The other officials stared in astonishment at the departing figure of the crown prince. Grace Harper and Julia Reed exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion.

Summer Clark also joined the soldiers in shouting “Great Wind!” After a long while, Summer Clark raised his right hand, and the soldiers’ voices abruptly ceased.

“Now, we still have a sliver of hope!”

Summer Clark suddenly spoke out. The faces of the officials in the field remained unchanged; they had just heard Summer Clark say the same thing, but none took it seriously, thinking he was merely making excuses to temporarily avoid punishment.

“All right, Your Highness, take out the Taicang national decree and order the expedition,” another elderly official interrupted Summer Clark and said.

Summer Clark ignored him completely and continued loudly, “Last night, I dreamed of the Great Wind. He was gazing at the human race, gazing at Taicang, gazing at us, gazing at... me!

From this day forth, I am the one who walks for the Great Wind! I am the will of the Great Wind in the boundless wilds!”

“Your Highness! What nonsense are you spouting?”

The Taicang Registrar was shocked and dismayed.

He had studied the Great Wind totem for decades and had never heard of the Great Wind choosing a human to walk the wilds!

“To falsely claim the will of the Great Wind is an act of treason!”

“The crown prince really has gone mad. Ever since he shattered the Taicang jade, I knew he was insane. Now he’s even spouting such wild talk. Quickly, drag him down.”

The officials descended into chaos, but Summer Clark turned a deaf ear and continued, “The Great Wind has granted me the power to save Taicang. Look!”

He pointed with his right hand, and everyone looked over. On the far right side of the martial arena, smoke suddenly billowed, and a chilling wind swept through.

In the shocked eyes of all present, several mysterious figures emerged from the smoke.

Chapter 4: The Solemn and Majestic Summer Clark

Whether it was the eight thousand Cang Guards or the officials of Taicang—

Everyone held their breath, focusing intently on that patch of mist.

The mist shrouded that area in a hazy veil, completely obscuring the faint figures within.

Almost from the moment the mist appeared, an inexplicable chill crept into everyone’s hearts, as if some powerful wild beast lurked within, ready to pounce and tear them apart.

Grace Harper was also watching, but unlike the others, as a powerhouse of the Ninth Heaven, she could clearly sense that there were three powerful auras within the mist.

These three auras felt cold, damp, and decayed to her.

Yet the power radiating from these auras was immense—so immense that even she had to treat them with utmost caution.

In the mere sixty-thousand-strong Taicang nation, aside from the aura of the Lord of Shang, Grace Harper had never sensed such strength before, which made her feel a bit tense.

“Could the crown prince be colluding with the Vulture Hounds, inviting wolves into the house? Are those in the mist the Hound Generals?”

The thought flashed through Grace Harper’s mind, but she immediately dismissed it.

“They’re of a different race, with different appearances. Even if they colluded, there would be nothing to gain.”

The mist began to slowly dissipate, and the chilling aura started to fill the entire martial arena. Those with weaker constitutions were already shivering.

Finally, from the haze, three figures slowly walked out, their forms becoming clearer with each step!

The three slender armored warriors wore long swords at their waists. The eyes visible beneath their helmets were blood-red, as if they had come from an ancient hell!

They wore black armor, but the armor was mottled with rust—brown stains covered the entire surface, even the helmets that wrapped around their faces were speckled.

Yet no one dared underestimate them, no matter how old their armor looked!

Because as they stepped out, a gust of chilling wind suddenly swept across the sky.

Everyone could feel a soul-stirring aura!

Even when facing the Vulture Hounds, they had never felt such a presence.

“These three are very strong!” Grace Harper said aloud.

“Where did they come from? How could they appear out of thin air?” the Taicang Registrar asked slowly.

Most people were simply shocked, unable to believe that, right before their eyes, a swirl of smoke had brought forth three powerful warriors.

But what shocked them even more was yet to come.

As the three armored warriors fully revealed themselves, the chilling wind intensified, blowing away all the mist.

Looking over, everyone saw a formation of about a thousand soldiers, equally slender, clad in brown armor, standing in perfect order!

The Cang Guards whirled around, weapons drawn, ready for battle!

These gaunt soldiers before them exerted tremendous pressure.

Even the long sword at Grace Harper’s waist was already half drawn.

Only when the thousand ghostly soldiers and the three ghostly generals had fully appeared did Summer Clark finally breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn’t tell how strong the ghostly soldiers and generals summoned from the Ghost Nest truly were, but seeing the reactions of Grace Harper and the officials and soldiers, he knew they must be formidable.

The three ghostly generals drew closer and closer, and in the blink of an eye, they stood before the palace tower.

“Who goes there? Halt!”

A middle-aged officer of the Cang Guards shouted, trying to stop the three ghostly generals, but they ignored him and continued forward.

A powerful aura suddenly erupted from Grace Harper, causing Summer Clark, who stood before her, to instinctively take a step back.