Volume Six: The God-Monarch Returns to the Shattered Continent Chapter Nine: Celebration

At the highest vantage point, Yu Changsheng waved his arms in a rhythmic motion. The Heaven-Sustaining Immortal Array began to contract, and the elite forces scattered across the horizon converged, intent on finishing the battle in one fell swoop.

The Anli soldiers, who had initially fled in all directions, realized they could not break through the seamless encirclement and gradually ceased their desperate flight.

One soldier, severely wounded with a blood-soaked bandage around his head and leaning on a wooden staff, sat down cross-legged with a face full of sorrow. He began to chant the military anthem of the Anli tribe:

"The heavens are dim, we die for the land. While the golden sun remains, we pledge never to return home."

As the song rose, the surrounding remnants of the defeated army gathered around him, sitting in silence.

Five men, ten, a hundred, a thousand. Gradually, everyone ceased their movements, huddling together to sing this deep and tragic anthem.

"Everyone is born of a father and mother; we are all flesh and blood. Yuanjun, they have given up resistance; could we not spare them?" Yu Changsheng, moved by the scene, pleaded with Zhuohua.

"You are right. Heaven favors the living, and our Xuanhuang clan has always stood upon benevolence and righteousness in this void," Zhuohua replied.

Yu Changsheng felt a glimmer of joy, believing his compassion had touched the heart of this exalted king. Just as he prepared to wave the fire flag to signal a cease-fire, Zhuohua’s voice sounded again:

"However, when your parents were brutally murdered, did they beg the Anli soldiers to spare their lives? The innocent people in the Southern Yan Continent who died under the blade, did they beg the Anli soldiers for mercy? What kind of life have the people of Tianshui City lived these past few months? If the Anli army were to breach the city, would the citizens receive forgiveness or a massacre? Would Yan Congxu, who sacrificed his life to block a blow for you, agree with your proposal? Answer me."

Zhuohua’s voice was icy and devoid of emotion, sending a chilling shiver down Yu Changsheng’s spine.

"Them!" Zhuohua pointed at the Anli army within the encirclement and said to Yu Changsheng, "They are defeated now and have laid down their weapons, but have you ever considered if it were we who had been defeated, would they have spared us?"

Thinking of his parents’ tragic deaths and the pillaging and slaughter he had witnessed along the way, Yu Changsheng sobered, pulling himself out of his sentimental state.

"No! They cannot be forgiven." After Yu Changsheng spoke, the fire flag swept downward.

"Kill them all!" Yu Changsheng roared.

"You kill my people—did you ask for my permission?" A soft, beautiful, and ethereal voice drifted melodiously through the night sky.

"Though, I am quite pleased that you have achieved such realization. Hehehe..." A series of crisp, clear laughs drifted from afar, then stopped abruptly.

"Hey! You blockhead! This little child you’re carrying has the same thoughts you did back then; he’s quite cute! What’s his name? Where is he from?" Lanling blinked her large, bright eyes, smiling down at Yu Changsheng on Zhuohua’s back.

She hovered in the air before Zhuohua, her red-and-white dress fluttering in the evening breeze. With her peerless beauty, it was easy to mistake her for an immortal descending from the heavens.

"You... why are you here?" Zhuohua was flustered. Only moments ago, they were on a battlefield of life and death, and now Lanling’s sudden appearance disrupted all his thoughts, leaving his mind blank once more.

"You are killing my people, so naturally, I had to come and see," Lanling looked down at the scene, then smiled brightly. "You’re doing quite well! What is this formation you’ve created? It seems rather impressive! Let me try it some other day to see if I can break out of it."

"It is not a formation I created; it was created by Yu Changsheng," Zhuohua’s mind lagged behind his words, and he found himself answering her instinctively.

Lanling drifted forward a few steps and reached out to pinch Yu Changsheng’s cheek. Yu Changsheng, who had never encountered such a situation, was startled to see a beautiful woman suddenly reach out to pinch him and scrambled to hide behind Zhuohua.

"Oh my! Shy?" Lanling covered her mouth and laughed. "You’re on his back; let’s see where you can hide!" With that, she drifted even closer, reaching both hands toward the back of Zhuohua’s head, determined to pinch Yu Changsheng’s cheek.

Zhuohua couldn't take it anymore, as his nose was now almost touching Lanling’s. He spoke up: "Stop it. He is just a child; don't frighten him. Besides, look at the time and the occasion!"

Lanling’s hands stopped in mid-air. She pulled them back with interest and rested them on Zhuohua’s shoulders, tilting her head and looking at him with a beaming smile, her eyes curved and lips turned up.

After a moment, Lanling began to laugh so hard her hair ornaments rattled, gasping for air.

Zhuohua and Yu Changsheng watched, bewildered, as she laughed, clutching her sides and then holding her stomach in mock pain.

After a long while, Lanling pointed at Zhuohua and said, "Blockhead! You! You’re actually jealous! You’re jealous of a child! You’re killing me!"

The atmosphere turned extremely awkward.

"Enough! Stop messing around." Zhuohua felt that if he let her continue, his reputation as the High God Yuanjun would be lost to the Kunpeng Sea. "Why have you come here this time?"

Lanling waved her hand, gradually stopping her laughter, and pulled a silk handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I came to see you!"

"You knew I was here?"

"Naturally. Ever since you were taken away by me, my people have been monitoring your whereabouts."

"You still say that! If it weren't for you kidnapping me, would I be in such a miserable state? Would the situation have collapsed so rapidly?" Zhuohua roared in frustration.

