a single loyal subordinate.
He had even sent his most cherished youngest son, Xiang Qiu, to a large courtyard not far from his estate.
Because he knew that this was the safest place. Whether His Majesty or the Empress won the battle today, this place would not be affected.
Xiang Qiu was the strongest expert of the younger generation of the Xiang clan. Ever since he was a child, he had spent his youth cultivating secret techniques deep in the mountains. He possessed a ruthless nature rarely seen in the Xiang clan, but he rarely experienced the affairs of the world.
He simply did not understand why his father had made such arrangements. He was prepared to leave on his own and go to the Imperial City to support his father, and he even wanted to persuade the Demon Lord to go with him.
The Demon Lord knew what the Xiang clan leader was thinking and deeply admired him, but he also felt that Xiang Qiu was very stupid.
If the White Emperor really was still alive, White Emperor City would assuredly welcome a world-shaking war.
In truth, the Demon Lord believed that the White Emperor was assuredly still alive.
But he would not participate in this war.
Just as the Xiang clan leader thought, whether the White Emperor or Madam Mu won, neither would touch him.
Even though the Demon Lord's eyes were filled with derision, Xiang Qiu still did not understand. With an angry spit, he led his most loyal subordinates out of the courtyard.
He was somewhat worried about his father's safety, and he did not want to miss out on this momentous event that was bound to be recorded in history, so he decided to hurry to the Imperial City.
But he could not leave, because the courtyard was already surrounded.
A blind zither player, hugging a zither, stood outside the crowd.
He seemed rather tired, his shoulders slightly drooping.
Perhaps it was because he had just returned from the Starfall Mountains. (To be continued.)
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