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 "content": "Inside the Azure Dragon royal palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt nearly solidified. The peace terms proposed by the Ying Nation delegation weighed like a mountain on the hearts of every minister of the Azure Dragon Nation gathered in the hall. Ceding territory, paying reparations—every clause was etched with humiliation. Yet there was no choice: the Azure Dragon Nation was the defeated party, its three hundred thousand-strong army utterly annihilated, with no strength left to continue fighting. Only the path of negotiation and ceasefire remained.\n\n“This prince feels that mere territorial concessions and reparations are still too lenient a punishment for your Azure Dragon Nation,” the Ying envoy declared. “After those two terms, one more must be added.”\n\nHis gaze, unbridled and burning with predatory hunger, locked firmly upon the exquisite figure in pale golden court robes standing beside the imperial throne.\n\n“What?”\n\nHuangfu Yuxiang’s beautiful face darkened, a powerful sense of unease rising within her heart.\n\nBeiming Shuo’s lips curled back, revealing a row of stark white teeth, his voice echoing throughout the great hall. “Let your Third Princess marry into our nation as a peace bride!”\n\nThe moment those two words—peace bride—left his mouth, the faces of every civil and military official of the Azure Dragon Nation changed dramatically. So these Ying invaders were scheming after their Third Princess!\n\n“Great Prince, do not push your Ying Nation too far!” An elderly minister rose furiously to his feet. “When your Ying Nation demanded we cede the lands of Jiuzhou, we agreed. When you demanded three thousand spirit stones in reparations, we agreed as well! Now you press further, seeking to defile our princess—do not be so insatiably greedy!”\n\n“Indeed.” Prime Minister Cao Qiudao also chimed in with feigned indignation. “The Third Princess is the precious jewel of our sovereign’s eye—there is absolutely no possibility of her marrying into the Ying Nation! Great Prince, could you perhaps name a different condition?”\n\n“Heh heh. Does your Azure Dragon Nation currently possess any qualification to negotiate terms?” Beiming Shuo swept a contemptuous gaze over Cao Qiudao, then over each of the ministers who dared not voice their anger. “The elite of your Azure Dragon army have all perished at Lulong Pass, and my Ying Nation’s three hundred thousand troops are already encamped beyond the border!” His voice turned icy and cruel. “Once we march south, our iron hooves will trample your Azure Dragon capital flat within a single month! By then, forget peace marriages—even if your imperial family begged to become this prince’s servants, I would have to consider whether you’re worthy!”\n\nArrogant! Utterly arrogant!\n\nYet the civil and military officials of the Azure Dragon Nation could not utter a single word of rebuttal. Because what Beiming Shuo said was a bleeding, naked truth. The main forces of the border army had been wiped out completely, the nation’s interior was stripped of troops, and summoning reinforcements from various regions would take time. The Ying army, meanwhile, could breach the pass and march south at any moment. If war broke out, the capital was doomed!\n\nWatching the faces of the court full of ministers—each one suffocating and powerless—Cao Qiudao’s eyes flickered with a hidden glint of satisfaction. He turned to face Huangfu Yuxiang, heaving a long, mournful sigh of feigned sorrow. “Ah… for the sake of our Azure Dragon Nation’s rivers and mountains, for the safety of our people across the entire realm… I fear we must ask the Third Princess to bear this hardship!”\n\nWhat a move—retreating to advance! What fine words of “for the nation, for the people”!\n\nOff to the side, Huo Zun stood within the ranks of military officers, head lowered, yet a gleeful, cold smile tugged uncontrollably at the corners of his mouth. Huangfu Yuxiang, this is what you get for rejecting me! Let you act aloof, let you look down on me! Soon, you’ll become a plaything for the Ying savages, to be trampled at will!\n\n“The Prime Minister’s words are mistaken. How could marrying this prince count as hardship for the princess?” Beiming Shuo declared proudly. “There is one matter I might as well share with you now—this prince will shortly be joining the Yuntian Sect, becoming one of its disciples, and studying under a mighty elder of the Void Refinement stage!”