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A strange scene, a body soft and powerless. Horrific insects, all legs, burrowed into your mouth, nostrils, ears, and even your anus...

There’s nothing more terrifying than this.

And the Golden Dragon Guard of Great Jin, three hundred thousand strong, pampered members of the Imperial Army who had been so full of themselves before leaving the Capital City!

But now they had fallen into this abyss of despair in an instant!

"Such depravity..."

Atop a valley, looking down at the nearly powerless three hundred thousand-strong army, the Princess sighed and shook her head, "How formidable was the Siao Family’s Golden Dragon Guard in the past?

Each one was a brave soldier who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, never parting with their swords even when asleep, their beast-like vigilance never obscured by the softest of beds.

But now? A mere twenty years of peace, and this is what the Golden Dragon Guard has become? "

Members of the Fei Family stood behind the Princess, looking down at the tragic scene below, feeling their scalps go numb.

Even Princess Chang’s husband, Fei Tianxing, felt some pity.

"Most of those enlisted are young descendants from lineage houses; naturally, they can’t match the vigilance of the older generation," Fei Tianxing said with a smile.

But he didn’t really believe this; how could most soldiers anticipate that their leading generals would betray them?

"In the past, most people would have thought of it..." Princess Chang turned to look at Fei Tianxing, her eyes pitch-black and shining, as if she could peer into one’s soul. Fei Tianxing’s breathing stopped for a moment, and he even thought his wife could truly read minds!

"Your thoughts are actually quite easy to guess," Princess Chang said with a faint smile, looking back at the valley. "That’s why I never let you enter politics because you are not suited for it."

Fei Tianxing: "....."

"During our time, because demons were rampant, it was easy for the bloodline of leading generals to run wild, causing them to turn into demons.

Perhaps the general who fought side by side with you on the battlefield the day before could become the demon who could twist off your head and scoop out your guts the next day.

Back then, old soldiers knew that only themselves were the most trustworthy! "

Screams and wails filled the valley, followed by the retching sounds of soldiers being invaded by insects, causing the magicians of the Fei Family to break out in goosebumps!

About half an hour later, the soldiers in the valley finally fell silent.

One by one, they stood up like puppets, twisting and crawling in bizarre postures.

A pair of blood-red eyes stared out from beneath the valley’s mist towards the direction of Princess Chang, sending shivers down the spines of the younger magicians, who had heard the older generation speak again and again of the terrifying age of demons and now truly understood.

Three hundred thousand soldiers of lineage... just gone like that!

Fei Tianxing also felt uneasy. Now that the Princess was collaborating with such terrifying demons, would the era that had finally become peaceful revert to its former state?

"Greetings, Princess Chang!"

The leading member of the Weichi Clan, his voice now possessing a metallic rasp, had swiftly adapted to his body. Within less than half an hour, he had leaped from the bottom of the valley to the top, followed by a host of military generals paying homage to the Princess Chang before them.

A giant House Centipede phantom stood behind Princess Chang, a technique established with Shen Yinian, sharing a retinue!

"Undress!"

Several generals heard the command and quickly disrobed, revealing tight muscles and bulging veins. Yet their bloodstream flowed smoothly.

Princess Chang approached, her fingertips lightly tracing their skin. The generals’ breathing grew rapid.

The instinct of a beast told them that mating with such a beautiful and strong woman before them would produce even stronger offspring!

"Not bad..." Princess Chang nodded her approval. "The physiological response is undamaged, and the fleshly vessel is well-preserved. As expected of superior retinues, you have already begun to evolve within a short time."

"Thank you for your praise, Master!" Several generals suppressed their endless desires, kowtowing once more.

Fei Tianxing felt uncomfortable watching from behind, as these monsters gazed at his wife with all too evident desire.

"How long before you can evolve into the next form?"

"Ten days!" the leading retainer replied with a thirsty voice.

"Good, we can only wait ten days then..." Princess Chang looked towards the West. "That individual from the West Sea will not wait too long for you!"

--------------------------------

"Why have you come out?"

The Duke of Qin’s face changed instantly upon seeing Heiyun again; Heiyun’s puppet doubles numbered only three, not to be used lightly. An early emergence like this could only mean that a catastrophic change had occurred!

"The West Sea is in trouble!" Heiyun’s expression was also extremely grim. The three puppets had been cultivated over twenty years. Even back when he followed the King of Qin on adventures far and wide, when facing the Otherworldly Demon Statues, he had only been forced to use one!

"Take your time..." The Duke of Qin gestured subtly to the guard at the door, who nodded and quickly ran out. In less than half an hour, several tall generals entered. Despite their age, the immense vitality hidden within them felt to Heiyun like volcanoes lying dormant beneath the sea.

Heiyun recognized all of them; they were the latter four of the eight Dukes of the Capital City, the Duke of Qin’s biggest support!

"**We’ve been targeted!**" Heiyun lowered his voice, "For some reason, the undead army from the West Sea is being controlled and launching relentless attacks on the city, unlike anything before.

The young master has sounded the alarm for reinforcements; otherwise, it will be hard to defend the city! "

"**This...**" The Dukes looked at each other and then turned their gaze towards the Duke of Qin.

"**How many are there?**" the Duke of Qin asked calmly.

"Judging from the siege, there are at least tens of millions of zombies, and there are even more powerful demons emerging.

.. and..." Heiyun took a breath, "Old Ancestor Shen is also there, with a body so vast, it almost encircles the entire coastline of the West Sea. I suspect either Old Ancestor Shen has been controlled by the monsters, or... it’s one of the monsters! "

"**The Shen Family has guarded the secret of the West Sea for a thousand years, and it seems... they’ve been entranced!

