Chapter 45: The Invincible White Second Son

There is little worth recounting on the battlefield after the dust has settled.

Let us shift our gaze, passing over Liu Tian and Liu Zhengde, who continue to grind themselves down in bloodshed; past the cannon fodder so battered by rocket launchers, artillery, and machine guns that not even their mothers could recognize them; past Tiger and Ox as they flee toward the coast, and onto a battlefield of true consequence—a field that could shape the fate of the world.

The Scarlet Cloud Empire—The Imperial Palace.

As the emperor of this ancient nation, Zhu Zhengxing, now fifty-three and sovereign for nearly thirty years, had never imagined he would face such a day within his lifetime: the day the enemy would come knocking at his very door.

This was certainly no riot of desperate peasants. Though the Scarlet Cloud Empire had suffered setbacks in recent years, its vast domain and a century of draining the world’s riches meant that, even having lost its colonies in the New World, it was not yet at the point of dynastic change. The people's standard of living, while steadily declining, was still bearable. A mob storming the capital? That was a scene Zhu Zhengxing might never witness.

Nor was this a palace coup. Since the passing of his predecessor, Zhu Zhengxing had reigned for nearly three decades at the height of his powers, his authority growing ever more unassailable. Though minor errors were made, none had proved fatal, and his consistent favor toward officials and noble houses left none with cause to risk their heads in rebellion.

Certainly, it was not a military mutiny either. If the capital’s own garrison—those who guarded the imperial palace—were to turn, the nation would already be finished.

Why then, was the palace resounding with gunfire and the clash of battle day and night? Why did the Imperial Guards, the elite of the elite handpicked from the army, wear expressions of barely concealed terror? Why were the royal retainers—masters of secret martial arts, privileged with the finest resources, their strength among the greatest in the land—cast aside like helpless chicks?

Gunfire, explosives, and martial artists—countless souls laid down their lives to bar the way of a single man: a man named Bai Cinan.

“A decree from His Majesty: Whoever kills Bai Cinan shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, promoted three ranks, and granted a marquisate commanding ten thousand households!”

With the help of special devices, the emperor’s command echoed through every corner of the palace, pouring yet more oil on the raging flames—but did Bai Cinan care?

Since Bai Cinan had brazenly knocked on the palace gates in broad daylight and carved a bloody path within, Zhu Zhengxing’s reward had skyrocketed again and again. But—to what end?

Could an army of ants, a coordinated swarm of insects, hope to halt this madman, this demon, even for a moment? Their combined might, armed with steel and gunpowder, only made Bai Cinan’s slaughter all the more exhilarating.

“This feeling—how exquisite!” Bai Cinan plunged into the crowd as if no one else existed. The alloy blade, weighing several hundred pounds, felt weightless in his grasp, yet with a casual swing, he could cleave steel and shatter stone.

Power! Power! Power! Power! Power!

With scarcely a few strides, another hastily regrouped squad of Imperial Guards was annihilated. These men, fighting with every ounce of their strength, could not even slow Bai Cinan’s advance by a heartbeat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rocket launchers and satchel charges were detonated with reckless abandon. Machine gunners ignored the lives of their own comrades as they let loose a storm of bullets.

Steel, gunpowder, and blood defiled and desecrated these ancient buildings, which had stood for a thousand years.

In this frenzy, structure after structure collapsed in thunderous ruin, corpses strewn over every inch of the battlefield.

Bai Cinan felt nothing. The little damage he suffered only stoked his savagery, making him fight with ever-greater ferocity. At last, atop the rubble of a palace drenched in enemy blood, he stood astride a pile of corpses and let out a long, sky-shaking roar: “YAHHH!”

That howl seemed imbued with a demonic power, awakening a primal terror of an undying, invincible demon-god in all who heard it—guards and martial retainers alike. The soldiers, who only moments before had held firm, instantly broke and scattered.

“Damn that bastard!” Zhu Zhengxing bellowed in fury from within the great hall.

He knew this Bai Cinan was formidable, but had never truly believed a single martial artist—just one man—could be so fearsome.

Could he defeat ten men? A hundred?

At best, perhaps a thousand.

But no matter how great his skills, could he alone overturn a palace guarded by tens of thousands?

So, when Bai Cinan came demanding that thing, Zhu Zhengxing had scoffed.

Even now, the Scarlet Cloud Empire had yet to unravel the secret of the prismatic columns—those curious objects that could fuse and be shed at will, governed by thought alone—but their remarkable properties already marked them as extraordinary, their significance surely immense.

If they were no common trinkets, and if they were linked to the Lost Empire, how could the Scarlet Cloud Empire simply hand them over?

Since their discovery, the royal family had secretly collected the columns, and over the years, nearly every one that entered the empire had been gathered and fused.

These columns had evolved from their original single hue to two, then four, and now shone with all seven colors.

At seven colors, the columns shifted—they became components, seemingly parts of a great gate, a relic left by a glorious empire thousands of years ago.

What lay beyond that gate? A gift, or destruction? Did it hide the secret behind the Lost Empire’s disappearance?

Whatever the answer, such things could only be entrusted to the empire itself.

So, when the Blue Dream Company, through the island chains, requested to exchange for the columns, Zhu Zhengxing had laughed them off in scorn.

The Scarlet Cloud Empire was vast and abundant; what could a mere company possibly offer in exchange for something so mysterious and valuable?

Yet Zhu Zhengxing had forgotten one thing—sometimes, a transaction need not be fair, nor require his consent.

He could refuse to sell, but the Blue Dream Company could simply seize.

If negotiation failed, why not just take it by force?

Thus, Bai Cinan came here.

Thus, a demon descended upon this land.

Though countless souls would lay down their lives for the throne, not all their combined efforts could so much as slow Bai Cinan’s advance.

Without the ability to level the palace with artillery or naval guns, however lavish the rewards, however bravely the Imperial Guards and retainers fought, the outcome had been decided the moment Bai Cinan set out.

Knowing the situation was hopeless, one by one, people from all directions rushed in, throwing their lives around Bai Cinan in a desperate bid to cover Zhu Zhengxing’s retreat.

Within the hall, ministers pleaded in frenzy—

“Your Majesty, let us escort you to safety!”

“Your Majesty! So long as the green hills remain, you need not fear the lack of firewood!”

“Your Majesty! A prince must not linger under a collapsing hall, nor a gentleman beneath a crumbling wall!”

“Useless, useless—you're all useless!”

“The Imperial Guards are useless! The retainers are useless too!”

“All that money, all those men, and you can’t even hold back a single cripple!”

Amid the tumult of their pleas, Zhu Zhengxing, his rage blinding him, finally came to his senses in the face of mortal peril. He prepared to flee—but—

“Where do you think you’re going?” The palace wall burst open. Through the breach strode a man with golden hair, sapphire eyes, and a perpetual smile at his lips. Not only was his physique robust, but, incredibly, flames flickered occasionally in his mouth.

With a casual breath, searing fire poured forth, incinerating the guards alive.

“Your Majesty,” the firebird smiled, “we do not wish to cause unnecessary slaughter. Please, hand over the object—otherwise, we will not stop until you do.”

“After all, the leader of our Dreambeast Company—Bai Cinan—is invincible beneath the heavens!”