"Huff, huff, huff!"
Heavy snores gradually rose in the twilight, amid neat fences, staggered antler barricades, and towering sentry posts. Outside the camp, sparks danced among heaps of dying fires.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The Great River's torrent never ceased. The crystalline snow had yet to fall, the bitterly cold wind had yet to blow, and the Great River still flowed on, its natural barrier still difficult to cross.
One river divided two lands. From the primeval days of Yan and Huang, to the most exalted King Yu bringing order to the waters of all under heaven, and even the thousand-year struggle between these two regions, all had arisen from this sacred river.
Amid those scattered gleams, a sacred Phoenix banner stood at the center of the camp, exquisitely beautiful. Woven with threads of gold and silver, its phoenix bore a thousand radiances and ten thousand feathers.
Compass in hand, Luo Shu looked up at the few remaining stars in the sky.
"Starlight glows deep; the Way of Heaven unfolds."
A faint red light flashed across the compass, and a cold, savage aura appeared for an instant. Even Luo Shu's fingers around the compass stiffened.
Cold sweat immediately beaded at his temples and between his brows. Several droplets slowly trickled down, and the cold wind brushing past made them feel colder still.
But Luo Shu paid no heed. He stared intently at the compass, which had fallen utterly unresponsive, just as he had seen it over so many years.
Its intricate markings seemed to conceal every mystery between heaven and earth, and a flawless piece of beautiful red jade was set into its center.
The Sage King had once used this compass to divine Great Zhou's fortune, and countless feudal lords, ministers, and gentlemen had prostrated themselves before it.
An ill