Hantai Prefecture was battered by wind and rain.
An avalanche rolled down Ice Mirror Mountain, burying vast swathes of farmland.
The ships rose and fell with the waves, colliding with dull thuds.
The Fourth Month should have been when the northwest began to warm. Moisture in the air was rare, yet the battle between two Perfected Elephants a hundred li away had detonated heavenly thunder and torn open a rift, sending torrential rain pouring down in sheets.
The two sides faced off. Everyone stood in the rain and wind, raising their voices beneath the thunder, filling the air with clamor and uproar.
A junior of the Bai Clan slipped out from the crowd, came beneath the umbrella canopy, and dropped to his knees in a puddle.
"Patriarch! Patriarch, say something!"
He De Ban turned around. For some reason, Bai Mingzhe seemed as though the matter had nothing to do with him, hanging high above it all.
Bai Mingzhe was pondering alone how to break the deadlock.
Bai Chenfeng had gone to such lengths and mobilized such forces to send his own grandson to his death for no other reason than to reclaim authority from the court and become patriarch again. He must have held Bai Xingwen's head as a bargaining chip. Thus, Liang Qu would never come to harm. If the foremost genius met with an accident, the head bargaining chip would instantly change. A hundred Bai Xingwens could not compare to one Earl Xingyi. The initiative would only be ceded to the court, and all their efforts would go down the drain.
Even if someone wanted Liang Qu dead, Bai Chenfeng would be the first to refuse.
Yet a bargaining chip alone was not enough. The Bai Clan's strength alone could not force its way onto the table and