When Yuan Hong's army was about to reach Xiqi, an omen like this appeared, naturally filling Ji Chang with worry.
But his worries hadn't begun just now. They had started a year ago.
Back then, King Zhou had done something utterly incomprehensible at the Nüwa Temple, revealing himself to be a foolish ruler.
The Rebellion of Marquis Su Hu of Ji Province had been a warning sign, foretelling that Great Shang was about to descend into chaos.
And just as Ji Chang had predicted, the lords had rebelled one after another, and Great Shang now showed all the signs of a kingdom on the brink of collapse.
But what he hadn't expected was that King Zhou would suddenly seem like a different person, going on to do one incredible thing after another.
He executed corrupt officials, issued an Edict of Self-Reproach, implemented the Three-Year Development Plan, and personally led an Imperial Expedition against the North Sea...
Not one of these things was something the King Zhou of old could have done.
Yet after doing all these things, King Zhou no longer seemed like a foolish ruler in the slightest.
Calling him "wise and mighty" would be no exaggeration. King Zhou had even earned the title of "enlightened ruler."
So, though the lords had rebelled, Great Shang remained as steady as Mount Tai, showing no sign of collapse.
Everything that had happened over the past while had also brought Ji Chang's worries to life.
The seemingly overwhelming Rebellion of the Lords was swiftly quelled by Yuan Hong's campaign.
"Looking back now, when King Zhou personally led the Imperial Expedition and ordered the Four Lords to put down the rebellion, he made a very clever move!"
Only belatedly had Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, understood. It was only after seeing the situation as it stood that the realization dawned on him.
King Zhou's order for the Four Lords to suppress the Rebellion of the Lords had actually been a good thing for them.
As they put down the rebellious lords, Xiqi had grown stronger and reaped enormous benefits.
The Lords of the South and the East had also had a chance to expand their power, but they hadn't seized it.
What had once been a good thing had now become a deadly threat, with Yuan Hong's army bearing down on them.
And because of everything that had happened before, the Lords of the South and the East had become as skittish as frightened birds.
So the Lords of the South and the East could only obediently follow Yuan Hong's army to Xiqi.
After all, having witnessed a divine being slain by a single Imperial Edict, the Lords of the South and the East could hardly harbor any rebellious thoughts.
Now Yuan Hong's army was almost at Xiqi, and Ji Chang had no idea how to respond.
He didn't believe Yuan Hong had brought his army all this way to Xiqi just to pay a visit to him, the Lord of the West.
"The only thing to do now is put down the Rebellion of the Lords as quickly as possible, so they'll have no excuse to attack!" Ji Chang thought to himself.
So by the time Yuan Hong's army reached Xiqi, all the rebellious lords in the western territories of Great Shang had already been subdued.
With the rebellion quelled, Yuan Hong's campaign should have been a great victory, and his army ought to have returned to court.
But Yuan Hong's troops camped outside Xiqi City, showing no intention of returning to court.
After setting up camp, Yuan Hong announced that the King had issued an order and summoned the Lord of the West to appear before him.
Ji Chang naturally didn't want to go, but with an order from the King, refusing to appear would amount to open rebellion.
Clearly, Ji Chang wasn't ready to rebel against Great Shang, so he had no choice but to go.
"Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the Rebellion of the Lords. He is to return to Chaoge with the army, where I will personally reward him."
At first, when Ji Chang heard that the King had issued an order, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
But after hearing its contents, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, receives the order!"
He was merely being summoned to Chaoge City. It wasn't an attack on Xiqi, which was far better than he'd expected.
Still, the journey to Chaoge might hold an uncertain fate for him, confirming the meaning of the divination he'd received.
"Marquis of the West, where are the rebellious lords? And what have you done with their territories?" Yuan Hong asked.
When speaking to Ji Chang, he acted entirely in an official capacity, showing no emotion.
"The rebellious lords are being held in custody. General, you may take them back to Chaoge with you. As for their territories, I will leave their disposition to you."
Ji Chang spoke impassively. The moment Yuan Hong's army arrived, he'd known he would have to hand over some of what he'd gained.
Xiqi had occupied the territories of those rebellious lords, but this was Great Shang. Naturally, he had to give them back.
The rebellious lords themselves were no different. They had to be escorted to Chaoge and await the King's judgment.
