The Heavenly Mandate Sword had snapped.
The divine sword that symbolized the ruler of Baiyue had snapped.
What was this supposed to mean?
Deng Xiu looked at the broken blade on the ground, still as dazzling as ever, and reached to pick it up. But after glancing at King Zhou's disdainful expression, he drew his hand back.
The Five Kings of Baiyue were even more dumbstruck.
The treasured sword representing the ruler of Baiyue had been forcibly snapped right before their eyes.
At that moment, their hearts... were shaken beyond measure.
With such a divine treasure in hand, even if one could not become the ruler of Baiyue in fact, the title alone would sound far more impressive.
At the very least, it would add the conquest of Baiyue to his record of achievements for free-something countless generations of former kings had failed to accomplish.
Before coming to Chaoge, the Five Kings of Baiyue had considered many possibilities.
After obtaining the Heavenly Mandate Sword, King Zhou might display it publicly and spread word throughout the world of Great Shang's conquest of Baiyue and triumphant Southern Campaign, inspiring the people while easing pressure on all fronts and steadying the morale of garrisons everywhere.
He might also use it as a bargaining chip, returning the Heavenly Mandate Sword to Baiyue in exchange for the Baiyue Tribes sending troops to threaten the various Feudal Lords from the south, benefiting both sides.
He might even resort to schemes and intrigue.
Before coming, they had privately speculated that King Zhou, with his deep mind and talent for calculation, would very likely use this sword to divide Baiyue. Every tribal King of Yue wanted it, so he could split Baiyue with a single sword. To guard against this, the Five Kings of Baiyue had reached an