Chapter 507: The Journey Back

No matter how bereaved Yun Yang felt, he had still caught up to the withdrawing troop that was guarding Qiu Jianhan by dawn.

Marquis Yun and Bai Yixue led the left and right flanks respectively; their strong divine senses were carefully attuned to the surrounding movements at all times. The four noble young masters and elites from the families stayed in the center, surrounding and guarding the old marshal.

They had moved extremely slowly along the entire way. Despite the fact that they had made good progress, Yun Yang had still caught up easily.

"How is the old marshal now?" Yun Yang asked softly.

Yun Yang was confident about his treasured blood. He believed that Old Marshal could only be better now, it was impossible for him to deteriorate. The question was a mere formality.

"How's the war?" Shangguan Lingxiu asked impatiently.

"The war..."

Hearing that Yun Yang had rushed back, everyone naturally gathered around him to find out about the warfare.

"The war ended. We've won." Yun Yang said, "Han Sanhe died, Dongxuan is already withdrawing from the field."

"Ah..."

The short and direct reply astounded everyone.

Yun Yang's straightforward answer - the war had ended, we had won, the main marshal of the enemy had died, the enemy troop had withdrawn themselves - was incredibly flat and true, without any decorative modifiers. Yet, it was the greatest news that all the others dared not imagine.

They were dazed for a short moment, their minds blank. The group was hushed and there pin-drop silence all around.

What followed after the extreme silence was an extreme ruckus; deafening cheers erupted throughout the squad, laced with endless questions.

Yun Yang understood their emotions, so he explained meticulously with patience. After all, this was truly a godsent news for Yutang's people - one that would never be forgotten.

For the longest time, Yutang's greatest enemy and biggest threat was Dongxuan! Han Sanhe, who was crowned the top marshal of the continent and the most elite Dongxuan army who had triumphed over the entire continent was double the threat when they worked together.

Now, though, Han Sanhe was dead. The top general of the continent, Tianxuan's God of War, was actually dead...

Simply put, the strength of the Dongxuan threat had been reduced by an eighth.

How could the group not cheer in exhilaration when they heard this happy news?

In spite of this, they could hardly imagine it. Their side had obviously suffered in the previous battle or else Fu Baoguo would not have arranged for them to leave first. Granted, it was akin to tasking them with the responsibility of guarding the old marshal back safely, but everyone knew that it was due to the worsening warfare that could no longer hold out. Why had it become a victory all of a sudden, with the death of the enemy's marshal thrown into the mix as well? This was too f*cking unreal!

If this were not from Yun Yang's own mouth and that they were sure that Yun Yang would not jest about such things, they would have found it hard to believe or imagine.

"Actually, it's like this... the Nine Supremes Lords suddenly appeared and unleashed their powers onto the world. Dongxuan was intimidated by the Nine Supremes Lords' forces, how could they not have lost then?"

Once Yun Yang mentioned the words Nine Supremes, another bout of cheers split the air.

Shangguan Lingxiu's bright gaze focused on Yun Yang even more intently, a ghost of a smile flashing across her face. That was the top secret only she knew - it was enough for her to be aware of it.

"Ultimately, Dongxuan's defeat was inevitable. To retain his military talents, Han Sanhe was willing to behead himself and end the war. Dongxuan has withdrawn themselves accordingly... We've won the war! Yutang has won!"

Yun Yang narrated the entire episode in a flat tone, but everyone else looked contented as they basked in the glory.

"Thank God! Yutang's crisis has finally been resolved."

The one who said this was Marquis Yun. He looked like he was filled with various emotions, amongst which blatant relief was the most obvious.

Yun Yang realized that the sideburns of this instant father of his were dotted with white; he wondered how long that had been the case. No matter how outstanding and charming he looked, the toll that pressure had taken on him was still very much visible.

All these years, Yutang was vexed with both internal and external struggles. It was not only the emperor who had expended his efforts and tried his best to work with royal blood; Marquis Yun who was excluded from the imperial court was also roaming the country and working hard.

Perhaps, this analogy would fit the situation better. Yun Xioayao was more like a firefighter. If the east needed help, he would go to the east; if the west was in trouble, he would go to the west. He spent his time traveling around the empire beating out conflagrations.

What was said about the Marquis of Heavenly Clouds, that he abstained himself from the worldly affairs, was a lie - because even when the world was peaceful, he could not stay at home. He had to be aware of the news that took place around the borders. Who knew what would happen at either side?

Furthermore, he had to keep on improving himself. Only under such a premise was he capable of associating with schools and sects of the martial world, befriending martial world experts, and even defending against ace cultivators of enemy countries.

