Battle Blood Brand!

"Chen Yan's death wasn't the death of a Divine General. It was the death of your people's faith in their country!"

Above the Cloud Sea.

Xia Yuan sat cross-legged. Across from him, the white-haired Chi Lord spoke softly.

Beneath them lay the ravaged land of Qin Prefecture, with smoke rising everywhere and cries of battle echoing in every direction.

Xia Yuan had long been hiding his identity as the Second Marshal of Ji Prefecture. The day Chen Yan died, Xia Hanzhou had been overcome with grief and rage, then withdrawn from public life.

After his battle with the Lord Chen, Lu Xunyang had been forced into seclusion to recover.

And Xia Yuan had become Great Xia's acting State Ruler.

"Why had Xia Hanzhou been so desperate that day, so determined to fight our Five Clans to the death, no matter the cost?

His anger was one thing. More importantly, he understood that Chen Yan's death was a calamity of unimaginable proportions for Great Xia.

Once Chen Yan died, Great Xia's defenses began to crumble like a breached levee.

Chi Lord's eyes remained calm, though he sighed inwardly.

Chen Yan was a monster. He gave neither others nor himself any time.

The plan to launch a surprise attack on Ji Prefecture should have been a magnificent achievement for all of Great Xia.

No one had expected Chen Yan to do what he did. No one had expected Lu Xunyang to truly return.

Even Yu Lord seemed to have struck some sort of deal with Chen Yan.

He had protected Xia Hanzhou and the million-strong army Great Xia sent to the Ancient God Forbidden Land.

The plan seemed dangerous, but in truth, it had been an earth-shaking masterstroke!

But Chen Yan had miscalculated one person.

The Lord Chen!

He had misjudged the