Chapter 11: Divine Wrath and Frozen Cities

Li Xiao rode at the front of a fast-moving procession, his heart burning with purpose.

They were on their way to Chang'an, the capital of Tang, ready to rally the kingdom's forces and launch a counterattack against Chen.

He had absolute faith in the ancient god.

If such a being had decided Chen must fall, then it was already doomed.

And soon, he would return to reclaim Tang's rightful lands.

Then—

A deep, resounding voice echoed in his mind, along with every soldier marching at his side.

"Your wish has been fulfilled. Chen no longer exists."

Li Xiao froze.

His men stumbled to a stop, exchanging stunned glances.

For a moment, no one spoke.

"Impossible…" One of his guards swallowed, disbelief written all over his face. "How could an entire kingdom be destroyed in just… half an hour?"

It was unthinkable.

Chen had a million-strong army.

Chen possessed a world item.

And yet, before they had even arrived in Chang'an, their enemy had already vanished?

If anyone else had spoken such words, Li Xiao would have laughed in their face.

But this was a god's decree.

"If the divine has spoken, then it must be true."

His body trembled, but not with fear.

It was exhilaration.

"The gods do not lie to mortals!" another soldier shouted.

"Let's return to Chang'an at once! We'll find our answer there!"

Without hesitation, they rushed onward, desperate to confirm the truth with their own eyes.

A day later, they reached Chang'an.

The once-occupied capital of Tang had been reclaimed.

The soldiers of Chen, who had marched into the city as conquerors, now knelt in surrender, their faces pale with fear.

The Tang army, which had once been pushed to the brink of collapse, now stood tall, firmly in control once more.

"Your Highness! You have returned!"

Tang's remaining generals rushed forward, relief etched across their battle-worn faces.

Their king was dead, leaving Li Xiao as the last surviving prince of the royal bloodline.

He alone could restore order to Tang.

"Explain what happened," Li Xiao commanded. "Why has the army of Chen surrendered?"

One of his generals grinned, his expression filled with awe and reverence.

"Your Highness… Chen was punished by the gods."

Li Xiao's breath caught in his throat.

"Tell me everything."

The general nodded, his voice filled with emotion as he spoke.

"A great ancient god appeared in Chen's capital. He was beyond comprehension—his toe alone was the size of a mountain, his hands could grasp entire cities, and his eyes burned like twin suns."

"But Chen's ruler, in his arrogance, provoked divine wrath."

"And so… he was punished."

Li Xiao's fists clenched as he listened, hanging onto every word.

"What kind of punishment?"

The general's expression darkened.

"The god unleashed an artifact of unimaginable power. In an instant, a wave of ice swept across the kingdom."

"Every city in Chen… was frozen solid."

A shiver ran through the assembled soldiers.

"The cold consumed everything—palaces, fortresses, entire armies—all turned into lifeless ice sculptures. Those who did not perish immediately were left with frostbitten bodies, doomed to a slow death."

"The frozen mist covered hundreds of miles, sparing no one."

"By the time it was over, more than ten million people had perished."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Even knowing the power of the gods, even believing in their might—

They had not expected this.

An entire kingdom, wiped from existence in mere moments.

One-tenth of Chen's entire population… gone.

One general's voice trembled as he spoke.

"Is this… is this the power of the divine?"

Li Xiao took a shaky breath, feeling the sheer magnitude of what had occurred.

"This is true power," he murmured.

To erase a kingdom with a mere gesture…

To change the course of history in an instant…

This was the will of a god.

And they had been chosen to witness it.

But awe alone would not rebuild Tang.

A general stepped forward, his voice firm.

"Your Highness, this is an opportunity like no other. With Chen's forces annihilated, we must act now."

"If we strike immediately, we can seize their lands, claim their resources, and expand Tang's power beyond imagination!"

Li Xiao nodded without hesitation.

"Mobilize the army."

"We march on Chen."

For three days and three nights, the Tang army surged forward, their path uncontested.

By the time they reached the frozen capital of Chen, not a single soldier dared to resist.

Chen's lands—once ruled by arrogant men who mocked the gods—

Now belonged to Tang.

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