**" the Duke of Qin closed his eyes and sighed, "But that’s not surprising, throughout the years, many strong ancestors of the Human Race have touched the ancient secrets and few have been immune to their temptation.

The people of the Shen Family are not saints, after all! "

"**Old Lu, should we send reinforcements?**" One of the Dukes couldn’t help standing up and saying, "Our real elites are hidden in the West Sea, many of whom have been trained since childhood with extensive resources. We can’t let them be wasted there!"

"**With insufficient intelligence, sending reinforcements now, how do we know we won’t all be wiped out together?**" Another Duke frowned and retorted.

"**Are we just going to stand by and watch? Your son isn’t in there, of course, you’re not worried!**"

"**That’s not what I mean...**"

"**Enough!**" Facing the quarrel, Lumings sighed and stopped the two sides, then turned to another middle-aged man with a graver complexion, named Tian Heng, his most trusted deputy in the past and now Duke Qi of Great Jin, "**How’s the Imperial Army moving?**"

"**They’re heading southwest and don’t seem to intend to meet us head-on**," replied Tian Heng.

"**What does the Emperor want to do? Sit back and reap the benefits?**" another Duke scoffed.

"**Isn’t that the normal course of things?**" Duke Qi replied coldly, "From the beginning of this war, the Siao Family patriarch had this idea. If we truly get into a terrible fight with those sea monsters and both parties get injured, he’d probably wake up laughing from his dreams."

He looked at the Duke of Qin, "**General, did we... take too much of a risk this time?**"

Putting all their resources on the line, leaving no stone unturned—if they failed to successfully claim the ancient power inheritance, or the losses were too great during the acquisition, their entire clans could face extinction!

"**Crisis within crisis means opportunity within danger.

That was the most accurate thing the Crown Prince ever said!

**" The Duke of Qin cleared his throat, glanced at the black blood in his handkerchief, and took a deep breath, "**But he was afraid back then. If he had been willing to lead the search for the inheritance within the Demon Statue, we would not have been considered men if we even furrowed our brows. We can’t walk the same old path anymore. **"

"**You’ve also seen... His Majesty... he’s broken the treaty...**"

"**Him breaking it, isn’t that normal?**" Duke Qi sneered, "**General, when you and the Duke of Song compromised with him, I disagreed. What was the result?**"

"**So we can’t back down this time...**" The Duke of Qin sighed, "**Liu Yu and I were indeed mistaken.

Now, Liu Yu is dead, and I am plagued with illness, my strength not even seventy percent of what it was at its peak.

As for His Majesty, we have no idea to what extent he has consorted with that creature from the Path of Yin and Yang.

Rash action would be too risky; only by obtaining sufficient power can we steadily remove the hidden dangers! **"

Duke Qi fell silent upon hearing this; he knew that with the situation at this stage, there really was no turning back, but he still felt that Lumings had changed.

Since the onset of his severe illness, he had become increasingly alien to him. Oftentimes, he even thought the Duke of Qin in front of him and the patriarch of the Siao Family... were cut from the same cloth.

The air was heavy with tension when the Duke of Qin’s expression shifted suddenly, his gaze falling to his arm.

A searing heat emanated from his arm as if silver needles were branding words upon it. Yet, the Duke of Qin’s spirit lifted, for he knew this sensation only came when the Crown Prince was trying to contact him.

The Duke of Qin closed his eyes, enduring the painful sensation on his arm, and after a prolonged heat, he slowly opened his eyes, murmuring softly, "**Ten days later... at the entrance to Yunzhou?**"

"**The Crown Prince is summoning you?**" Duke Qi frowned, "**Why ten days later?**"

"**The Crown Prince and I had an agreement: after he sorts out the general situation of the Imperial Army he would arrange a meeting to discuss... Ten days... well, we can just about wait that long!**"

"**Could it be a trap?**" Duke Qi questioned, still frowning.

"**Who would dare deceive me?**" the Duke of Qin laughed, "**Though I may be ill, as long as I wish to leave, not even His Majesty in person could detain me, could he?**"

"**I’ll go with you...**" Duke Qi remained cautious.

"**No need...**" the Duke of Qin shook his head, "**You must keep watch here for me.

Have the Duke of Lu lead an army of a hundred thousand to West Sea City with Mr. Heiyun to reinforce the West Sea.

After this meeting with the Crown Prince, I will take him away with me directly and meet up with you as quickly as possible! **"

"**What about Jiangnan then?**" another Duke interjected, "**What if Minister Wang seeks aid? The Shen Family will also apply pressure!**"

"**Stall for time...**" the Duke of Qin sighed, "**Something’s not right in Jiangnan; the Magistrate of Lyuzhou is devious, and the Shen Family is no simple group either.

Mr. Heiyun no longer has enough stand-ins to gather intelligence for us.

Stall, symbolically send ten thousand soldiers to support Nan Ming, conserve our forces, and focus our power on the struggle for the ancient inheritance. **"

Hearing this, the other Dukes nodded in agreement, except Duke Qi, whose eyes flashed with bewilderment.

**It seems... Old Lu isn’t the only one who has changed.**

**The Lu Family had sent a deputy to Nanming Prefecture, and with Old Wu, a man who has always been loyal to Lumings in Lyuzhou.

.. Old Wu had enough accomplishments to be a lord at the founding of the dynasty, yet he contentedly remained in the Lu Family as a household guard. And now... to simply say, ’stall’?**

**But the key is... The other Dukes, many of whom fought side by side with Old Wu, seem indifferent.**

**Everyone... has changed!**