Chapter 3

As the great calamity approached, the ministers of Tai Cang sighed, having no time to delve deeply into the matter of the young girl.

They walked with Ji Xia for a long time and ascended a palace tower.

General Ji stood at the front, gathering the troops. Soon, the palace tower was lined with neatly arranged military formations.

Ji Xia looked at the tall, resolute soldiers of Tai Cang, feeling somewhat astonished.

"Such a mighty army can only rank second in the state of Tai Cang? How powerful must the once top-ranked Cang Wei Army have been?"

He had just witnessed Ji Qianqing summon the Tai Cang army, seeing firsthand the strength of the eight-thousand-strong Cang Shou Army.

Not only did they follow orders without hesitation, but the soldiers of the Cang Shou Army were incredibly strong, wielding weapons that weighed over a hundred pounds without even flinching.

"Unfortunately, the Cang Wei Army was annihilated by that cursed meteor. Otherwise, I would have loved to see an army even more powerful than the Cang Shou Army."

"The most important thing now is whether the Yin soldiers in the Yin soldiers' lair can truly stand up to the Dog Army, which is as renowned as, or even more powerful than, the Cang Wei Army."

Ji Xia watched as Ji Qianqing, dressed in black and red armor with a black cape fluttering behind her, exuded an indescribable heroic demeanor. He silently pondered.

Actually, he wasn't trying to force his way into the situation. He was afraid that in the urgency, the officials, who were in deep grief and tears, would throw him into a dark dungeon.

Moreover, although his memories were incomplete and he couldn't recall some things, just from Lu Yu's description of the Dog Army, he knew it was an extremely brutal and inhuman race.

If Tai Cang were truly breached, he would have nowhere to hide.

Now, even if the Yin soldiers and Yin generals in the Yin soldiers' lair were weak, they still had to be sent into battle to add some strength to Tai Cang.

The eight-thousand-strong Cang Shou Army stood neatly on the vast training ground in front of the palace. Ji Qianqing, Lu Yu, and Ji Xia stood at the front of the palace tower, with the officials of Tai Cang behind them.

"Soldiers! The six-thousand-strong Dog Army has crossed Mount Luming and is heading towards Tai City!

For 232 years, our Tai Cang has struggled in this terrifying wilderness. Now, with the great enemy approaching, are we willing to let all our efforts go to waste?"

Ji Qianqing's face was calm, and her calm words, amplified by her spiritual energy, instantly echoed throughout the training ground.

"This world is indeed wondrous; this must be the power of spiritual energy!"

"Unfortunately, the original owner of this body was extremely averse to cultivation, making it even weaker than my previous one!"

Ji Xia marveled, unable to fathom the prince's thoughts. To become a superhuman and still be content with being an ordinary person?

The soldiers on the training ground, upon hearing Ji Qianqing's words, shouted in unison: "Dafeng! Dafeng! Dafeng!"

Dafeng, the totem of Tai Cang, is a dragon-headed, human-bodied figure with a dragon coiled around each arm and standing on two continents, exuding immense dignity.

After the soldiers finished their shouts, Ji Qianqing continued: "I am not willing either!

So let us fight for the human race, for Tai Cang, and for our families behind us! May Dafeng protect us, and may Tai Cang endure forever!"

With these few words, the fighting spirit of the eight-thousand soldiers on the training ground was ignited, and they shouted again: "Dafeng! Dafeng!"

After the shouts, a middle-aged general stepped forward, saluted the officials on the city tower, and asked, "We will surely die today. Please have the ruler send us off! We cannot serve the ruler in this life, but we will still defend Tai Cang under the ruler's command in the next life!"

Hearing the words of the soldiers, Ji Qianqing suddenly thought of the Tai Cang ruler who had been angered to death by Ji Xia. She felt a deep sorrow, and even her usually resolute eyes misted over.

She held back her grief and said loudly, "The ruler was already severely injured from battling the Dog Army's general and has not rested or healed for two months due to the meteor disaster. He finally collapsed yesterday!"

The Cang Shou Army, which had maintained its formation throughout, suddenly erupted in chaos, with countless worried, questioning, and concerned voices intertwining, like a thunderous roar!

Ji Xia silently observed this scene, filled with respect for the Tai Cang ruler, whom he had never met and had no memory of, not even knowing his name.

Just by being so beloved, the ruler deserved Ji Xia's respect.

Before he could reflect further, Ji Xia noticed the unusual atmosphere around him.

He stared at his toes, remaining silent, unable to bear the sorrowful gazes of those around him.

"Prince, please present the Tai Cang Order and command the soldiers to march out and meet the enemy."

Lu Yu, though old, stood as straight as a pine tree, suddenly spoke.

Ji Xia was taken aback, furrowing his brow, and asked, "Me?"

"Of course, Your Highness. Please also say a few words to comfort the soldiers. After all, you are the eldest of the ninth-generation royal bloodline, and it is fitting for you to do so!" Lu Yu said.

The officials on the palace tower whispered, and Ji Xia could guess what they were saying, even with his ears covered—it was definitely not good.

