ye feng retracted his king''s token, looking down condescendingly at the man beneath him, his expression still one of utter indifference.

    "once more i ask you, where exactly is the king of the southern territory now, and is it true that he is in secluded cultivation?"

    commander xia dared not conceal anything and promptly replied, "to answer the northern border king, the king of the southern territory has proclaimed his seclusion to the outside world since three years ago and has not appeared since. as for the specifics, i have no knowledge!"

    "i do not wish to intentionally conceal, but i truly do not know. i implore the northern border king for understanding."

    ye feng nodded slightly and continued to ask, "what was the realm of the king of the southern territory before he entered seclusion, and were there any unusual actions?"

    commander xia said, "the king of the southern territory had already reached the eighth level of huajin eight years ago. as for his realm before seclusion, i do not know. at that time, the king of the southern territory launched a campaign against the gu&poison sect in the hundred thousand mountains; after returning, he didn''t say much and directly announced his seclusion.

    i did not see the king of the southern territory then, so i''m also unaware of any unusual actions."

    ye feng did not speak again, but stood there lost in thought.

    the other''s words didn''t provide any useful information, but ye feng faintly guessed that something unexpected must have happened to the king of the southern territory when he led his troops to eradicate the gu&poison sect; otherwise, he wouldn''t have rushed into seclusion immediately upon his return.

    and over these five years, it was precisely because the king of the southern territory was in seclusion that the great commanders in the northern border had begun competing against each other, even with occasional conflicts.

    even more extreme, the nine domains of the southern territory now act independently, showing signs of disregard for the king of the southern territory!

    and all these were not seen by ye feng—even though the southern territory and northern border are distinct regions, now that he, the northern border king, had come to the southern territory, it was a matter he could no longer ignore.

    sima zhantian said, "your majesty, how should we deal with this man? he has dared to commit insubordination; i say kill him and take his head to the southern territory!"

    xiao chuanqi also said, "a king''s authority cannot be defiled. your majesty, please issue the order."

    hearing this, commander xia turned cold, and without begging further, he just looked earnestly at the young man sitting in the wheelchair.

    though seated in the wheelchair, the pressure he exerted on commander xia was heavier than a mountain.

    however, ye feng just looked at him and said with a light laugh, "you tell me then, why would i come to your southern territory all of a sudden?"

    not many people knew about the assassination attempt that happened on the outskirts of the capital region of the northern border king three months ago. probably only the top figures knew about it, and given the significance of the event, they were not likely to talk about it either.

    moreover, since the incident might involve multiple forces, those who knew some inside information weren''t likely to speak out, to avoid bringing disaster upon themselves.

    ye feng knew that at this very moment, countless eyes in the imperial capital must be watching him from the shadows; among these watchers were those who felt pity, but more likely, many were taking pleasure in his misfortune, and of course, some were malicious.

    the situation in the imperial capital seemed calm for now, but the ancient aristocratic clan gates, especially those with overwhelming power, were all watching to see whether he, the king of the southern territory, could return to the northern border smoothly.

    ye feng was not in a hurry. since they wanted a show, he was going to give them a grand one!

    commander xia pondered for a long time, then as if struck by sudden realization, he said, "the northern border king is busy with countless affairs. his arrival in the southern territory must surely have a purpose. hence, i dare to guess that the northern king has come for the king of the southern territory. am i right?"

    ye feng couldn''t help but smile and said, "you are quite perceptive. now that you have guessed my intention, you should know what to do next without me having to say it, right?"

    commander xia quickly replied, "i understand. the north and south territories jointly uphold the balance of tiannan, and the kings of each territory should not enter the other''s base camp unless there is an urgent matter. i guess that the northern king is planning to head to the base camp next."

    as he said this, commander xia looked up at the youngest and most promising king since the establishment of their nation, waiting for his response.

    instead of giving a response, ye feng simply said, "continue."

    commander xia felt overwhelmed, finding it difficult to converse with the northern border king and to grasp his thoughts and motives.

    after some thought, commander xia continued, "currently, the king of the southern territory is in secluded cultivation and does not emerge. the great commanders of the south are undermining each other in strife, and the lords of the nine domains seem to be falling apart.

    furthermore, the gu&poison sect''s influence grows stronger, and even the ancient yue kingdom has shown signs of invasion and provocation!"

    "therefore, along with the other two great commanders, i boldly request the northern border king to enter the southern territory''s base camp and take charge of the overall situation!"

    "well done!" ye feng said, his face finally breaking into a smile. after all that talk, the man had indeed not disappointed him.