Hearing Zhao Qingcang say this, everyone off the stage wore increasingly solemn expressions.

No one would doubt that the Old Marshal's words were alarmist exaggerations.

They were simply wondering what ultimate move Sakura Country was brewing to make the pillar of the Great Xia Nation attach such great importance to it and utter such a weighty statement.

"Wei Liao!"

Zhao Qingcang called out the name of the intelligence department minister of Great Xia Nation.

Wei Liao hurriedly stood up.

"Tell everyone about the current situation you know."

"Yes."

Wei Liao nodded, walked briskly up to the high platform, and took the microphone from the marshal's hand.

He looked at the densely packed crowd below, every face filled with solemnity, and everyone spontaneously assumed a posture of attentive listening.

Wei Liao cleared his throat and quickly organized his thoughts.

Then he slowly began to speak, his voice clearly spreading to every corner of the Town-Guo Hall through the amplification equipment.

"This matter must start with the Divine Artifact Pendulum of Life."

"Not long ago, we obtained intelligence that ruins appeared in the Caslantis Archipelago, hiding the legendary Divine Artifact, the Pendulum of Life..."

"So the Military Department sent Principal Lin Zhu and Lord Gandalf."

Wei Liao spoke quickly, but his articulation was exceptionally clear.

He talked about how Gandalf successfully snatched the Pendulum of Life for the Great Xia Nation amidst the surveillance of multiple forces.

He talked about how the entire team encountered a mysterious and tragic ambush on their return journey, resulting in casualties for everyone except Lord Gandalf, who managed to escape.

He talked about how the trace of the Pendulum of Life finally appeared within the territory of Sakura Country.

"According to our latest intelligence, the internal factions of Sakura Country have unified, and now Kujo Koji, head of the Kujo Family, rules supreme."

"After he obtained the Pendulum of Life, he did a horrifying thing."

Wei Liao's voice suddenly turned icy.

"He sacrificed the lives of a full 130,000 Sakura Country citizens to resurrect the SS-Rank Expert from forty years ago, Qinze Taichiro."

As his voice fell, there was an uproar off the stage.

"What?!"

"130,000 human lives? Just to resurrect one person?"

"Kujo Koji is a madman!"

One-armed General Wang Zhenbei slammed the table fiercely and roared, "A beast! Simply a beast!"

Wei Liao ignored everyone's shock; he paused and threw out an even more cruel fact.

"This is not the end."

"Shortly after, he sacrificed the lives of nearly 200,000 people of Fuji City in Sakura Country to resurrect his ancestor, the SS-Rank Expert from a century ago, Kujo Masakage."

This time, the Town-Guo Hall fell into a deathly silence.

If 130,000 was just a shocking number, then adding another 200,000, for a total of over 300,000 civilian sacrifices, had already exceeded everyone present's cognitive limit of the word "cruelty".

Those were not 300,000 pigs and sheep, but living, breathing human beings.

Even those iron-blooded generals who were accustomed to life and death on the battlefield now had expressions of barely concealable horror and disgust on their faces.

Wei Liao's gaze swept across the audience, taking in everyone's reactions.

"Today, the entire Sakura Country is under the control of the Kujo Family. In his hands, besides the original SS-Rank Experts Wada Hirayama and Chong Wenguma, there are now the newly resurrected Qinze Taichiro and Kujo Masakage."

"And that is not all."

"Kujo Koji also colluded with the mysterious organization 'Dawnbreaker Guild' of the Freedom Federation, and obtained assistance from two more SS-Rank Experts from them."

"These two SS-Rank Experts have mysterious identities and extremely strong strength. They once fought with Soma Kosuke of the Omiya Family, ultimately leading to the fall of Soma Kosuke and the complete destruction of the Omiya Family."

"Hiss—"

The generals off the stage could no longer maintain their composure and collectively drew in a breath of cold air.

Everyone was completely stunned by this news.

A full six SS-Rank Experts!

Six!

This number, like an insurmountable mountain, pressed heavily upon everyone's heart.

And what about the Great Xia Nation?

In the cognition of the vast majority of people, the apparent SS-Rank Experts were only Marshal Zhao Qingcang, who guarded the Military Department, and the newly rising Gandalf.

Of course, only Dongning Province Governor Hou Changfeng and a very few top military leaders knew that the top battle power of the Great Xia Nation was far more than just these two.

There were no less than three to four suspected SS-Level mysterious experts who had appeared in Donghai City alone.

It was just that Marshal Zhao had classified all related intelligence of Donghai City as the highest secrecy level a long time ago.

Even at the highest-level military meeting of the Military Department, not a single bit was allowed to be leaked.

