Looking at the Emperor's Weapon that fell to the ground, Duke Dingyuan was stunned.

At this moment, he was in quite an embarrassing situation, unsure whether to retreat or advance.

For this outing, the Cyan Emperor had specifically instructed him before leaving to meet the Great Xia Empire's ceasefire terms to the greatest extent possible, under no circumstance should a war break out again.

Bringing his troops along, although the mission was humiliating, it carried the Cyan Emperor's will, and he was in no position to oppose it.

If he just left in disgrace and the Great Xia Empire continued its attack, how would he explain to the Cyan Emperor?

Though this mission was humiliating, he knew the current Cyan Emperor was not a conservative ruler who would sell out the nation for stability, perhaps he had his own considerations.

This was also the mental pillar that Duke Dingyuan clung to as he endured humiliation all the way to the Great Xia Empire to plead for peace.

"Why are you still not leaving?"

Xia Feng looked at Duke Dingyuan coldly, a trace of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

"Emperor's son... three pieces of Upper Grade Dragon Marrow, fifty Emperor's Weapons and Martial Techniques, all above Emperor Level Middle Grade. Is this acceptable?"

Duke Dingyuan took several deep breaths, then gritted his teeth and forced out these words.

"Three pieces, are you trying to send off a beggar?!" The Great Dragon General of Lingxiao Pavilion suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pointing at Duke Dingyuan's nose and cursing, "How could Rizhao Empire send out such a stingy person as you? Want a ceasefire with just three pieces of Upper Grade Dragon Marrow? Hurry up and get lost, tomorrow I'll bring people to your home and clean you out!"

"What an audacity!"

"Just three pieces of Upper Grade Dragon Marrow, don't you know the floors of our home's outhouse are paved with Middle Grade Dragon Crystals?"

The First Martial Sovereign of Lingxiao Pavilion, the Great Dragon General, was supposed to be a high-ranking individual, yet at this moment, he was behaving like a rogue butcher in front of the Imperial Capital's gates, spraying spittle as he pointed at Duke Dingyuan's nose.

Xia Feng, however, smiled, and before he could say anything, the Great Dragon General came forward to play the bad cop.

It was evident from before that when Xia Tianming became the Emperor Xia, this man placed all his bets on him.

Coming out now to reaffirm his loyalty was not surprising at all.

The onlooking citizens of the Great Xia Empire couldn't hold back their laughter, some even clutching their stomachs and laughing out loud.

Duke Dingyuan had never suffered such humiliation from birth until now, but today, he endured a lifetime's worth of it.

Fortunately, he was already overwhelmed with grievances, and after pulling himself together a few times, he was no longer as easily agitated as before.

"My lord Emperor's son, what is your intention?"

Xia Feng blinked a few times. Initially, he was also trying to aim high. Seeing the atmosphere was ready, he cleared his throat twice.

"How about this, two pieces of Top Grade Dragon Marrow, and also..."

"One piece! At most one piece!" Duke Dingyuan gritted his teeth.

"My lord Emperor's son, this is our Rizhao Empire's final concession. We can only provide one piece of Top Grade Dragon Marrow at most, any more and it's as good as going to war!"

"Pardon my bluntness, but I'm afraid even your Great Xia Empire doesn't have more than two pieces of Top Grade Dragon Marrow in storage? These are the foundations of our nation, this time I will decide to compensate you with one piece!"

Seeing Duke Dingyuan panting heavily, eyes red like a mad bull, Xia Feng pressed no further.

At this moment, he had achieved his goal; his main target was the Top Grade Dragon Marrow.

Everyone knew how precious this item was, so Xia Feng initially asked for three pieces.

Such is negotiation: set the price high at first, so that during the discussions, you can secure benefits matching your objectives.

"One piece of Top Grade Dragon Marrow is fine, but you must also add two hundred pieces of Lower Grade Dragon Marrow, ten pieces of Upper Grade Dragon Marrow, and ten thousand Top Grade Dragon Crystals. We don't need the Emperor's Weapons and Martial Techniques anymore."

Xia Feng looked at Duke Dingyuan, his eyes showing no sign of compromise, "These are the conditions of our Great Xia Empire. If you can accept them, do so; if not, then there's no need to negotiate further."

Looking into Xia Feng's eyes, Duke Dingyuan knew this wasn't a joke.

With a thoughtful look in his deep-set eyes, about half an incense stick later, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright!"

Remembering the Cyan Emperor's instructions before leaving, Duke Dingyuan ultimately chose to accept Xia Feng's terms.

Though Middle and Lower Grade Dragon Marrows were precious, they were manageable for the vast Rizhao Empire. The main concern was the Top Grade Dragon Marrow and the ten thousand Top Grade Dragon Crystals... but these were within the acceptable range.

Ten thousand Top Grade Dragon Crystals equated to just a year's mining output, the crucial Top Grade Dragon Marrow was merely one piece, although a considerable sacrifice, it wouldn't cause severe damage.

"Then let's sign." Xia Feng smiled.

Soon, the Great Xia Empire modified the ceasefire agreement with the Cyan Emperor's hand decree, wrote down their additional conditions, and then Xia Feng and Duke Dingyuan respectively signed their names and stamped the Emperor's Seal.

From this moment on, the war between the two great empires came to an end.

After signing the agreement, Duke Dingyuan remained silent throughout, immediately returning to the Rizhao Empire with his men to prepare the items Xia Feng demanded.

He originally thought the Cyan Emperor would rebuke him, but unexpectedly, upon learning of the compensation, the Cyan Emperor appeared calm and simply waved him off to collect from the national treasury.

He even softly remarked on how arduous the journey must have been for him.

This left Duke Dingyuan pleasantly surprised, and it further strengthened his belief that his own Cyan Emperor had a backup plan.

Thus, the grievances and humiliation he felt in his heart were somewhat alleviated.

About half a month later, Rizhao Empire's compensation arrived at the Great Xia Empire.

According to the contract, Xia Feng relinquished twelve cities of the Rizhao Empire, went to the front lines, and withdrew all the soldiers.

This experience in the military left a deep impression on him.

During the war, Xia Feng's prestige was extremely high, and his every action brought out exceptional performance. Many Martial Sovereigns from Teng Jiu Building were injured or killed; such an achievement even surpassed the former Xia Tianming.

Many young soldiers regarded Xia Feng as a spiritual icon; within the Great Xia Empire, Emperor Xia Tianming and the Emperor's son Xia Feng's reputations were at their peak, enjoying widespread support.

After withdrawing the last batch of soldiers back to Spirit City, Xia Feng removed his helmet and then handed it to Yu Siya beside him.

Yu Siya gracefully took it, closely following Xia Feng.

The other nine girls also followed Xia Feng as they entered the Spirit Hall.

And inside the Punishment Hall, the ground was covered in bloodstains.

A half-dead man lay on the ground, dressed in rags, wailing and begging for mercy,

Next to the man, there were three ghastly corpses, some charred like dry coal, some with their flesh and blood completely drained, leaving only bones.

Behind him, four Yellow Tier Martial Sovereigns sat in chairs, watching him with disinterest.

When Xia Feng entered the Spirit Hall, these four Yellow Tier Martial Sovereigns swiftly stood up from the ground, immediately kneeling and offering their salute.

"Flying Generals three, four, five, and six of Lingxiao Pavilion, pay respects to the Emperor's son!"

"At ease." Xia Feng waved his hand, "So, has he confessed to any other accomplices?"

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