All in all, other than the politics in the imperial court that he took great care to stay out of, he had to worry about everything else; anything he encountered would ultimately be under his care.

A heaven realm cultivator was also an exhausted individual.

If Han Sanhe's fate to achieve cultivation pinnacle was obstructed by his reputation of being the continent's top general and Tianxuan's God of War, then Marquis of Heavenly Clouds, Yun Xiaoyao, was similarly restrained by these external affairs. If he had concentrated in cultivation and stepped out of all worldly matters, his capability would surely not stop where he was at now.

It was fortunate that he could exhale the breath he had been holding in now.

"I must rest before going back to the capital. If I didn't have to go back for a few years, that would suit me perfectly fine!" Marquis Yun smiled in exhaustion, but his beam was filled with content and anticipation. "I roam the world, but nothing beats resting at home. That is true relaxation and peace."

"After all these years of running about... I am really tired."

Yun Yang suddenly recalled something and said, "Now that the issue of the invasion has been resolved, it's a good time for you to head home and rest. I think there should be plenty of things in the capital waiting for you to take charge of."

Marquis Yun's chuckle was devoid of humor. "You are truly unrelenting. Are you arranging new tasks for me?"

Yun Yang coughed. "I don't dare to... But come to think about it, His Majesty will be upset when he sees you idle..."

Marquis Yun rolled his eyes and said, "How dare he!"

This phrase was uttered so vehemently that Yun Xiaoyao was probably the only who dared speak so aggressively and openly in the whole of the Empire of Yutang! Yun Yang, Old Marshal Qiu, Marshal Leng Daoyin, or Old Grand Commandant Fang Qingtian, they would not be bold enough to do it!

"Right, what did you do to Old Marshal Qiu? Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Marquis Yun suddenly asked Yun Yang, but he had also inadvertently answered the latter's first question.

"Old Marshal's breathing is stable and his life force is sufficient. His state has improved a lot and his pulse is smooth. He's been in a state of deep sleep all along, without any sign of waking up for days."

Marquis Yun continued speaking without waiting for Yun Yang's response. "I've observed closely and the reason Old Marshal hasn't been waking up should be due to the damage that his life force has sustained, and the exhaustion of his spirit. Such damage needs a long time to recuperate but this is only my personal opinion. The actual situation will need your diagnosis as the direct healer. Regardless, the Old Marshal is in no danger."

Yun Yang nodded as he listened to Marquis Yun. Previously, the miracle of Yun Yang saving the old marshal with his blood was a bold move that fought for the old marshal's life against God. However, just like Marquis Yun's diagnosis, Old Marshal's life force and soul were both heavily damaged. Even if his physical condition was healthy like that of an ordinary person, he still needed a long time to recuperate, thus the state of deep sleep he was currently in was the best for him. It would only be a matter of time before the Old Marshal would wake up again.

Yun Yang was quite happy with how things had worked out, and he had no further countermeasures anyway. Emmie was no longer around, so his nourished blood was Yun Yang's trump card for now. This was the most he could do under the circumstances.

"Your diagnosis is correct. Old Marshal only needs to recuperate now. With the war coming to a close, we'll depart right away to return to Tiantang. It isn't only the old marshal, everyone else too needs to rest and recuperate," Yun Yang said.

"Great."

Everyone was basking in happiness. The eight hundred-mile express messenger was also on their way back to report the good news. Only Yun Yang and Marquis Yun from the troop were frowning lightly like they were weighed down with concerns and not at all thrilled about the victory.

The troop who guarded Old Marshal's return was made up of the Shangguan Family of Generals, the four noble families, the Residence of Marquis of Heavenly Clouds, and Old Marshal Qiu's janissaries. These people had incredibly high cultivation bases, but it was not their forte to be prudent and prepare for the worst.

The ecstasy filling Marquis Yun immediately turned into heavyheartedness as he was reminded of dark memories by Yun Yang's words.

Now that the four countries' siege had failed, it was basically world peace as the external woes were now no longer an issue. Yutang would naturally go back to its era of peaceful development that also governed recovery. However, it was during such a time that a more challenging situation might arise. This was because once the external struggle was vanquished, what was left was internal strife - an inevitable civil strife in Yutang.

Even when His Majesty had already recovered and was back in his prime, his many princes would be grown up as well. After solving the external crisis, the issue to face now was to appoint the next ruler!

This was a problem that could not be avoided, especially when Yutang was about to face a long period of peace.

The emperor was healthy and his cultivation base was decently strong. It looked like he could still run the empire for tens of years. Could the princes wait that long?

According to Marquis Yun's personal judgment, they definitely wouldn't have the patience. A civil war was inevitable. This internal issue, to a certain extent, could be more even serious than the imposing armies from the four countries!