South of Xiyun Province, in the region of Xijie City, snow fell in a flurry. Approaching the end of autumn, an unexpected blizzard had blanketed the entire area for thousands of miles around in a shroud of frost-white.

Ren Bo led his entourage, galloping hard across the snowy expanse. Mounted on fine Fourth-Tier Wind-Riding Colts and clad in Sixth-Tier Fire Bear pelts, they felt no jolt or jarring even at their high speed. Amidst the intense cold, their bodies remained pleasantly warm.

However, after five straight days and nights of relentless travel, even with his Xuanwu Grandmaster cultivation, he was beginning to feel the strain, a slight weariness creeping in.

The primary reason for this hardship, for the most part, lay with his Sovereign Lord.

After bringing over a thousand fully laden ships ashore at Hong City, Zong Shou had bypassed a return to Qiantian Mountain City. Instead, he took a few individuals—Zong Yuan among them—and sped south, reaching the great army stationed at the border of Xijie City in barely a day and a half.

He immediately assumed command, taking control of all military forces within Xiyun Province. The following few days were nothing short of legendary.

Relying solely on the half-million troops at the border, supplemented by another three hundred thousand vassal forces hastily summoned from the surrounding regions, he swept through the entire Huanlong Province, leveling it completely. On the fifth day, commanding fifteen thousand elite cavalry, he plunged directly into the heart of Tianfang and Xiping Provinces, where the influence of Taoyun City was deeply entrenched. Five battles yielded five victories, shattering the nearly three million troops of Taoyun City and its subsidiary towns into disarray and fragments. With the momentum of a whirlwind, he subdued nearly two hundred and fifty city-states across those two provinces, either forcing surrender or utter annihilation. Wherever the army pointed its sharp edge, few could resist; they were unstoppable.

With an assault so frenzied, he had pacified the entire three-province territory of Taoyun City in a mere nineteen days!

Ren Bo had originally intended to travel to report on recent political affairs, the tally of his harvest from the Cloud Sea Hunt, and the distribution shares among the various clans within the city.

His initial destination was Haiyou, a major city in Xiping Province. The intelligence he received upon departure indicated that Zong Shou was currently directing the siege against Taoyun City's last stronghold in Xiping.

Yet, upon arriving after two days and two nights, he discovered that the city had fallen a full day earlier. This meant Zong Shou, utilizing only the four thousand cavalrymen at his side, plus the four hundred thousand vassal troops he had aggressively ‘conscripted’—or perhaps coerced—along the way, had breached this famed city of Yunlu. Moreover, by calculating the time, it had only taken two days. Ren Bo truly wondered how his Sovereign Lord had accomplished it.

When Ren Bo inquired as to Zong Shou’s current whereabouts, he learned that Zong Shou had departed in haste even before Haiyou’s fall. Leaving Chai Yuan and Ling Fakong to secure the rear, he had turned north, directly towards Xiyun Province.

This detour had caused him to travel an extra ten thousand li unnecessarily.

Yet, he felt no true annoyance; rather, a quiet satisfaction. Traveling over the soil of foreign territories, watching the scattered remnants of soldiers and officers along the way, filled him with profound emotion.

The former Sovereign had spent a full year and a half trying to conquer Tianfang and Xiping Provinces without success. Now, under the new Sovereign’s reign, they were incorporated into Qiantian Mountain City’s domain in mere months. The successor had proven worthy of the predecessor; this knowledge warmed his heart.

After a brief spell of galloping, Ren Bo’s eyelids twitched slightly. In the distance, he spotted several dozen figures standing motionless in the snow. They stood tall against the biting wind, rigid as sculpted steel, unwavering.

Without needing to approach closely, Ren Bo recognized the familiar bearing of the man leading them. Yet, the aura emanating from him was different from his memory. The figure stood bolt upright like a javelin, sharp and formidable, saturated with the killing intent of battle.

"Hu Zhongyuan?"

Ren Bo's expression froze. The man had once been spoiled, dissolute, seemingly mature on the surface but rotten within. When had he transformed into this appearance?

Riding forward, Ren Bo halted his mount before Hu Zhongyuan and realized the man was indeed transformed. His powerful, tiger-like spirit was no less imposing than his father’s—a thousand times greater! Though his face clearly showed fatigue, his back remained perfectly straight, and his fierce eyes burned with sharpness.

"Looking at you, have you nearly broken through your realm?"

Hu Zhongyuan chuckled, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. "My old man always said I was useless, but I, Hu Zhongyuan, will reach the Xuanwu Sect seven years earlier than he did! In just seven days, I can break through! Following the Sovereign, if one’s progress is slow, wouldn't it disgrace him?"

At this point, Hu Zhongyuan remembered the main business. "The Sovereign commands the main army and cannot spare the time. He ordered me to greet the Chancellor—"

Ren Bo nodded slightly and rode alongside Hu Zhongyuan. Faint sounds of distant army cheers could now be heard, piquing his curiosity. "How are things over there?"

"The final assembly was completed this morning. The Chancellor is here just in time to watch the show!"

Hearing this, Hu Zhongyuan grew excited again, explaining with animation. "The Sovereign returned the day before yesterday and directed the army to extinguish all ten rebel cities. Xijie City is the last one. The Sovereign waited two days, gathered two hundred thousand troops here, and invited all the lords of the surrounding city-states. Including the vassal forces, we have six hundred thousand strong—"

He paused, then quickly added, lest Ren Bo misunderstand, "For a mere Xijie, the three or five ten-thousands of Qiantian could have taken it. But the Sovereign said he must use Xijie City to establish authority. What was the phrase he used? To kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, to let those harboring second thoughts witness the might of Qiantian’s army. That’s why we delayed until today!"

