Volume One: The Chaos of Yanyun Chapter 114: The Beacon Fires Fade (Part I)

"The Emperor of the Underworld has been defeated."

"The King of Yanbei is dead."

"Regardless of what Li Jinxing promised you, it seems it cannot be fulfilled now. Do you feel a bit disappointed?"

"No, because Li Jinxing never made me any promises."

"Not making you a promise does not mean you had no desires of your own."

"I had my desires. What business is it of yours?"

"What you sought is what I lost; how could it not concern me?"

"Fair point."

Recently, there have been countless battles of the Dao-Integration realm across the Daoyuan Continent.

The battle of Xu Hai in the west.

The battle of the Bohai invasion in the north.

The battle of Wuyang defending against the Underworld.

The battle for the defense of Yanbei.

And the battle between those four individuals within Daoyuan.

Fighting to this point, they had long forgotten who was whose opponent. The four peak masters of the God-Hidden realm attacked one another with no distinction between friend or foe.

Everyone but oneself was an enemy.

However, the ceasefire of the military forces at Wuyang City and Yanyun City still had some effect on them.

For instance, they were still able to spare a moment during the fight to engage in the conversation above.

If Wuyang won, Xue Qianzhang and Mingfa would have fewer worries. Likewise, if Yanbei won, Xue Wu'an and Zisang Bumu would have fewer concerns.

Yet, it could not be simplified as an equivalent exchange.

Xue Qianzhang looked at Xue Wu'an and said earnestly, "It was, after all, your life's work. To have it destroyed just like that, are you truly not pained at all?"

Xue Wu'an gave him a cold look and ignored him.

Xue Qianzhang continued, "The Storyteller told me some things, including how you wanted to kill him not long ago but failed to do so."

Xue Wu'an replied, "And so what?"

Xue Qianzhang pressed on, "You didn't answer his question back then because you were certain you could kill him. So, I will ask you now: Empress Xuan has been dead for so many years—can you truly not let it go?"

Mingfa frowned, thinking that this question was of remarkably low quality.

Zisang Bumu lowered his eyes, thinking that if he could let it go, he wouldn't have stirred up so much trouble, eventually turning himself into something neither human nor ghost.

Xue Wu'an’s gaze grew colder.

Dragons have a reverse scale; so do men.

Xue Qianzhang’s question was his reverse scale. He did not answer, but he did respond.

A crisp chime of a sword resonated through the heavens and the earth.

Xue Qianzhang was slightly surprised, thinking, *You actually want to compete with me in swordsmanship?*

In terms of cultivation or other aspects, Xue Qianzhang admitted that there were many in this world stronger than him, but when it came to the word "sword," who under heaven could surpass him?

Even his martial uncle in the Sword Pavilion could not!

Xue Yun was, after all, the progenitor of all swords!

Thinking of this, he stopped holding back.

A sharper, clearer sword chime rang out.

A wind rose in the arena, laced with a nauseating, fishy stench.

Occasional moisture touched his face; looking up, he saw only a crimson rain.

Xue Qianzhang frowned.

Cold energy rose with his frown, freezing the foul wind and congealing the blood rain, yet he lost sight of Xue Wu'an.

Without hesitation, he raised his sword and slashed horizontally.

Thus, both the foul wind and the freezing cold were severed into nothingness by his sword energy.

From that void, a sword thrust out.

Xue Qianzhang countered with his own, easily piercing the other blade. The edge buckled ungracefully, like a withered pipa.

He raised an eyebrow.

The Weeping Blood Sword was a celestial-grade flying sword; how could it be so pathetic?

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon at play.

He sensed another sword thrusting from behind, as swift as the wind.

This did not stump him; with a cold snort, endless wind and snow descended, freezing that sword in its tracks.

Suddenly, his hand tightened.

The pierced Weeping Blood Sword had miraculously fused back together, pinning his Treading Snow Sword fast.

Then, from all directions, strands of sword energy emerged.

*Interesting,* Xue Qianzhang thought silently.

...

"They have begun; shall we continue?" Zisang Bumu withdrew his gaze and invited Mingfa to fight.

Mingfa shook his head. "Since Bohai has already achieved its initial strategic objectives, what need is there for us to continue fighting?"

Zisang Bumu pondered this and said nothing.

Mingfa looked at him twice.

Zisang Bumu said, "Does the Dao Saint have something to say?"

Mingfa said earnestly, "He has been dead for over a thousand years. Why must you remain so obsessed?"

Zisang Bumu replied, "One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father. As long as I am not dead, it is not an obsession."

Mingfa continued, "After Dugu Feiyun ascended, the masters who besieged Wei Sanmu back then have all left this world. Why must you vent your anger on this world?"

"Vent my anger?" Zisang Bumu said coldly. "I am indeed angry, but I am not venting. I am simply seeking justice."

He paused, then added, "I am seeking this justice from the common people."

Mingfa asked, "What have the common people done to deserve this?"

Zisang Bumu replied seriously, "To not honor the Righteous Path is to court death."

Mingfa asked again, "What is the Righteous Path?"

Zisang Bumu remained serious. "Right is the Righteous Path; not right is the evil path."

Mingfa thought for a moment and continued, "If Bohai gains power, the world still will not return to the Righteous Path."

The King of Bohai was surnamed Dugu.

Zisang Bumu said, "I know that, of course, but I don't mind. As long as he can restore my master’s reputation and title, that is enough."

Mingfa sighed helplessly. "Isn't this just being unreasonable?"

Zisang Bumu replied, "If I weren't being unreasonable, who in this world could have killed my master?"

