Chapter 1

Ji Xia looked bewildered at the scene before him.

He had just sat up in bed, his head throbbing with pain, when he saw that the room he was in was densely packed with people.

At the front stood an elderly man with a vigorous spirit and silver hair, looking at him with a face full of anger.

Ji Xia then turned his gaze to the side of the old man, and his eyes lit up instantly. A woman in black and red armor, with a graceful and exquisite figure, her red hair cascading over her shoulders, and her features as beautiful as a painting, was staring intently at him.

But he soon realized the severity of the situation.

This woman, more beautiful than any other woman he had ever seen, was holding a sword in her hand.

Most terrifyingly, the tip of the sword was pointed directly at him!

"Your Highness! You're awake?"

The old man looked at Ji Xia, his tone filled with regret, as if Ji Xia should not have woken up.

"Where am I? Are you playing a prank on me?" Ji Xia shook his aching head and asked, puzzled.

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange, clear spring seemed to flow into his mind, dispelling his pain and bringing back a flood of memories.

Am I the Crown Prince of Tai Cang, Ji Xia?

I clearly remember I was organizing the documents I needed for tomorrow when the ground suddenly shook, and cracks instantly spread across the walls. Then everything spun, and I woke up here...

I've traveled through time!?

As his memories slowly returned, Ji Xia finally recalled the entire sequence of events. He had indeed traveled through time, to a country called Tai Cang, and had become the Crown Prince of this country, with the same name as him, Ji Xia!

Crown Prince?

"The life of a Crown Prince is good. In my previous life, I was alone and had nothing to cherish. When I ascend the throne, I can enjoy all the glory and wealth, and have a harem of beautiful women..."

Just as Ji Xia was feeling happy about this thought, another fragment of memory quietly arrived, and a series of images flowed through his mind.

——

This was not the Earth he knew. This was a terrifying, primitive world.

Countless races and nations struggled to survive in this vast world, and the human race was the weakest of all!

Therefore, countless human nations survived cautiously under the domination of other races, struggling to survive in the cracks.

Tai Cang, where Ji Xia was, was one of these small human nations!

To the south was the Jiu Quan Kingdom, to the west was the Zhou Qing Kingdom, and to the north was the turbulent Fu Chong River, filled with countless demons waiting to feast on human flesh.

As for the east? The east was even more terrifying—east of Tai Cang lay a massive mountain called Da Huang!

This mountain, having gained some mysterious opportunity, gradually developed consciousness. According to the records of Tai Cang's long history, six hundred years ago, the Yi Chang race's kingdom was destroyed under Da Huang!

Did the Yi Chang race anger Da Huang?

No, Da Huang had been sleeping for many years. The Yi Chang race was destroyed and extinct because Da Huang turned over in his sleep, flattening their entire kingdom!

Ji Xia stared in disbelief at the content of this memory fragment. As an Earthling who had been educated in materialism for over twenty years, the impact of these memories was immense!

Humans were always considered the most intelligent beings, but in this world, they were the weakest race?

How could a mountain develop consciousness? How could it sleep? And how could it even turn over? You're a mountain, for crying out loud!

"Your Highness, are you pretending to be crazy?"

Ji Xia was lost in thought when a melodious voice interrupted his musings. He looked up to see the woman in black and red armor.

At the same time, more memories began to resurface.

This woman was none other than Ji Qianqing, the great general of Tai Cang!

Ji Qianqing was a legend in Tai Cang. She grew up in Tai Cang and, at the age of fifteen, joined the Tai Cang army despite her family's opposition. In just nine years, she was exceptionally promoted to the position of great general by the King of Tai Cang.

No one questioned her promotion! In countless battles against the Jiu Quan and Zhou Qing kingdoms, Ji Qianqing had turned defeat into victory and achieved remarkable feats. If not for the catastrophic meteor disaster last month, Tai Cang would now have the military strength to either engage in a full-scale war with the Jiu Quan and Zhou Qing kingdoms or at least hold its own against them!

All of this was due to Ji Qianqing's efforts!

On the other hand, she was the youngest Ninth Heaven expert in Tai Cang, achieving this status at the age of twenty-four! Such talent was extremely rare among humans!

At this moment, this legendary female general was holding a sword, looking at Ji Xia on the bed with a cold, stern expression.

Ji Xia smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm fine, Your Excellencies, Generals, you may all leave..."

Ji Qianqing took a step forward, and her long sword drew a beautiful curve, embedding itself firmly into the edge of Ji Xia's bed.

"Your Highness, I didn't mean to knock you out with that light kick. Now that you're awake, let's continue."

