Ning Chen narrowed his eyes, fixed them on Han Gaochi up on the wall, and sneered. "Is that last condition of yours serious?"

Han Gaochi smiled bitterly to himself. It was not his idea.

Making the Great Xuan's Prince Who Holds the Realm kneel to the ruler of another state — even he thought the thing was outrageous.

"Prince Who Holds the Realm, this general is only passing on what our ruler of Xiliang wants."

"If you will not agree, we can only go on until the fish dies or the net breaks... Our ruler says we can afford to wait it out. What he fears is that the Prince Who Holds the Realm cannot."

Han Gaochi did not know what that last sentence meant.

But the ruler of Xiliang had told him to say it to Ning Chen that way, so he could only do as he was told.

Ning Chen's face darkened all at once.

The Xiliang royal house knew the Untainted Ice Lotus was to treat the Xuan Emperor's illness.

It was true. The Xiliang Kingdom could afford to wait it out. He could not.

However weak Xiliang's troops were, holding him a few months would be no problem at all.

He was afraid the Xuan Emperor would not last that long.

Ning Chen said coldly, "Tell your Xiliang royal house that this prince agrees to all of it except the last condition."

"If this prince has not seen the Untainted Ice Lotus within a month... then keep the Untainted Ice Lotus. This prince does not want it."

"But hear this clearly. This prince swears it to heaven: when that time comes, this prince will spend all the strength of the Great Xuan and lead a million men to call on Xiliang in person... And this prince can promise you that all of Xiliang will vanish out of history altogether."

"If this prince fails to do it, let five thunderbolts come down on his head and body and soul be destroyed together."

Han Gaochi's face changed at once.

For Ning Chen to swear an oath as vicious…