This era had not yet coined the phrase "kill the chicken to scare the monkeys," so although Hu Zhongyuan was barely literate, he only half-understood the idiom.

Ren Bo smiled, grasping Zong Shou’s intention immediately.

He knew that Zong Shou had initially ignored all the rear-area rebel cities, using the chaos following Yue Guan Yun’s death and the instability in Taoyun City to his advantage. Zong Shou had led several tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry deep into Huanlong Province.

However, his progress had been too swift; the infantry could barely keep up. By the time they entered the other two provinces, only fifteen thousand cavalry remained. Subsequently, forces were dispatched piecemeal to capture individual cities. As a result, the eight hundred thousand soldiers were scattered in fragments across the vast territory of the three provinces.

When Zong Shou returned, he was accompanied by only fifty-some cavalry. The troops who crushed those ten rebel cities must have been the hundreds of thousands of elites who had originally accompanied the fleet for the Cloud Sea hunt. They had rushed back almost non-stop, only just managing to participate in the mop-up operation, venting anger upon those rebel cities.

It was no small feat that Zong Shou had managed to assemble two hundred thousand Qiantian soldiers in this vicinity within two days.

As he pondered this, the outline of a great city finally appeared in his vision. As his **Wind-Riding Colt galloped onward, the contours grew clearer.

It was a magnificent city, thirty zhang high, seven li long, and six li wide. Everything around it was draped in silver white, yet this area radiated intense heat.

It was unclear how many Spirit Masters had cast enchantments, but within a radius of dozens of miles around the city, not a single snowflake had managed to fall.

According to Hu Zhongyuan, a full force of six hundred thousand infantry and cavalry had already encircled this city named Xijie.

Looking at it, one could indeed see the killing intent soaring to the heavens. Rows upon rows of disciplined armored soldiers were arrayed on the plains surrounding the city walls, interspersed with numerous cavalry units. Many of the cavalry were positioned on nearby hills, seemingly sensing the imposing presence of the great formation, their warhorses restlessly stamping the ground and letting out piercing neighs.

Led by Hu Zhongyuan, Ren Bo passed through the military camp and soon arrived near the central command post.

He subtly noticed that these Qiantian officers and soldiers were somewhat different from before. The morale and sharp edge that had gradually faded since the death of Zong Weiran had fully returned. They were once again that iron army, breathing in ambition that swallowed ten thousand li like a tiger, brimming with dominance, and forever undefeated!

This discovery was even more exhilarating to him than Zong Shou’s conquest of three provinces.

However, upon arriving before the main formation line, Ren Bo felt a surge of indignation. There, perched atop a small hill, was an opulent carriage drawn by eighteen pure white Wind-Riding Colts.

The carriage was incredibly luxurious, crafted entirely from the finest Purple-Red Dragon Gold and studded with jewels everywhere. The white gauze curtains hanging on all four sides were also exquisite, woven from three-hundred-year-old silk, offering both warmth and defense against arrows.

And Zong Shou was currently reclining grandly inside. Beside him, Ruoshui and Chuxue knelt gracefully, both radiant and beautiful, attending to him. It was worth noting that the soft couch was also covered with a pelt.

Ren Bo’s sharp eyes discerned that the pelt seemed to have been taken from a Seventh-Tier fierce beast aboard one of the Cloud Ships.

At this moment, even he felt a twinge of envy toward Zong Shou. A beautiful carriage and lovely companions—it truly invited jealousy.

He had intended to reprimand him, but arriving beside the carriage, Ren Bo could only force a wry smile. "My Lord, is this perhaps one of your methods to promote extravagance and stimulate consumption?"

Zong Shou, who had been gazing intently at Xijie City, smiled upon hearing this and gestured for Ren Bo to board the carriage. "This is called salesmanship. Didn't I open an iron forging shop a while back? I recruited several dozen Spirit Forgers, and though they failed to forge superior weaponry, they managed to craft this carriage for me. Today is the perfect chance to show it off in front of those artisans. In the future, selling cars like this will be easier. Those fellows are probably desperate for places to spend their money—"

Ren Bo started. So that was the reason? It was rather novel. But deep down, he still found it hard to accept. He knew Zong Shou would not listen to admonishments, so he gave up worrying about speaking further and stepped onto the luxurious carriage.

The moment he entered, he realized the vehicle was indeed different. It was not only warm as spring, but it also soothed the spirit. His mind instantly became calm and gentle.

He couldn't help but raise his brows and examine Zong Shou closely. "Is this carriage perhaps specifically designed for Spirit Masters?"

Zong Shou smiled without answering. The spirit array within this carriage was indeed a classic design from three thousand years hence. It was enough to support the forging shop he had just opened for quite some time.

He had temporarily entrusted this shop to Ruoshui and Lian Fan to manage. Whether it made a profit or not was irrelevant; the main goal was merely to cultivate enough Spirit Forgers without incurring losses.

Ren Bo only showed a brief moment of surprise before dismissing the thought and turning his gaze toward the line of figures not far from the carriage—the assembled Lords of the various city-states Zong Shou had gathered there! (To be continued)