Half a month later.
On the official road leading to the Mongol Imperial Palace, Jiang Dali, Wang Yuyan, and Murong Qingqing sat silently inside a carriage with its curtains drawn.
Divine Speed Guardian, wearing a Bamboo Flute Hat with his face hidden behind a sun veil, drove the carriage through checkpoint after checkpoint guarded by fierce Mongol soldiers, heading straight for the magnificent imperial road paved with dragon-patterned bricks.
Ever since they had left Sou Shen Gong half a month ago, the earthshaking war that had thrown the Jianghu into turmoil between Sou Shen Gong and Black Wind Stronghold had ended with the destruction of Sou Shen Gong, an ancient force that had existed for centuries.
Many factions that had been watching the war between the two great powers received the news through their own channels.
Some breathed sighs of relief, while many others were gripped by fear and unease. Those who had kicked Black Wind Stronghold while it was down were especially terrified, hastily lowering their banners and preparing to flee.
After Jiang Dali returned to the stronghold, he had rallied his forces, used heavy sums to compensate all the brothers wounded or killed in the war, and then issued the Black Wind Order. All factions that had taken advantage of Black Wind Stronghold's plight during the war were ordered to personally come and apologize within one month, or bear the consequences themselves.
The news caused a considerable stir throughout the Jianghu.
Yet all the implicated factions were half relieved. From the Black Wind Stronghold Master's decision to issue the Black Wind Order, they saw hope for compensation and reconciliation. This was utterly different from the catastrophic annihilation they had imagined; at least there was room for negotiation.
Aside from a very small number of factions that had offended