Inside the King’s chamber, the previous pride, calmness, and confidence were all gone.

Every elder was on his feet, while the once dignified chamber was now filled with uneasiness and silence.

Some were pacing back and forth in trepidation.

They all knew what was at stake.

Their mighty army was gone.

Gone without a trace.

That alone was enough to give them countless sleepless nights.

The thought of an entire army disappearing without leaving behind a single survivor was something none of them could comprehend.

But then again, they sent a squad of Palace Guards to scout for information, hoping to pry into what was really going on.

Unfortunately, the fate of the Palace Guards wasn’t any different.

Gone without a trace.

When they thought things couldn’t become any worse, their archenemy, the Horn Lizard Clan, declared war on them.

The timing was simply too perfect, making every elder feel as though an invisible hand had carefully orchestrated everything.

If it were before, they wouldn’t have taken the Horn Lizard Clan’s march to battle seriously, not to mention mere humans.

In their eyes, neither possessed the qualifications to threaten the mighty Scorpion Clan.

But now, they were truly scared.

Scared to their bones.

Without their army, how could they hope to confront the Horn Lizard Clan?

Even though they were all Level 38 Scorpion Men, none of them were battle veterans. Most of them had spent their lives managing the affairs of the clan rather than fighting on the battlefield.

They might be stronger than humans of the same level, but compared to the Horn Lizard Clan’s Men of the same level.

They would lose their advantage, and with their lack of battle experience, their defeat was inevitable.

So, how wouldn’t they be scared?

"Your Highness..." one of the elders called, unsure of how to continue.

His mouth opened several times before no words came out.

The atmosphere inside the chamber was tense, heavy, and could be cut with a knife.

Of all the elders, the only one seated was the Old Elder.

Even then, his expression was ugly.

His withered face remained unusually solemn, while his eyes revealed an exhaustion that had never appeared before.

As an elder who had experienced many things in the past, he perfectly understood the precarious situation of their clan.

He had witnessed countless crises throughout his lifetime, yet none had pushed the Scorpion Clan to such a desperate corner.

Never had their clan been pushed to such an extreme.

Right now, the fate of their existence was dangling by a mere thread.

One wrong decision could erase everything the Scorpion Clan had built over countless generations.

"What should we do?" an elder asked impatiently.

His voice carried obvious panic as he looked toward everyone else, hoping someone could offer a solution.

"We can’t continue to keep quiet. We need to do something before the Horn Lizard Clan and the humans begin their charge." He saind anxiously.

All the elders nodded in agreement, but no one voiced any suggestion on how to resolve their predicament.

This was a predicament they had never experienced before. Everything that had happened over the past two days had completely exceeded their understanding and they were lost.

Truly lost.

"I suggest we should consult the Ancient One," another elder suggested.

He slowly stepped forward, his eyes filled with expectation as he looked toward the King.

His tone was grave.

"This is not the time not to disturb the Ancient One. If our clan’s existence is on the line, then right now is not the time to think about rules and implications." His voice grew firmer with every word.

"Agreed. Right now, we need the wisdom of the Ancient One," another elder supported.

"Idiots!" the Old Elder said, his face filled with disdain.

His sharp voice instantly silenced the chamber as his cold gaze swept across every elder present.

"Why do you all think like those lowly humans? Fools."

Listening to the Old Elder calling him a fool, the elder was furious and wanted to erupt in rage.

But at that moment, their quiet King shifted his gaze and looked at the elder.

His calm eyes carried no emotion, yet they radiated an invisible pressure that instantly froze the elder in place.

A mere glance sent a cold shiver down the elder’s spine.

Instantly, he swallowed whatever was in his throat. The words of protest that had reached his lips disappeared without a trace.

The nervous elders stopped pacing and took a deep breath, looking at their King. One after another, they lowered their heads, waiting for him to speak.

However, the Old Elder was not done speaking. Even with the King opening his eyes, his expression did not falter.

"You all mentioned consulting the Ancient One. Do you think the King has not considered it? Hmm?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at every elder.

"So keep quiet if you don’t have any reasonable suggestions, and stop thinking like those lowly humans," he spat, his voice filled with condescension.

Every word he spoke struck the elders like a heavy hammer, leaving them unable to refute him.

Even though they were furious at being compared with the lowly humans, they still understood the reason behind the old Elder’s words and their anger quickly subsided.

How could their King not have considered consulting the Ancient One?

For him not to consult the Ancient One, there must be a strong reason behind it. Even though they understood this, that did not lessen their nervousness.

On the contrary, their fear and nervousness rose sharply.

The realization that even the Ancient One might be unable to intervene caused despair to slowly spread through every elder’s heart.

Now that they couldn’t contact their last line of defense, what were they going to do?

"Since I’m still here, our clan will never fall." The King’s ancient voice boomed throughout the chamber.

His calm words carried an unquestionable confidence that immediately suppressed the panic filling the hall.

It was deep, filled with unquestionable authority.

"Leave and prepare the few able Scorpion Men for battle. And wait for my command." His tone left no room for negotiation.

With that, the Scorpion King vanished from his seat.

***

[AN: I’m quite busy today and I won’t be able to release the bonus Chapter. I shall release it tomorrow. Thanks for the support.]