"What about the rebellious lords' troops?" Yuan Hong continued.
Seeing how compliant Ji Chang was, Yuan Hong felt both contempt and a twinge of disappointment.
If Ji Chang had said no, Yuan Hong would have had a chance to make a big issue of it.
He'd placed great hopes in Ji Chang, but hadn't expected him to cooperate so readily. There was no opening for Yuan Hong to make a move.
"They were ordinary people, forced to join the rebellion by those lords. I've already sent them home," Ji Chang said.
He could surrender the rebellious lords' territories and give up the lords themselves, but how could he give up the troops he'd already secured?
"Oh? Before the King left, he specifically ordered that not a single rebel be spared. You've put me in a difficult position, Marquis of the West!"
Yuan Hong looked troubled, but inwardly he was delighted. He'd known Ji Chang wouldn't be entirely without a weakness.
"If the King won't even spare ordinary people, the people's hearts will be unsettled!" Ji Chang said.
He'd prepared this explanation in advance. Even before the King, there was no way he could be punished for it.
But just as he finished speaking, a phoenix cried out from within Xiqi City, drawing everyone's attention.
A vast power appeared, accompanied by wondrous visions and the aura of divine beings!
Ji Chang froze. The phenomenon over Xiqi City was so magnificent that no one could possibly miss it.
Amid the vast spectacle of the Phoenix Cry of Xiqi, the figures of divine beings appeared—and there was more than one.
"What's going on? What's happening in Xiqi City?" Ji Chang murmured.
His shock was beyond words. He was even a little frightened.
He knew all too well what it meant for such a scene to appear in Xiqi City at a time like this.
"Marquis of the West, the King issued an Imperial Edict forbidding divine beings from entering Great Shang's territory. Why are there divine beings in Xiqi?" Yuan Hong said gravely.
Exactly! That was the biggest problem!
The King had slain divine beings with an Imperial Edict, and it had happened more than once. The news had long since spread throughout the land.
Now divine beings had appeared in Xiqi City. What did this mean?
Were they openly defying the King's Imperial Edict?
No matter how many excuses Ji Chang might offer, he couldn't deny the ironclad facts before him.
"I never would have guessed the Lord of the West was in league with divine beings. No wonder he's won battle after battle!" said Lord of the East, Jiang Hengchu.
"Could the rebellious lords have surrendered without a fight because it was all arranged in advance?" said Lord of the South, E Chong Yu with a sneer.
What a joke! They had worked themselves to the bone suppressing the rebellion, only to suffer a crushing defeat and heavy losses.
Faced with Yuan Hong's army and the King's Imperial Edict, they'd had no choice but to obediently come to Xiqi.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the West had had everything go his way. He hadn't sent a single soldier into battle, yet the rebellious lords had surrendered of their own accord.
They had suffered and lost heavily, while the Lord of the West had grown stronger and won the praise of countless people?
How could the world be so unfair?
So when they saw what was happening in Xiqi City, they couldn't help feeling delighted.
The greatest lord under heaven—and now he was at a loss!
"This has nothing to do with Xiqi. My loyalty to the King is as clear as the sun and moon!" Ji Chang said gravely.
Were there divine beings in Xiqi City?
Of course there were!
Since the Rebellion of the Lords began, he'd managed to get those rebellious lords to surrender without sending a single soldier.
Was it really because he, the Lord of the West, was so benevolent that the rebellious lords had been sincerely convinced and surrendered of their own accord?
But ever since learning that the King had slain divine beings with an Imperial Edict, all the divine beings in Xiqi had gone into hiding.
He hadn't even needed to warn them. Not a single divine being dared show himself at a time like this.
Yet now divine beings had appeared in Xiqi City. He didn't need to guess to know he'd been set up.
"You can explain that to the King yourself!" Yuan Hong said coldly.
Ignoring Ji Chang, he took a single step and was already above Xiqi City.
The King's Imperial Edict was opened once more. The Human Race's Fortune blazed like fire, and the Mysterious Bird emerged amid its flames!
Before the Human Race's Fortune, the Phoenix Cry of Xiqi became a laughable spectacle. The two were simply incomparable.
Bathed in the flames of fortune, every divine being, no matter what kind, was reduced to ashes.
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