Chapter 25: Prologue

【Second Scroll Wind Drifting Lone Rider】

Since the formation of its tectonic plates thousands of years ago, the Tianhe Continent has seen cycles of unification and division, with the flames of chaotic war never ceasing. In the past ten years, the continent has had over a hundred large and small countries, but only three truly wield significant influence over the world.

Qi, the last to rise among the three states, yet also the strongest. The king of Qi, Wei Lingfeng, is twenty-three years old, an enigmatic figure. When least expected, he emerged victorious from the brutal court intrigue, taking control of a small state that was still being oppressed by Yin, Yao, and others. Within just three years, he waged war in all directions, and his Heavenly Armor Elite Troops swept the world unopposed, finally completing the rise of a powerful nation.

Yin, the second-largest state on the Tianhe Continent. Yin's strength is not much inferior to Qi's. Yet such a large state harbors a significant hidden danger. The king of Yin, Yin Tian'ao, is sixty-two years old, his health deteriorating day by day. However, the choice of crown prince remains undecided, causing the factions within Yin's court to covertly split into two sides. The open and covert struggle between the Crown Prince Yin Ziyan and the Third Prince Yin Zifu intensifies as Yin Tian'ao's condition worsens.

Yao, the third-largest power on the Tianhe Continent. Speaking of Yao, regardless of its territory or the prosperity of its people, it falls far short of Qi and Yin. Yet it stands as one of the three powers balancing the world, and this hinges on one person and one mine. The 'one person' does not refer to Yao's current emperor, Fu Jing, but to the world-renowned Black Horse Divine General and Yao's crown prince, Fu Ke Mo. The 'one mine' refers to Yao's Mount Chuyun Iron Mine, which supplies them with a steady stream of fine weapons.

In such turbulent times, countries fall every day, and new ones are naturally established. Besides the three major states of Qi, Yin, and Yao, the surrounding small countries lacking the ability to defend themselves constantly endure the ravages of war and the terror of annihilation. (It should be noted that, due to Qiran's deliberate protection, Bingyi has only traveled through Qi and Yin over the past few months. Even the violent borderlands where the two states meet, Bingyi remains unaware, having been placed directly in a carriage to 'sleep,' so she has no idea what a bloody world lies outside.)

Since ancient times, war has inevitably brought endless disaster; the suffering naturally falls not on nobles and aristocrats, but on ordinary commoners. The founding of a state is inevitably accompanied by the downfall of another, and it is impossible to avoid the fate of the populace being displaced, or even suffering slaughter.

Therefore, in this chaotic era, both the suffering and the kind-hearted wish to put an end to meaningless strife and restore a peaceful world to them.

Only those who truly possess profound insight can clearly see that there is but one way to end this era's suffering: through an unparalleled hero who, using the ruthlessness of war, will utterly destroy the present Tianhe Continent and rebuild an entirely new world.

According to the current state of the world, the eventual unification of all under heaven will inevitably be one of the three states—Qi, Yin, or Yao. Yet even someone as arrogant as Fu Ke Mo would not dare claim confidence in seizing the throne, for everyone knows that the Tianhe Continent hides a true hegemon—the Kingdom of Bingling.

No one knows where the capital of Bingling is, nor who its king is, for they are forever elusive. No one dares to say they would eradicate Bingling from this world, for every nation and every inch of land contains their people infiltrated within. If they wished, they could destroy any state in the shortest time, even if it were one of the three great powers.

Yet for some unknown reason, they have never engaged in interstate war, nor harbored ambitions to dominate the world. As long as no one provokes them, they seem to have never existed in this world at all, staying aloof from earthly strife.

But is this truly the case? If not, why has Bingling always been merely a legend to the people of the world? If it is, then why has the Tianhe Continent remained in chaos until now, if not for some obstructing force, making unification perpetually out of reach?

Those who long for peace, those who devote themselves to their country, and the ambitious— their numbers grow, and their urgency intensifies. Thus, rumors begin to circulate in the martial world and across the realm.

Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise—only those who obtain these Four Sacred Stones can unlock the century-old secret of the Bingling Kingdom and thereby unify the world.

No one knows how that rumor originated, nor can anyone verify its truthfulness; yet for various reasons of right and wrong, good and evil, everyone believes it so! They risk their lives in pursuit, seizing…

Records of the Tianhe Continent, Year 1260: In May of the Tianhe era 1260, Yin finally adopted the strategy of the Third Prince Yin Zifu, launching a naval campaign against the beautiful and prosperous island state of Ting. Both sides dispatched elite troops and capable generals, confronting each other at the shores of Jin Hai. Ting, favored by timing, terrain, and harmony, managed to resist the superior forces with fewer numbers, yet showed no sign of defeat. The battle lasted until July 1260, still in a stalemate.

In June of the Tianhe era 1260, three small eastern states declared allegiance to Qi, and Qi's territory expanded again, faintly showing a tendency to connect with Yao to the east and border Yin to the west. The world was shocked, and some even prophesied that the day of a great war was imminent.

In mid-June of the Tianhe era 1260, the king of Yao, Fu Jing, announced to the world: 'I have recently felt weak and lacking vigor, unable to endure exertion; therefore I hereby transfer all military and governmental authority to the crown prince, Fu Ke Mo.' From this point, Yao's governance has essentially changed hands.

In July of the Tianhe era 1260, Yin, whose western borderlands are densely populated despite their small size, had endured years of relentless warfare, more brutal and rampant than elsewhere. This month, the wars between countries suddenly fell silent; most soldiers ceased fighting and instead went to till the fields, while the cries of women and children were no longer heard. Instead, wherever one looked, cooking smoke curled gently, women spun and wove cloth, laughter filled the air—a picture of harmonious bliss.

In July of the Tianhe era 1260, Qi's Wei Lingfeng sent envoys to Yin to discuss aid for the Ting war and postwar profit-sharing. However, the envoy delegation unexpectedly suffered an attack on their return to the capital, with no survivors. The news spread, shocking the entire nation; relations between Qi and Yin deteriorated rapidly, and war seemed imminent.

Tianhe era 1260…

(End of Chapter)