Ji Xia was confused; the memories in his mind were not yet fully absorbed, and Ji Qianqing's words left him even more puzzled.

"Your Highness, even if you are truly insane, you must hand over the Tai Cang Order. You will be stripped of your title as Crown Prince, expelled from the royal family, and thrown into the black prison, never to be released!"

Seeing the innocent look on Ji Xia's face, the old man snorted coldly, "As a member of the Tai Cang royal family, you have committed countless atrocities, and we have turned a blind eye to them. But now, after Tai Cang has just suffered a meteor disaster, with our people starving and the Jiu Quan's three thousand dog soldiers threatening us, you have committed such a heinous crime!"

Ji Xia looked around at the ministers in black and the generals in black armor, their anger clearly visible, as if they wanted to tear him apart.

He timidly said, "What heinous crime have I committed? Where is Father? Father, come and save me! These traitors are trying to kill me!"

"You, who murdered your own father, dare to mention the late king?" Ji Qianqing, hearing Ji Xia call for his father, was instantly enraged.

Ji Xia thought he had heard wrong. He swallowed hard and asked tentatively, "Murder... murder my father?"

The old man's tears streamed down his face, "The late king spent his life striving for Tai Cang, just to protect the human race from the oppression and slaughter of other races! He did not die at the hands of those alien races, but was instead killed by you, his own son! Late King, you died too unjustly!"

The old man's tears were followed by the sobs of the officials behind him, who called out to the late king, bowing their heads to the ground, overwhelmed with grief!

Ji Xia awkwardly watched this scene, feeling almost as if he were about to die from the frustration of the original owner of this body. What a wasteful and despicable person.

Finally, the stream of memories in his mind merged completely.

More memories surged into his mind like a gushing fountain.

It turned out that a month ago, a meteor fell from the sky, landing in the camp of the Cang Wei Army, the force that Tai Cang relied on to counter the two neighboring kingdoms. The Cang Wei Army was completely annihilated by this cursed meteor!

Not only that, but the place where the meteor landed emitted a terrifying spiritual pressure, crushing anyone who approached into bloody pulp, causing great fear!

The entire nation mourned that day. The King of Tai Cang issued a self-reproach edict, praying to the heavens for nine days, even cutting off pieces of flesh from his right arm to offer to the heavens, begging for their mercy. Finally, on the tenth day, the terrifying pressure began to dissipate, and by the nineteenth day, it had completely vanished.

However, a new crisis soon emerged. The Jiu Quan Kingdom, taking advantage of Tai Cang's weakened state, stationed troops at the border of Tai Cang. Without the Cang Wei Army, Tai Cang had no means to resist.

If the Jiu Quan Kingdom invaded Tai Cang, the human race of Tai Cang would become slaves, playthings, or even food for the Jiu Quan race!

To avoid this disaster, the King of Tai Cang sent six envoys to the Jiu Quan Kingdom to seek peace. After the sacrifice of these six envoys and almost the entire treasury, the Jiu Quan Kingdom sent an envoy who, after humiliating Tai Cang, proposed conditions.

Tai Cang must offer six hundred boys, six hundred girls, and the national treasure, the Tai Cang Jade, in exchange for three years of survival.

The six hundred boys and six hundred girls meant that at least a thousand families in Tai Cang would be torn apart, causing the King of Tai Cang great pain and sleepless nights!

On the contrary, the national treasure was not particularly valuable to the King of Tai Cang compared to the lives of his people. The vast spiritual energy contained in the Tai Cang Jade was insignificant compared to the lives of his people.

When the people of Tai Cang learned of this news, thousands of boys and girls knelt before the palace gates overnight, volunteering to die for Tai Cang and the human race!

Countless parents, tears streaming down their faces, stood behind these boys and girls, hearts breaking, but no one stopped their children.

In their eyes, it was the duty of anyone to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Tai Cang.

The King of Tai Cang personally stood on the city wall, thanking the people of Tai Cang, and selected six hundred boys and six hundred girls. These boys and girls, looking at the city wall and the dilapidated streets, were filled with reluctance but were willing to die for their people and Tai Cang.

Just as the nation was in mourning, news came from the palace that the Crown Prince, Ji Xia, had been misbehaving and playing with the Tai Cang Jade, which had just been taken out of the palace treasury.

Worst of all...

This fool had dropped the jade and shattered it!

The King of Tai Cang, already severely injured from battling a Jiu Quan general and too busy to heal, had been exhausted for two months, trying to find a way to save Tai Cang. Just when he was about to secure three years of respite for Tai Cang, everything was ruined!

"So, I angered my father to death?"

Ji Xia shrank back, cautiously asking the people in front of him.