Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1649 - 520: Mercy, Fury and Confidence—Who’s Lost Their Mind? (Part 2)

"Xuankong, Renjie, Qingshan, where are my people from Chen Cang?"

Though Chu Tianxu had just arrived, he quickly took in the current situation in Beishuo City and could deduce most of what had happened. He didn’t concern himself with why Beishuo City had fallen, but immediately inquired about the whereabouts of Chu Xuankong and the others.

Unfortunately, all the Xianyang Level forces from Chen Cang had perished in the southward advance, with Yang Jian and Yang Fa dead and only a faint breath remaining in Yang Zhun, leaving him unable to answer. As for the other people in the city, they weren’t qualified to partake in the current conversation.

Chu Tianxu quickly realized this and turned his gaze towards Xia Hong.

"Here..."

Without speaking, Xia Hong slowly raised his knife and pointed at several positions in the ruins below, indicating Chu Tianxu to see for himself.

Chu Tianxu understood and looked down towards the positions Xia Hong indicated. Upon seeing the corpses of Chu Xuankong and the others, his expression instantly froze.

Immediately following, he sharply raised his head to glare at Xia Hong, a terrifying aura slowly rising from within, causing his white brocade robe to flutter without wind, and his face to blanch with utter rage.

"This mask truly can completely isolate the perception of a Tribulation Body Realm expert..."

At this moment, Xia Hong entirely ignored Chu Tianxu’s anger and merely silently praised the human skin mask he had procured from Congyang City for three million taels of silver.

Indeed, since appearing from Baimu City last night, and just now killing Yang Zhun, and now with Chu Tianxu’s presence, he had never once revealed his true face.

Although Xia Hong had revealed his true face during the Hongmen battle four years ago, over time, few in the Southern Slope Territory truly remembered his appearance.

While the painter profession had emerged within the Great Xia, it was still relatively nascent, and his portrait was unlikely to be widespread in other regions, hence he could somewhat conceal his identity from Chen Cang for a while.

The reason for concealing his true identity, naturally, was because Xia Hong had spent the past three years active in the feudal towns of Cai Qiu and Chen Cang. If anyone were to discover his true face, the identity of Daqin Prince Hong Yu would be revealed.

The exposure of his fake identity was of little consequence to Xia Hong; the key issue was the impact on Su Xing’er and his four siblings, and if someone were clever enough, they might even link it to Jiang Xinfan and Ji Hong’s group of spies, which would be counterproductive.

Therefore, to the extent possible, he needed to keep his identity concealed!

"The only concern is that Chu Yan’er, who was present at the Hongmen battle and later demonstrated remarkable painting skills, might see through my false identity. However, she shouldn’t be involved at this level now."

Xia Hong murmured thoughtfully, finally casting his gaze back at the wounded Yang Zhun held by Chu Tianxu.

In the final moments of the Baimu City battle, after Yang Zhun unleashed his full strength, he was forced to wield the Shattered Star Sword. With Yang Zhun’s intelligence, once he regains consciousness and returns to the Moao River, he’d likely soon uncover Xia Hong’s false identity as Daqin’s prince.

Therefore, his fate today is sealed; he must die here!

"The descendants of the Landgrave’s Lineage, Lord Xia Hong, you’ve gotten yourself into serious trouble..."

As Xia Hong contemplated, Chu Tianxu gradually suppressed his anger. His voice suddenly turned calm, yet beneath the calmness lay an unmistakable, potent killing intent.

A grave situation.

This understated threat couldn’t elicit the slightest anxiety in Xia Hong, who formed a subtle smile on his face and gazed interestedly at Chu Tianxu, softly querying: "So, is Chen Cang planning to march southward with its army? Or does Landgrave Chu intend to visit the Southern Slope personally, to teach this lord a lesson?"

"You dare?"

Chu Tianxu, having just managed to suppress his fury, instantly flared up again, his voice rising sharply as he placed a hand on his sword hilt at his waist. But upon looking down at the tens of thousands of Xia troops slowly encircling him, he withdrew his hand, raising his head to coldly continue:

"Xia Hong, even if you’re the South Slope Dominator, combining all your feudal towns will only resemble a crumbling earthen wall before my Chen Cang, utterly incapable of mounting a defense. One should not be the frog at the bottom of the well..."

Clearly intent on speaking a lot, Chu Tianxu suddenly stopped, lightly shaking his head as he shifted his tone: "This Prefectural Governor need not waste words with a dead man. The miasma of the Jiuqu Blood Corridor is already dissipating. Xia Hong, obediently wait for Chen Cang’s army to march south. The Xia people won’t enjoy ease for much longer!"

He spoke as if seeing the conclusion for the Great Xia, his anger somewhat dissipating as he finished and turned to leave.

"Where do you intend to go?"

However, just as he turned, Xia Hong called out.

Chu Tianxu froze, then turned again to face Xia Hong, witnessing the threatening expression on Xia Hong’s face as his pupils showed a hint of surprise.

"You don’t mean to keep this Prefectural Governor here, do you?"

Although Xia Hong didn’t respond, Chu Tianxu discerned the answer from his calm gaze; his surprise grew more profound, his expression turning incredulous as his anger slowly escalated, ultimately turning into a furious smirk.

"Are you trying to keep me with just yourselves? Or your tens of thousands of Xia troops below?"

"Whether you stay or go is actually irrelevant. Chu Xuankong and others might have acted against my heirs, but surely a feudal town wouldn’t stoop to such lowly deeds, so this lord won’t hold you accountable, but Yang Zhun..."

Xia Hong shook his head and spoke directly, pointing at the Yang Zhun held by Chu Tianxu, continuing, "He must remain. He must die today! And the Six-armed Green-faced Evil Demon’s true form, you must hand it over to me as well."