This was also the reason why Wei Liao deliberately omitted the situation regarding the "Ever-changing Star Lord" Zhou Huai and his Avatars during his recent report.

After all, no one knew if there were deeper hidden spies from Sakura Country or other forces among the people attending this meeting.

Zhou Huai was the biggest trump card in Marshal Zhao's hands and the final hope of the entire Great Xia Nation.

Before the most critical moment arrived, he must never be easily exposed.

Therefore, in the cognition of most people, Great Xia Nation only had two SS-Rank Experts.

Six to two.

Moreover, Gandalf's Level was still very low, not even reaching level fifty.

How could this be fought?

How could this battle still be fought?

Great Xia Nation didn't have the slightest chance of winning at all.

An emotion called despair spread rapidly through the Town-Guo Hall like a plague.

Just as everyone off the stage felt anxious about it,

Wei Liao took a deep breath and dropped today's most heavyweight bomb.

"That is not all."

"We have just received exact news."

"Kujo Koji will soon use the Divine Artifact Pendulum of Life to resurrect the once-only SSS-Class Professional of Sakura Country, their Old Ancestor—"

"Kujo Naruya!"

For a moment, the entire Town-Guo Hall exploded into a commotion.

Even the most cultured Old Generals could no longer remain calm at this moment.

"Six SS-Rank Experts! How the hell is this supposed to be fought?!"

"They're crazy! That bunch of scum from the Kujo Family are all crazy!"

"They even want to resurrect an SSS-Level? That is a legendary existence!"

"It's over... By that time, our Great Xia Nation truly won't have the slightest possibility of a comeback."

Despair.

Unprecedented despair, like an airtight giant net, enveloped the hearts of every pillar of the Great Xia Nation in the Town-Guo Hall.

No wonder Marshal Zhao would say such heavy words.

Now it had indeed reached the most perilous moment for Great Xia Nation.

Just as everyone off the stage was discussing animatedly and morale had dropped to rock bottom,

Zhao Qingcang walked silently onto the high platform and took the microphone from Wei Liao's hands.

He did not speak immediately.

He just calmly scanned the solemn faces below with those eyes as deep as an ancient well.

Under his gaze, the noise in the hall eerily subsided little by little.

Everyone subconsciously closed their mouths, their gazes converging on the old man.

Until the hall became pin-drop silent again, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Everyone, I know what you are thinking right now."

"Six SS-Rank Experts."

"One upcoming resurrection of an SSS-Level that only exists in legends."

"Does it sound like a certain-death ending?"

No one refuted.

Because this was the truth.

Zhao Qingcang's gaze fell upon the one-armed general Wang Zhenbei.

"Wang Zhenbei, I know you can't wait to rush to Sakura Country right now and twist off Kujo Koji's head."

"But you also know in your heart that if you go, you are just going to your death."

He looked again at another governor whose brows were tightly furrowed and face was ashen.

"Governor Li, are you calculating how to appease the citizens, how to organize a retreat, and how to preserve a glimmer of hope for Great Xia as much as possible?"

"Give it up, it's useless."

The old man shook his head, his tone carrying a chilling calmness.

"When an SSS-Rank Expert descends into the world, our entire Great Xia will have nowhere to escape."

"What awaits us is only being slaughtered, being enslaved, and being completely erased from this world."

"Then what should we do?!"

Wang Zhenbei finally couldn't help it, his eyes red as he let out a suppressed low roar.

"Could it be that we can only sit here and wait for death?!"

"Wait for death?"

Zhao Qingcang smiled.

"In my, Zhao Qingcang's, dictionary, there has never been the phrase 'waiting for death'!"

He slammed the lectern fiercely, producing a loud bang, shaking the entire grand hall.

"In the creed of Great Xia soldiers, there are never cowards who surrender without a fight!"

The old man's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap exploding.

"I'm asking you!"

"Forty years ago, have you forgotten the blood debt committed by Sakura Country in our East China Sea?!"

"Over the past century, have you forgotten the humiliation brought to us by Sakura Country?!"

"Chen Huaishu!"

He looked at the white-haired old principal off the stage,

"Your most proud student, are you just going to let her die in vain?!"

Chen Huaishu's turbid eyes instantly turned crimson, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Inside the hall, everyone's breathing became heavy.

An extremely suppressed anger burned ragingly in everyone's chest.

Zhao Qingcang looked at everyone's reactions, took a deep breath, and said word by word in a tone akin to a declaration.

"Therefore, I have decided."

"No more waiting."

"Right today, right at this moment."

"I, in the name of the Great Xia United Front Marshal, announce—"

He paused, every word seemingly exhausting all the strength in his body.

"Total war against Sakura Country!"