A look of grievance appeared in Lanling’s large eyes. "You’re yelling at me! I had no choice but to take you away. If you hadn't refused to listen to me and fought me at every turn, we would all have been in trouble."

As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face. Seeing this, Zhuohua’s heart softened, yet he remained resentful.

"What could have happened?"

"We would all have died!" Lanling wiped her tears with the handkerchief, refusing to look at Zhuohua.

"What is there to fear in death? When I was in the Xuanhuang Void, I never intended to live."

"But this time is different. We cannot die; we still have a mission to fulfill." Lanling looked at Zhuohua with teary, misty eyes and reached out to hold his hand. "Zhuohua, will you listen to me just once? Just once. Don't interfere in these matters anymore. I promise you, I will never harm any life in this void."

"What exactly are you trying to do? If you don't explain it clearly, how can I believe you?" Zhuohua felt conflicted. He truly did not understand how Lanling could claim everything was for their mission while her actions were diametrically opposed to it.

"I can't tell you, really! I can't! But you must believe me—my heart for you has never changed." Lanling’s eyes were earnest and fervent.

Seeing this, Zhuohua knew that arguing further would yield no results. He said, "Fine! I believe you."

"Really? You finally believe me?" Lanling asked, disbelieving, her tear-filled eyes radiating hope.

Zhuohua nodded and asked, "What should be done with these people now?" He pointed to the group of Anli soldiers who had surrendered.

Lanling was overjoyed and waved her hand excitedly. "Kill them, bury them, do as you please." Her hand gripped Zhuohua’s tightly, trembling with excitement.

Zhuohua looked down and sneered, "They were all willing to die for you, yet you speak of their lives so dismissively."

They slowly descended to the ground. Lanling looked at the wounded Anli soldiers and turned to Zhuohua, saying, "If you are going to deal with them, hurry up. You know that the recovery speed of the Anli tribe after being wounded is incredibly fast. I see some of their wounds have already stopped bleeding and are starting to heal."

Zhuohua nodded and looked at Feng Shang, who was lying on the ground, gasping for breath. "He’s so severely wounded, he can't possibly survive, can he?"

Lanling stepped forward and glanced at Feng Shang. His eyes were tightly shut, and his chest had been completely crushed by the flail, yet there was still a faint rise and fall.

"How did he get wounded like this?" Lanling did not answer Zhuohua’s question.

"He ambushed us and was wounded by me," Zhuohua replied.

Lanling’s eyebrows arched, and a fierce glint appeared in her eyes. She reached out, grabbed the blood-stained handle of the flail, and pulled it out of Feng Shang’s chest with a single jerk.

Unable to bear the agony, Feng Shang gave a final roar before falling completely silent.

"There, now he definitely won't survive." She tossed the flail aside with disgust and wiped the blood off her hands with her handkerchief, saying, "Anyone who dares to attack Zhuohua, besides me, must die."

Zhuohua shook his head and unbuckled his belt. Yu Changsheng slid off his back. Having spent so long being carried and having just experienced such a major battle, his legs were weak and sore. As soon as he landed, he lost his footing and collapsed to the ground.

Zhuohua reached out to help him up, but Yu Changsheng waved him off. "Yuanjun, you should go talk about the important matters with the lady. I’ll be fine in a moment."

Lanling covered her mouth and laughed. "What a sensible little child; I like him. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just use my name and see who dares to act up."

Yu Changsheng didn't think much of it and asked, "May I ask for the lady's name?"

Lanling’s eyes sparkled as she opened her lips to reply, "I am the Saintess of the Xuanhuang Nine Heavens, Fairy Lanling."

This was Lanling’s first visit to Tianshui City, and she was filled with curiosity.

The position of the Xiqi Continent in this void was rather unique. When Zhuohua and Lanling had pacified the universe and created the world using the Desolation Cauldron, they had only added the Central God Continent to the ancient lands. The descendants of the Immortal Clan believed the Central God Continent was the place of divine creation and their origin, so the vast majority of the Immortal Clan resided there.

The other continents were populated by the indigenous Pu people and those demons who had been defeated in the ancient wars. In Xiqi Continent, in particular, the Immortal Clan made up only one-tenth of the population. There were many foreign tribes and nations here, as well as remnants of the demon race hiding in the deserts and Gobi. Tianshui City was the largest city of the Immortal Clan in the entire Xiqi Continent and a vital military fortress.

The Cloud Palace’s policy toward Xiqi Continent had always been fickle, ranging from initial forceful conquest to later appeasement, none of which had resolved the turmoil. Finally, after Zhuohua personally toured Xiqi Continent many years ago, he established the current "羈縻" (Jimi) policy, which gradually stabilized the situation. It was during that tour that he had saved Su Mengling and her father.

The so-called Jimi policy—Jimi meaning "bridle and halter"—was a method of control.

There were two types of Jimi systems:

The first was the establishment of Jimi Prefectures in areas under the military influence of the Immortal Clan. The chiefs were hereditary, internal affairs were autonomous, and they paid annual tribute to the Cloud Palace while bearing certain responsibilities, such as loyalty to the Cloud-Top Heavenly Palace and providing troops and supplies as requested.

The second was the client states, which were usually granted the title of King. They had their own territories, but their leaders had to be appointed by the Cloud-Top Heavenly Palace and could not act independently. They had to pay annual tribute and attend a Great Court Assembly every five years.

"How high are the walls of Tianshui City?" Lanling looked around and suddenly asked Zhuohua.

"The Tianshui city walls are four zhang high, six zhang wide, and twenty li in circumference. It is the greatest city in the Xiqi Continent," Yu Changsheng replied. Having loved reading since childhood and possessing a particular fondness for geography, he answered the question easily.