One of the officials sighed, "Lu Shangyin, why not ask Ze and Qing to come and comfort the troops?"

Lu Yu shook his head, and before he could say anything, another official with a long beard stepped forward and said, "When soldiers march out, the ruler must send them off. Now that the previous ruler has passed, the prince must take his place, or it will be considered inauspicious."

This man was named Zhao Qu, the Zuo Ce of Tai Cang, responsible for all divination and rituals.

As soon as he spoke, the whispers among the officials ceased.

"Don't be so superstitious, please. I don't even understand the situation, what can I say?" Ji Xia thought to himself, "It seems the people here are still unenlightened, believing in divination and rituals."

He then laughed at his own thoughts, "My thinking is still that of an Earthling. This world is so wondrous; perhaps divination and rituals here are truly effective."

"Your Highness, please step forward." Lu Yu called out.

Ji Xia reluctantly took a step forward and looked down at the soldiers.

Eight thousand soldiers, each a hero, but their equipment was pitifully poor, with no decent armor except for their standard weapons.

Yet, there was not a hint of fear in their eyes, only the courage to face death.

Seeing their courage, Ji Xia suddenly felt a sense of resonance!

Those who defend their homeland care least about life and death!

He cleared his throat, trying to recall many war speeches he had read in his past life.

A black-clad official, who had previously tried to trick Ji Xia into revealing the location of the Tai Cang Order, pointed at Ji Xia with a finger from a distance.

Ji Xia's voice instantly echoed throughout the training ground.

"Soldiers, today we will surely die at the hands of the dogs!"

As soon as Ji Xia spoke, Ji Qianqing and Lu Yu frowned.

"How unjust is heaven! For over two hundred years, nine generations have worked hard, only to be destroyed in one night!"

"The Cang Wei Army is gone, but the dogs of the Dog Army still drool, wanting to swallow us whole, and they indeed have the power to do so."

Ji Xia paused, piecing together the limited information in his mind, and continued, "The Dog Army and the Hunting Army, driven by bloodlust, are at the gates of Tai City. They will break through the city gates, eat everything they can, including the people of Tai Cang, your parents, your wives, and your children."

"Even the poultry you raise will be torn apart and devoured! Because our soldiers are weaker than the dogs, we will be humiliated, tortured, and eaten!"

The training ground fell into an eerie silence, with no one speaking. The expressions of the eight-thousand soldiers began to change as they listened to the absurd words of the prince.

Some officials, hearing Ji Xia's words, showed anger and were about to stop his negative speech, but were restrained by the still-frowning Lu Yu and Ji Qianqing.

"But!"

Ji Xia took a deep breath, his tone stern, "But knowing we will die, should we surrender and stretch our necks to be slaughtered?

Knowing we will die, should we open the city gates and let those monsters, who know nothing of humanity, march in unimpeded?

Knowing we will die, should we watch helplessly as our people are devoured by those monsters?"

The faces of the eight-thousand soldiers grew even more resolute. They could not!

"We will make them bleed!" Ji Xia said softly.

"We will make them bleed!" Ji Xia's tone grew more determined!

"We will make them pay a price. We will make them enter Tai Cang only by carrying countless dog corpses. We will make them bleed!" Ji Xia recalled the tone of orators from his past life and shouted fiercely.

"Dafeng!" The soldiers' emotions were ignited by the grim future, and the eight-thousand voices thundered: "Dafeng! Dafeng!"

The officials looked at the prince's back in surprise, and Ji Qianqing and Lu Yu exchanged glances, their eyes filled with many questions.

Ji Xia also joined the soldiers in shouting "Dafeng." After a long while, he raised his right hand, and the soldiers' voices ceased.

"We still have a glimmer of hope!"

Ji Xia suddenly spoke, and the officials' expressions did not change. They had heard him say this before but did not take it seriously, thinking it was just a random statement to avoid the dungeon.

But the situation was too urgent to challenge him then.

"Alright, Your Highness, present the Tai Cang Order and order the march." Another elderly official interrupted Ji Xia.

Ji Xia ignored him and continued loudly, "I dreamed of Dafeng last night. He was watching the human race, watching Tai Cang, watching us, watching... me!

From now on, I am the embodiment of Dafeng! I am the will of Dafeng in the vast wilderness!"

"Your Highness! What are you saying?"

Zhao Qu, the Zuo Ce of Tai Cang, was shocked.

He had studied the Dafeng totem for decades and had never heard of Dafeng choosing a human to embody his will in the wilderness.

"False transmission of Dafeng's will is a grave offense!"

"The prince is indeed mad. I knew he was mad when he shattered the Tai Cang jade. Now he is spouting such nonsense. Quickly, drag him down."

The officials were in chaos, but Ji Xia paid no attention, continuing, "Dafeng has granted me the power to save Tai Cang. Look!"

He pointed with his right hand, and everyone looked. On the far right of the training ground, smoke and cold winds suddenly appeared.

In the stunned gaze of everyone, several mysterious figures emerged from the smoke.