Qin Banner Wields His Halberd Towards the Northern Desert, Barbarian Children's Courage Shattered and Souls Chilled

At the heart of the Northern Desert lay the Chanyu Court.

Banners snapped in the wind, and tent-palaces stretched endlessly across the land. Herds of cattle and sheep grazed leisurely outside the tents, while elite iron cavalry stood watch on all sides, their armor gleaming with cold light, displaying the majesty and grandeur of the Xiongnu's supreme ruling center.

The grand domed tent stood at the center, tall and spacious, its floor covered in animal pelts. Several dozen elite guards clad in armor stood on either side outside, their expressions stern and their vigilance tight as they guarded the Xiongnu's highest ruler within.

Inside the main tent, the atmosphere was as heavy as frozen ice. The burning candles gave off a faint warmth, yet they could not dispel the agitation and unease in everyone's hearts.

The Great Chanyu, Luandi Touman, sat upright upon an enormous beast-pelt throne at the highest point. He stood over nine feet tall, broad and erect, his bearing steady and naturally imposing even without anger. The scattered battle scars across his bronze skin lent him an added weight, tempered by the years.

His expression was solemn, his nose high and straight, and his hawk-like eyes unfathomably deep. He carried the oppressive air of one long seated in high office, with life and death held in his hands. One broad palm rested upon the wolf-head carving on the throne's armrest; every gesture radiated absolute control.

That wolf's head was both a symbol of Xiongnu ferocity and a testament to the authority with which he had ruled the grasslands for decades, keeping all factions in check.

Below the throne, several close ministers of the Chanyu Court and various kings stood bowed. They argued fiercely over the fate of the White Sheep Tribe, the whereabouts of the 120,000-strong army,