Chapter 5

"So, all the members of the Wicked Dog Army in Dove Dog Country have the cultivation of the Sixth Heaven?"

Ji Xia had no concept of the levels of cultivation in his mind.

"That's right. The three thousand wicked dogs in Dove Dog Country each have the cultivation of the Sixth Heaven, making them even more powerful than the fallen Azure Guard. The five thousand members of the Azure Guard mostly have the cultivation of the Fifth Heaven, and can only rely on their numbers to stand up to the Wicked Dog Army."

Lu Yu was still carefully observing the almost motionless Yin soldiers under the palace, while answering Ji Xia's question.

"In that case, the Azure Defense Army, most of them probably only have the cultivation of the Fourth Heaven, right?" Ji Xia continued to ask.

"That's correct. The eight thousand members of the Azure Defense Army, facing a thousand Wicked Dog Army soldiers with far superior strength and five thousand Hunting Army soldiers with roughly equal strength, have almost no chance of winning. This information is known even to three-year-old children in Great Azure."

Ji Qianqing suddenly joined the conversation, unable to understand why the Crown Prince would ask questions that even a three-year-old in Great Azure would know the answers to.

"Then, what do you think is the level of these Yin soldiers?"

Ji Xia ignored the sarcasm in Ji Qianqing's tone and continued, "Can these thousand Yin soldiers stand up to the Wicked Dog Army?"

Ji Qianqing looked at the three Yin generals standing solemnly under the palace, pondered for a moment, and replied, "From the aura they just emitted, these three generals are extremely powerful, not inferior to the Eighth Heaven Wicked Dog generals. Their power is very peculiar; I can hardly sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from them, but I can perceive that these soldiers are extremely powerful, almost on par with the Azure Guard."

Lu Yu said, "Although the soldiers under the Prince's command are powerful, facing the Wicked Dog Army directly is still very dangerous. The most worrying thing is that Dove Dog Country has three thousand wicked dogs. This time, they only sent a thousand to invade Great Azure because the monsters in Dove Dog Country, which look like earth dogs but walk upright, learned that the Azure Guard was completely annihilated and the ruler had died. They are confident that a thousand wicked dogs can destroy Great Azure.

"If they encounter strong resistance, the other two thousand wicked dogs will rush over very quickly. They can travel at full speed and probably reach the front lines in just two hours. At that time, Great Azure will still be doomed to destruction."

Ji Xia frowned. The territory of Great Azure was very small, only five hundred miles in radius, but the distance between the Great Azure border and Tai City was eight hundred miles. Could two thousand soldiers arrive in just two hours?

If the Wicked Dog Army didn't have mounts and could still move so quickly on foot, then their strength was indeed formidable.

"Whatever it takes, we must win this battle!" Ji Xia said to himself.

His memories told him that the human race, as the weakest species in the vast wilderness, was just food in the eyes of other powerful species.

If Tai City were to be breached by the wicked dogs, then the nearly six hundred thousand human inhabitants of Tai City and Azure City would be mercilessly slaughtered, their bodies preserved as provisions for Dove Dog Country to survive the Sun Silence.

Ji Xia still found it hard to believe. This world had three suns in the sky, rising from the east, south, and north, converging at noon. After noon, these three suns did not continue their orbit but returned the same way they came.

In the twelve months of the year, there were two months when the three suns collectively went on strike, plunging the world into complete darkness. Without sunlight, all things would stop growing, and the planted food would wither and die. Snow would fall continuously from the sky, and the cold would be extreme.

This was the so-called Sun Silence, meaning the suns were silent.

This incomprehensible world left Ji Xia, who had just assimilated the memories, deeply shocked and puzzled.

But he didn't have time to ponder the rules of this world, as the major issue before him was how to protect Great Azure when the Wicked Dog Army approached the city.

If Great Azure were to be breached, there would be no human territories within a three-thousand-mile radius, leaving them with no place to retreat.

"Of the eight thousand Azure Defense Army, two thousand are archers. Should we defend Tai City to the death?"

A general stepped forward, one of the four generals of the Azure Guard, named Rong Lu.

Ji Qianqing shook her head and said, "With the Prince's Yin soldiers, we should be able to resist the six thousand Dove Dog Army this time, but we must fight a quick battle and not give the other wicked dogs a chance to reinforce."

Ji Xia nodded and said, "That's true. Defending the city might give us the advantage of terrain, but it also gives the initiative to the wicked dogs. Once the Yin soldiers' strength is exposed to the wicked dogs, they can retreat calmly and wait for the other wicked dogs to arrive. At that time, we will be sitting ducks."

Ji Qianqing looked at Ji Xia strangely. These words from the mouth of the wastrel Crown Prince were particularly rare.

"But with our current strength, although we are not afraid of the six thousand Dove Dog Army this time, a quick victory is still unrealistic," Lu Yu frowned.

