"Great Elder Men, we've arrived..."
In the north, in Luosheng Province southwest of the vital Capital Region, Men Zhong had traveled from afar with over a thousand disciples of his sect.
In just a few days, they had crossed a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, trekking through mountains, waterways, forests, and marshes, until they finally reached a city built on a plain at the border between Luosheng Province and the Imperial Capital.
They were remnants who had fled the Fierce Martial Gate. Recently, Hu Ze's army had crushed Prince Gong's forces, plunging Li Prefecture into chaos. Their leaders were wanted, and many disciples and retainers had been killed or scattered. Men Zhong had hurried back, hastily gathered the elite and the disciples closest to him, and headed north with them to seek refuge with Prince Kang.
Before long, soldiers from Prince Kang's Army arrived and discovered this group from the Fierce Martial Gate.
"Are you Great Elder Men?"
The newcomer was a deputy general at the Great Martial Master level, surveying the group from a distance.
Men Zhong wore military attire, his face as resolute as ever, his expression commanding respect without anger. But the streaks of blood in his eyes betrayed him. These past days, he had been mired in anguish and self-reproach, unable to extricate himself, while harboring a deep hatred for Hu Ze, who had reduced him and his sect to this state.
He said gravely, "I have urgent news for His Highness. Please announce my arrival."
The deputy general felt that this man truly was a dog bereft of its home, with no courage worth mentioning. Once his fighting spirit had collapsed, he had lost the imposing air of a renowned expert.
Still, he was a Martial King. However far he had fallen, he was