The Xia Kingdom and Wei State were both in the Southern Regions. Their territories lay close to each other, and both possessed a measure of strength, so conflict was inevitable.
After the Xia Kingdom lost the Qi-Xia War, it had found itself beset on all sides overnight. Rebellions erupted, territories broke away, and invaders poured in...
The state had nearly collapsed, and the kingdom almost perished.
When the wall falls, everyone pushes it over; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
Among the states that had taken advantage of the crisis was Wei State.
Of course, there was nothing to criticize. At the height of the Xia Kingdom's power, it had done plenty to suppress Wei State.
Though in recent years the two sides had actively worked to mend relations, opening trade routes, exchanging goods, shoring up each other's military preparedness, and sharing insights into Daoist Arts... all to face the ever-increasing pressure from the hegemonic states.
Still, if they met on the Martial Practice Platform at the Yellow River Assembly, neither side would hold back.
But...
What was going on?
What had happened?
Had Chu Min been hiding his strength? Had he actually managed to kill his opponent by force, right under the watch of True Lord Yu Xi?
Jiang Wang turned to Cao Jie with a questioning look.
Cao Jie's voice came back to him through a transmission: "Dongguo Bao died from his own life-burning technique. The state he's in now is because he was poisoned."
That made sense.
Dongguo Bao had burned his life to fight for victory. Yu Xi couldn't step in to save him; that would mean forcibly overruling his choice, which went against the Yellow River Assembly's principle of fairness.
Still, he hadn't managed to win, even by burning his life... Which showed that