Ji Xia thought for a moment and suddenly asked Ji Qianqing, "Do the people of Great Azure know about the Dove Dog invasion?"

Ji Qianqing replied, "We have ordered a city-wide lockdown, and the people are voluntarily setting traps in front of Tai City."

Ji Xia nodded and asked, "What about the scouts? Have they returned? How far is the Dove Dog Army from Tai City?"

"Less than three hundred miles."

Ji Xia frowned, looking around at the hundred officials on the palace tower, muttering, "There's no time to interrogate them one by one."

Ji Qianqing's face showed confusion.

Ji Xia leaned close to Ji Qianqing, his mouth near her ear. Ji Qianqing's body stiffened, and her face gradually turned dangerous.

Just as she was about to kick Ji Xia away, she heard his voice, soft and cautious, "Do you trust the four generals under your command?"

Ji Qianqing was taken aback and replied, "I trust them."

Ji Xia, receiving a positive response, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes. He stepped back two steps, brandished the Great Azure Imperial Seal, and shouted, "Rong Lu, Chu Jiao, Zuo Kun, Meng Yan, the four generals, listen to my command."

The four generals, seeing the Great Azure Imperial Seal, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to receive the order.

Ji Qianqing and Lu Yu looked at Ji Xia, puzzled by his actions, their eyes filled with questioning.

"Arrest all the Great Azure officials here except for General Ji, Shang Yin, and Zhao Qu, and imprison them in the dark dungeon!"

The palace tower erupted in chaos!

The four generals thought they had heard wrong, looking at each other, unsure whether to follow Ji Xia's order.

When Lu Yu and Zhao Qu heard Ji Xia's command, their faces showed surprise, but only for a moment. They seemed to understand and remained silent.

Ji Qianqing looked deeply at Ji Xia and said to the four generals, "Why aren't you moving?"

Rong Lu was the first to snap out of his daze. He waved his right hand, and dozens of guards on the palace tower gathered, surrounding the officials.

The Great Azure officials immediately fell into chaos.

"Prince, General Ji, Shang Yin, what is the meaning of this?"

"This is a reckless order! Ji Xia, do you think you can do as you please just because you have the Yin Army? Don't forget the previous ruler!"

"I am the warden of the dark dungeon. Do you want to imprison me in the dark dungeon?"

Ji Xia ignored the complaints, anger, and grievances, his face serious, his tone carrying a hint of authority: "The Great Azure Imperial Seal is here. Do you still want to resist?"

The Great Azure Imperial Seal was like the presence of the ruler, and once the order was given, the entire country would obey.

The officials were shocked by Ji Xia's cold words. This wastrel Crown Prince seemed like a different person. Although he often had absurd behavior, he had never been so bold before!

"Prince, you must tell us the reason, or we cannot be convinced."

"That's right. At such a critical moment, imprisoning the officials in the dark dungeon, who will handle the affairs?"

"A major battle is about to begin, and the city defense, people's livelihood, logistics, and morale need to be coordinated. Without us, how can we win the war against Dove Dog Country?"

The situation became even more chaotic, and Lu Yu and Zhao Qu frowned, their faces growing more serious.

"Do you really not understand, or are you pretending?"

Lu Yu's face was filled with anger as he shouted at the officials, "Rong Lu, take them away!"

As he spoke, a man with a sinister face and triangular eyes suddenly leaped up from among the officials!

Ji Xia was more than ten steps away from him, but his leap seemed to be powered by some strange force. He leaped out of the crowd, through the air, and as he did, his skin began to wither and a new face emerged.

It was a dog's head!

"Get out of the way!"

Ji Qianqing shouted, drawing her sword, and a dark red sword aura flashed, rushing toward the figure.

"You damned worm, if it weren't for you, the Dove Dog Army could easily flatten Great Azure!"

"But you, this worm, are obstructing us! You must die!"

Saliva dripped from the dog's mouth, and a dog's claw lunged at Ji Xia with lightning speed, even Ji Qianqing could barely keep up!

Everyone's hearts were racing. If Ji Xia died, would the Yin Army, granted by the Great Wind, still obey the orders of Great Azure?

Lu Yu and Zhao Qu, being the closest to Ji Xia, rushed over, trying to shield him with their bodies from the Dove Dog!

Unfortunately, the Dove Dog was too fast, and Ji Xia was about to die under its claws!

Ji Qianqing was filled with rage, and the others' faces showed despair.

Was Great Azure's last hope about to be extinguished by this Dove Dog?

Suddenly, a silver light flashed, and a long sword flew out from the void. In a flash, it sliced through the Dove Dog's body with lightning speed.

It didn't even have time to cry out before it was cut in half!

The sword, after killing the Dove Dog, circled in the air and then disappeared by Ji Xia's side.

"What's the panic for? Is the Great Wind so easy to kill?"

Ji Xia looked at the expressions of the others, hiding his trembling hands in his sleeves, and said calmly.