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Of course, such a threat would ultimately be difficult to transform into a full-scale war, and even such a standoff could not last more than a few months. However, as long as such actions were carried out, it would be enough to keep human forces on high alert for the next few years. In other words, as long as no unexpected events occurred, Chen Xuanfeng's initial goal would be essentially accomplished.

Just as the Yellow Dragon Empire once resolved the threat of a frontier empire with a single peace treaty, such massive forces can only be influenced, never fully controlled. Every large power is a collection of numerous interests, and even its ruler can only exert control within limited bounds. In the case of the underground world, without the conflicts of living conditions and beliefs, without the historical mutual hostility, and without the rapid population growth of the dark elves over the past few centuries, Chen Xuanfeng, even with the power of a Saint, would not have been able to use it to threaten humanity. However, by accurately assessing the stakes and leveraging key points, achieving the goal was not particularly difficult.

Chen Xuanfeng was no stranger to using the power of one individual to shape the fate of an entire continent, and it certainly would not be the last.

Heroic Werewolf Scroll, Chapter 55: Another Year of Spring Breeze

The wind swept across vast grasslands and towering mountain ranges, over rippling rivers, and through the early spring blossoms along the riverbanks. It carried a few tender yellow petals and gently brushed against the white dress of a young girl before drifting leisurely toward the clouds.

The girl in white appeared to relish the gentle spring breeze. She tucked a loose strand of her black hair behind her ear, took a deep breath, and then reached out to catch a petal from the wind, gently caressing it. The breeze occasionally lifted her black hair, brushing it against her porcelain-like face, and her expression became somewhat dreamy.

Not far behind her, a young man in luxurious attire, wearing a sword, gazed intently at the girl's back. His focus was so intense that the beauty of the entire world seemed to pale beside a single strand of her hair. The young man was tall and handsome, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and like the black-haired girl in white, he bore the appearance of someone from the Yellow Dragon Empire. Though his clothing was opulent, its design was bold and somewhat militaristic, giving him an air of efficiency and authority rather than mere aristocratic elegance.

Only when the girl turned around did the young man avert his gaze. Though he longed to step forward and confess his feelings to her, he knew all too well that even as the prince of the Yellow Dragon Empire, if he overstepped his bounds, he would be immediately dismissed by the beauty before him. Not even the Yellow Dragon Emperor himself could intervene.

For the girl in white represented the Moonlight Tower, which had guarded the Yellow Dragon Empire for centuries and had a complex relationship with the royal family. Moreover, she herself possessed combat strength at the pinnacle of humanity.

This girl, known as the "Celestial Maiden Knight," had both the power and influence to shape the entire Yellow Dragon Empire.

The girl in white, or rather, Tan Yueer, the "Moon Celestial Maiden," turned her gaze not toward the prince who had been diligently following her, but toward another young man rapidly approaching from the distance.

Like her, this young man had the black hair and eyes typical of the Yellow Dragon people, but his features were more pronounced, suggesting some degree of mixed heritage. He wore a plain white robe adorned with the emblem of a Light God follower and carried a longsword wrapped in white cloth on his back. His speed as he approached was lightning-fast, yet he showed no sign of urgency, a testament to his extraordinary martial prowess.

"Miss Yue, news has arrived from the Zarossa Pass," the young man—or rather, Xi Luo, the young Sword Emperor from the Light God's Temple—said to Tan Yueer. "The dark elf army has begun to retreat from Zarossa Fortress, but their harassment activities in other areas remain rampant. The mercenary empire's forces, fearing the outbreak of a full-scale war, have not dared to fully engage. As of two days ago, the number of missing persons across various regions has exceeded twenty thousand."

Tan Yueer frowned slightly and then asked, "What about the spies sent underground by the various nations? Any new information?"

Xi Luo sighed and replied, "The information is highly fragmented. Some reports suggest this is a war jointly launched by the nine major dark elf families of the underground; others claim it is a single family, defeated in internal strife, attempting to retreat to the surface; and still others say a great catastrophe has occurred underground, forcing some dark elves to migrate. However, when piecing it all together, it seems certain that the dark elf army humanity is currently facing does not represent all the families. Yet, the families that have not mobilized do not appear to be taking advantage of the situation to attack those that have."

They were discussing the recent activities of the underground world.

Last year, the Moonlight Tower, leveraging its century-long foundation, peacefully resolved the mermaid threat in the southern seas of the Yellow Dragon Empire and transformed it into a force beneficial to humanity. The scale of this achievement and its brilliance marked the greatest diplomatic victory in the history of the Moonlight Tower, elevating the prestige of this imperial faction to its peak. However, as is often the case in any world, humans are prone to overreach—or, as some might say, to move from one victory to the next. Following the successful alteration of the Mermaid Empire's policies, as Chen Xuanfeng had predicted, the Moonlight Tower turned its attention to the underground world, the last non-human force yet to be addressed.

This time, however, the task was not as straightforward. First, while the Yellow Dragon Empire had entrances to the underground world within its borders, they were far removed from the territories of the dark elves, making it difficult to establish a comprehensive intelligence network, let alone plant spies capable of influencing high-level decisions. Second, the dark elves' political structure, centered around family clans with female leadership and constant internal strife, did not lend itself to the Moonlight Tower's usual tactics of high-level persuasion. After careful analysis, the Moonlight Tower's leadership decided on a strategy of military deterrence supplemented by division and disintegration.

Thus, Tan Yueer once again left the Yellow Dragon Empire.

Xi Luo's journey, meanwhile, had its own twists and turns.

After being persuaded by the princess of the Red Leaf Kingdom, he bid farewell to Morova and the others and hurried to the Yellow Dragon Empire in search of an opportunity to learn the "Stellar Chess Sword." The dreams of youth are often free of shadows, and though Xi Luo had anticipated some obstacles, he had not expected his path to be so arduous. Upon first setting foot in the Yellow Dragon Empire, he realized he had no idea where the Moonlight Tower was located. He had assumed that such a renowned martial arts faction would have a well-known headquarters, much like the Sacred Dragon Mountain. However, after wandering through several major cities in the Yellow Dragon Empire, he found no one who knew the location of the "Nameless Lake Moonlight Tower." It was only after leveraging the influence of the Light God's Temple to connect with the Yellow Dragon officials that he was met with cold indifference. Poor Xi Luo had no way of knowing that at the time, the Yellow Dragon Empire was secretly negotiating with the beastman alliance, attempting to extricate itself from the wars on the western continent. Naturally, they were wary of anyone from the Light God's Temple, fearing leaks of sensitive information.