Robert Clark had only been in seclusion for seven days, and upon awakening, he instinctively felt a wave of unease. Though he appeared to be a kind and benevolent Buddhist master, in truth he was someone who had taken up the monastic life midway through his journey. In the first half of his life, he had been a valiant general of Yan, taking countless lives; it was only after offending those in power that he went into hiding, eventually encountering a great monk who guided him onto the path of studying scriptures and Buddhist teachings. Through sheer determination, he transformed himself from a man of war into a learned scholar. Even so, he knew all too well that in troubled times, self-preservation was the only true path, so he never relaxed his martial training and cultivation. Thus, every month, he would spend at least seven days in seclusion.

Unlike the calm and peace he usually felt upon waking, this time a deep sense of blood and death left his mind unsettled—a killing intent he had not felt in ages. After only a moment’s hesitation, he leapt down the mountain, and sure enough, as soon as he caught sight of the outline of Zhao Village in the distance, his heart sank. The once-thriving village was now a wasteland, with traces of raging fires everywhere and bones scattered across the ground in a horrifying sight. Robert Clark considered himself no stranger to battlefields of carnage, yet even he could not suppress his fury, letting out a long, grief-stricken howl to the sky. Many in the village had interacted with him before, especially Henry Linton, who often visited Ziyun Temple to seek his teachings. Robert Clark had even considered taking on a disciple, but had been waiting for the right moment—never expecting that just seven days apart would mean a final, eternal separation.

He stood silently at the edge of the village for a long time before beginning to gather the corpses, chanting Buddhist prayers as he worked. It took him more than half a day to bury the only remains of these villagers in a deep pit and raise a tall mound over it. On the wooden tablet before the mound, he wrote only four characters: “Erected with respect by Robert Clark.” Though he had long since cast aside many worldly emotions, Robert Clark was still filled with guilt. After reciting the Heart Sutra before the mound for three days, he drifted away. He had to find out why such a calamity had befallen this secluded village, and the killing intent he had long suppressed could no longer be contained.

Within the capital of Zhongzhou, there were two places that could be called palace cities: one was the royal palace where the Son of Heaven, King Hua, resided; the other was the residence of the Envoy Sovereign—the Imperial City centered around the Qinzun Hall. The two palace cities stood at the north and south ends, facing each other from afar, and were supposed to be the centers of power in Zhongzhou. However, the Imperial City had been without a master for many years, occupied only by a few envoys, and had gradually fallen into disuse. No one expected that during the reign of the forty-fourth Son of Heaven, King Hua Jiang Li, the Envoy Sovereign would once again descend upon the world.

Henry Linton stood atop the highest terrace within the Imperial City, his expression dazed. He had been in this unfamiliar place for a full month, and though he had gathered countless pieces of information from the library, he had found almost no way to resist the lords of the four nations. If he truly were that so-called Envoy Sovereign, perhaps he could use the miraculous arts of command to lead the royal army against their enemies—but he simply did not possess such abilities.

The more he interacted with the rulers and ministers of Zhongzhou, the more deeply he began to doubt David Wood. As the head of the Eight Envoys and, aside from King Hua Jiang Li, the man with the greatest real power in Zhongzhou, it was impossible that he would arbitrarily force an impostor like him into the position of Envoy Sovereign. Just from the worried faces of the ministers, Henry Linton could vaguely sense that the situation outside Zhongzhou had become extremely dire. He was lost in thought when suddenly a woman’s cold voice sounded behind him.

“After the battle between Zhongzhou and Yan, the people of the world all learned of the Envoy Sovereign’s great power and became even more in awe of the Son of Heaven, while the lords and nobles grew wary. Each generation’s Envoy Sovereign is born by the mandate of heaven, bearing the phoenix totem on their back and able to command the divine bird. If the totem cannot be awakened, then they are as insignificant as grass, an ordinary person unable to serve as the Son of Heaven’s right arm. Every Son of Heaven is assisted by an Envoy Sovereign, who often lives hidden among the common folk. To weaken the Son of Heaven’s authority, the lords often secretly send people to search for the next Envoy Sovereign after a new Son of Heaven ascends, seeking to kill them. From the thirty-ninth to the forty-fourth Son of Heaven of Zhongzhou, the Envoy Sovereign never appeared, plunging the world into chaos and leaving the people in misery.”

Henry Linton turned around in astonishment to see Ethan Cole, dressed as a maid, looking at him expressionlessly, making him even more puzzled. Although David Wood had painstakingly arranged for Ethan Cole to stay by his side, she was the cold and aloof type, rarely speaking unless Henry Linton gave her an order, to which she would occasionally reply with a single “yes.” After a few days, Henry Linton had almost forgotten about this envoy at his side.

“Twenty years ago, the four nations joined forces to attack Zhongzhou, but their formation was thrown into chaos by His Majesty’s schemes, and they were ultimately forced to withdraw. Now, after that fierce battle, there is a rare period of peace. To guard against attacks from the four barbarians, the four nations have withdrawn their troops and are taking this opportunity to recuperate. However, since last month, strange omens have appeared in the sky, and news of the Envoy Sovereign’s descent has once again spread throughout the land. Mr. Wood and the rest of us set out to search again, never expecting what would happen… Now, although Your Highness stands in the halls of Zhongzhou, the powerful lords of the various nations are all restless, and great armies have already gathered at the borders of the four nations.” Ethan Cole seemed not to notice Henry Linton’s gaze and continued speaking to herself.