\n\nThe Yuntian Sect? Many faces changed color. This was a renowned great sect of the Eastern Wasteland, the undisputed overlord of the entire Qingxuan Domain! So this Beiming Shuo had latched onto the high branch of the Yuntian Sect? With the backing of that sect, wouldn’t this Beiming Shuo be able to stride unimpeded through the Qingxuan Domain in the days to come? A flicker of dread surfaced in the eyes of every Azure Dragon official.\n\nJust as everyone assumed the matter was settled and Huangfu Yuxiang could only swallow her humiliation and agree, a voice as clear and cold as the moon sounded calmly through the air. “For this princess to accept the peace marriage is not entirely impossible.”\n\nEveryone jerked their heads up, looking at Huangfu Yuxiang. She rose slowly, her phoenix eyes meeting Beiming Shuo’s gaze directly without a trace of fear. “But I have one condition.”\n\n“Oh?” Beiming Shuo raised an eyebrow, looking at her with amusement. “What condition? Let’s hear it.”\n\n“Is the Great Prince not quite confident in your own strength?” Huangfu Yuxiang’s voice reverberated through the silent hall, reaching every ear with perfect clarity. “I ask that you set up a challenge platform in the capital, to face the younger generation of my Azure Dragon Nation. If, after three days, you can defeat all the talents of our nation, then I shall agree to the marriage!”\n\nThis was using the entire younger generation of the Azure Dragon Nation as a shield, to stand against the sharp spear of Beiming Shuo—buying a glimmer of hope for Huangfu Yuxiang to break free from this forced union!\n\n“Fine!” Beiming Shuo agreed without a moment’s hesitation, almost eagerly. In his view, this was merely the final struggle of a beautiful woman, nothing but added amusement. With his cultivation at the seventh level of Core Formation, even Huo Zun—the strongest of the Azure Dragon Nation’s younger generation—was nothing more than a chicken or a dog in his eyes. Who could possibly be his opponent?\n\nHe let out a sinister laugh and added, “However, this prince has a condition of his own! If, after three days, I defeat all your Azure Dragon prodigies, then that very night, we go straight to the bridal chamber!”\n\nShameless! Disgusting! The court officials were so enraged their eyes turned bloodshot. This Beiming Shuo was practically frothing at the mouth with impatience! This wasn’t a peace marriage anymore—it was naked humiliation!\n\nHuangfu Yuxiang’s delicate frame trembled slightly. Her jade-like hand, hidden within her sleeve, clenched tightly, fingernails nearly digging into her palm. She gritted her pearly teeth and forced out two words from between them. “Agreed!”\n\n“Then this prince shall have people prepare our bridal chamber ahead of time!” Receiving her affirmative answer, Beiming Shuo burst into unbridled laughter, rising at once and sweeping out of the hall with his Ying delegation. As he departed, his jackal-like gaze still roamed with predatory hunger over Huangfu Yuxiang’s graceful curves, treating the Azure Dragon princess as already plundered spoils in his grasp. In his mind, he could already envision the sight of this most noble and beautiful pearl of the Azure Dragon Nation writhing submissively beneath him in three days’ time.\n\n“Great Prince, allow this prime minister to see you out!” Prime Minister Cao Qiudao hurriedly rose as well, following Beiming Shuo out of the great hall.\n\nAn elderly minister loyal to the Azure Dragon royal house could not help but ask, “Princess, Beiming Shuo is so powerful, and has successfully joined the Yuntian Sect. Looking across the entire younger generation of the Azure Dragon Nation, who could possibly be his match? What shall we do after three days?”\n\n“Beiming Shuo is strong, but he is not absolutely invincible.” Huangfu Yuxiang’s beautiful eyes flickered as a lean, youthful figure surfaced in her mind. “There is someone who might be able to contend with him!”\n\nAt her birthday banquet, Qin Feng had beaten Huo Zun—the number one prodigy of the capital—into a swollen pig’s head, hammering him without a shred of ability to fight back. Even against this Beiming Shuo, he should at least be able to hold his own, shouldn’t he? Though she knew little of Qin Feng’s true strength, at this point, she had no choice but to place her hopes upon him.\n\nWith this thought, she immediately departed the Azure Dragon royal palace, hurrying in the direction of Qin Feng’s residence.",
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