Duke of An had always been stern and austere, like a mountain standing at the Empire's borderlands, rooted in the southern wilderness.
Though the bronze ghost mask concealed his expression, and the duke's battle armor sealed away his Dao body... the dark-red sash at his waist, stirred by the wind, still spoke of the mountain's unrest with the unease of a blood snake churning and coiling.
Years upon years of wind and rain did no more than carve stone and wash sand.
He stood at the highest point of Zhanghua Terrace, leaning on the railing and looking down.
Below lay a secretly constructed Sky Snow Jade Plaza, shaped like a bagua, its eight sides enclosed by walls of light.
At this moment, different scenes flickered across every light screen—Sea Race structures, each with their own distinctive design, unfolded within view. Sea Race Warriors of every shape and appearance busied themselves with their tasks.
Bows were strung and loosened again and again, spearheads polished bright as snow. Some Sea Race Warriors donned armor while holding back tears; others murmured, "Mother."
He had long understood it, yet felt it clearly again and again—this war was not merely blades facing blades, flesh slaughtering flesh. It was also a clash of civilizations.
At the center of Sky Snow Jade Plaza floated an eight-sided crystal. As it slowly turned, the light it cast manifested as different images and information upon the eight screens.
Naturally, Duke of An had no need to handle such information himself, yet he continued to watch it all.
He watched his heir, that good child of the Wu Clan.
The "Sacred Soul Pill" that Tiger Taisui had secretly left behind worked by reconstructing a hidden personality within a corpse, based upon the original body's will, to await awakening by a specific