Mingfa sighed and finally ceased his persuasion.

...

The battle of Wuyang City had come to an end, but the damage inflicted on Wuyang’s civil infrastructure would not be repaired in a short time. During the war, the generals fought; after the war, it was the turn of the civil officials.

Prime Minister Murong did not even attend the morning court session, instead issuing seventy-seven imperial decrees in succession. The members of the Cabinet were gathered at the Prime Minister’s residence; those decrees had been drafted during the war, waiting to be issued the moment the conflict ended.

In this regard, the current Emperor could truly be said to employ people without suspicion, as he dared to hand over something as significant as the Imperial Jade Seal to the Murong mansion so casually.

Watching the laborers and soldiers—who clearly had been temporarily requisitioned by the Ministry of Works—emerging from nowhere, Feng Qi thought he had misjudged the Fourth Prince after all.

Only the God Emperor could have achieved these things immediately after the war, or rather, it was the power that only the God Emperor could possess.

The God Emperor was right beside him.

Where, then, was that power?

The ranks of the Six Ministries were too low; no matter how much the God Emperor trusted them, it wouldn't be their turn.

The three dukes held high enough rank, but such centralized power would inevitably bring problems. Even if the God Emperor trusted them, they would have to avoid suspicion.

That left only the Imperial Clan and the Cabinet.

Most of the Imperial Clan did not involve themselves in court politics, and with the Crown Prince away, only the First and Third Princes were in Wuyang. It was unlikely the God Emperor would delegate such power to them.

It was not that checks and balances were bad, but it would give the other princes unnecessary hope, and that was a hope the God Emperor would never permit.

"Regardless, Your Majesty is truly broad-minded. Feng Qi admires you," Feng Qi said sincerely. "The common people are innocent. If not for Your Majesty’s compassion, their lives would be very difficult."

The God Emperor chuckled softly. "Do you not blame me for setting a trap to harm Yanbei?"

Feng Qi did not speak.

The God Emperor looked at him with interest. "Do you know why the Grand Marshal agreed to use the land of Yanbei as a trap?"

Feng Qi looked at the God Emperor, saying nothing, but his expression of seeking an answer was clear.

The God Emperor laughed, then slowly stopped smiling and said, "The Grand Marshal made this request for only two people."

Feng Qi frowned. "I don't think Yang'er and I are qualified to replace the thousands of people in Yanbei."

The God Emperor said, "In my view, that is also the case."

Feng Qi asked, "Then why did my grandfather agree to this plan?"

The God Emperor replied, "I only provided the conclusion; you will have to ask the Grand Marshal for the true reason."

Feng Qi was not ready to give up. "With such an anomaly, Your Majesty, do you truly have no guesses at all?"

This was overstepping.

Whether as the Heir of Yanbei or a disciple of Xue Yun, Feng Qi had no qualification to speak to the God Emperor in such a manner.

Perhaps because of his debt to Yanbei, the God Emperor did not pursue Feng Qi’s disrespect and said, "The human heart is separated by skin. I can trust every high official, but that does not mean I know every detail about them."

Feng Qi realized his rudeness and, suppressing his anger and nausea, offered an apology.

The God Emperor looked at him and suddenly sighed. "Compared to many people in the court, my understanding of the Heir might be deeper."

Feng Qi did not understand the intent behind the God Emperor’s words and did not respond.

The God Emperor said, "But now it seems those assessments were more or less inaccurate."

Feng Qi asked, "In Your Majesty’s view, what kind of person am I?"

The God Emperor said, "If what I know is correct, you should have been very supportive of this plan. Even if it brings a flood, if it can benefit ten thousand generations, why not?"

Feng Qi replied, "The fault is in the present, the merit is in the future."

The God Emperor stroked his beard and said, "Exactly so."

Feng Qi continued, "But Yang'er told me that, referring to the old Emperor’s ascension back then. I just quoted it later, and it has nothing to do with me."

The God Emperor said, "Since you quoted it, it means you at least agree with it."

Feng Qi was silent.

The God Emperor wanted to say something else, but suddenly froze, then sighed softly.

Feng Qi seemed to perceive something; his body trembled, barely preventing himself from falling to the ground.

But he asked nothing.

And so, the God Emperor said nothing.

Before long, they finally saw the plaque of the Grand Marshal’s residence.

The God Emperor vanished in an instant.

Feng Qi no longer had the strength to stand and slumped to the ground.

There was a pattering sound in his ears.

Water stains bloomed on the floor in front of him, and dust rose slightly.

Feng Qi looked up and felt a slight chill.

It was raining.

At first a drizzle, then it became a steady stream, and finally a downpour.

Feng Qi sat in the rain for a long time.

He looked like a homeless, defeated dog.

People passed by on both sides, but no one noticed him.

In normal times, perhaps a kind auntie might have pulled him into a house and prepared ginger soup and hot water for him, but now that the disaster had just passed, all of Wuyang was in ruins and needed to rebuild, so naturally, everyone had to sweep the snow from their own doorsteps.

Right.

If he were not the Heir of Yanbei, if he were not the top of the list of the elegant, who would ever notice him?

The rain fell heavily.

Someone stepped into a puddle beside him, splashing water everywhere, and many droplets landed on his face.

He finally came to his senses and looked up to see a solemn face, as sturdy as a pine tree.

He had come to Wuyang when he was very young, ten years ago.

In those ten years, he had grown from a youth into what he was now, almost a different person.

But the person in front of him seemed never to have changed, remaining as strict and as old as ever.

"A dignified Heir of Yanbei, what is the meaning of sitting here? Get up and come into the manor with me!"