Shang Jun of the Central Plains broke free from the limitations of conventional thinking and personally led his troops into a proactive offensive, greatly accelerating the Shang Kingdom's advance.
But such a move did not suit the rulers of the other great feudal states.
Now, the drought across the Central Plains was growing ever more severe. Though the territories of the great feudal states possessed capable individuals and extraordinary treasures, both the abilities of those individuals and their treasures...
The former could not compare to Yu Chen sitting at the heart of the Shang Kingdom, mobilizing the divine power of the gods and circulating water vapor.
The latter could not compare to the waterway origin Yu Chen had sacrificed, which could contend against the Heavenly Emperor's decree, borrow the Earth Mother's divine power, and stabilize the ecology of the land.
To put it bluntly, the methods the great feudal states used to combat the drought were nothing more than tearing down the eastern wall to patch up the western one.
To put it plainly, their approach was to draw moisture from the surrounding regions to preserve the ecological balance of their original territories.
In some of those newly acquired lands, the drought grew increasingly severe precisely because the moisture of their soil had been taken away. Even after being conquered by great feudal lords, they could not obtain sufficient water.
In order to survive, many human tribes had no choice but to make a choice. Quite a few of them chose the same path as the tribe Yun Xiao and her three siblings had encountered.
They transformed from ordinary humans into humanoids, or members of the Otherworlder Race.
The transformation of their bodies brought complicated changes to their hearts and minds, and the national fortune built upon the people naturally