Ancient Fiend Dragon Emperor-Chapter 954 - 953 Returning to the Imperial City

"Nan Qing..."

Su Han murmured to himself, "So, considering this, his current status here is probably due to the Strongest Pass."

"I think so."

"It’s possible."

Xuanyuan Wuqing and Bai Ling spoke almost simultaneously, and after finishing, exchanged glances. Bai Ling snorted and quickly looked away, while Xuanyuan Wuqing chuckled dryly a few times.

Observing their expressions, Su Han couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow and instinctively said, "You two... have something going on?"

"No, we don’t."

Bai Ling’s face flushed. Although she possessed the body of Lishen King, a middle-aged woman, she was still herself, and her actual age was not yet thirty.

Seeing her refute, Xuanyuan Wuqing chuckled again without speaking.

Su Han was slightly surprised; he had merely made a speculative remark just now, but judging by their expressions, there really seemed to be something going on!

"I remember, the Holy Spirit Palace has a rule that all matters of marriage, regardless of gender, must be decided by the Holy Spirit Palace, isn’t it?" Su Han continued.

Mentioning this, a trace of sadness immediately appeared on Bai Ling’s face. Though she hid it well, Su Han still noticed.

Xuanyuan Wuqing frowned and said, "The Holy Spirit Palace’s rule completely binds people, it’s too overbearing."

"There’s no choice."

Su Han shrugged and said, "The Holy Spirit Palace possesses a secret technique capable of resurrection, people like Bai Ling, geniuses, must know a little of it. If they were allowed to marry freely, these cultivation techniques would have been lost long ago, and the Holy Spirit Palace wouldn’t be as powerful as it is now."

Seeing both remain silent, Su Han knew not to continue talking about this. He cleared his throat and said, "Since Nan Qing and his group can gain the title of Holy Spirit King from the Fire God Empire due to the Strongest Pass, then the one who received the First Level Pass from Demon Domain must hold a very high status here."

"That should be the case, though we haven’t seen them," Bai Ling replied.

Su Han nodded, and the three of them casually chatted about other topics. When day broke, the armies of various countries had already finished their repairs.

Su Han received the report that the Long Wind Army had suffered losses of 1,130,000 troops, with around eighty percent of them dead. The rest were either severely injured or disabled, unable to form fighting force again.

Upon learning of Emperor Changming’s orders, Su Han bid farewell to Xuanyuan Wuqing and Bai Ling, leaving 100,000 Long Wind soldiers to guard Fengling City, and took the remainder to report to the Imperial City.

...

Imperial City.

When seeing Su Han and several dozen leaders arriving dust-ridden from outside, Emperor Changming stood directly up from the throne, walked down ninety-nine steps, and greeted them personally outside the hall.

Not only him, but Hai Cheng and others had been waiting outside the hall for some time.

This battle could be described as a transformative battle for the Long Wind Empire.

King Qinghong used a staggering strategy to annihilate the Moon God Army and Ming’an Army totally, totaling 8,000,000 troops. The Fenghao Army and Shen Yuan Army also each lost three million.

King Qinghong, with the support from Lishen King and Cold-Blooded King, single-handedly slayed the two war generals, King Taiyu and King Qitian, remarkably shocking!

Although they had not witnessed this scene personally, just hearing the spy reports made these ministers feel their blood boiling.

After this battle, the Four Great Empires suffered a significant depletion, and due to ongoing wars elsewhere, they certainly wouldn’t suppressively dispatch troops against the Long Wind Empire in a short period.

The Long Wind Empire now had time to recuperate, recruit more soldiers, and by the time the Four Great Empires recover, the Long Wind Empire wouldn’t be as passive as now!

It could be said that King Qinghong not only saved the Long Wind Empire from the verge of destruction but also crafted a future where the Long Wind Empire grows stronger!

Because of the loss of the Four Great Empires’ army corps, previously conquered cities by the Long Wind Empire have become ownerless, and since the Four Great Empires have no time to spare, they can’t send army corps to control them. Therefore, sooner or later, these cities will be reclaimed by the Long Wind Empire.

This battle was decisive.

This battle allowed the Long Wind Empire to completely turn the tables!

...

"Hahaha..."

Seeing Su Han and others returning, Emperor Changming’s laughter immediately echoed beyond the hall.

With a wave of his hand, the cloak behind him was taken off, and as Su Han approached, he gently waved it, draping the dragon-embroidered cloak slowly over Su Han’s shoulders.

With Su Han’s cultivation base, he naturally wouldn’t feel cold, and Emperor Changming’s gesture wasn’t to keep Su Han warm; it was to show the world how highly he valued King Qinghong!

And how crucial this battle led by King Qinghong was!

"We pay respects to King Qinghong, pay respects to all generals..."

After Emperor Changming draped the cloak over Su Han, Hai Cheng and others slowly bowed, centering themselves around Su Han. Everyone standing in front of him, except Emperor Changming, bowed at this moment!

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Emperor Changming grasped Su Han’s hand, took a deep breath, and then said to the dozens of generals behind him, "Generals, thank you for your hard work!"

"For the country, for the people, no hesitation!" the generals responded in unison.

Su Han also made a perfunctory remark, and under Emperor Changming’s lead, proceeded towards the grand hall.

As they brushed past Hai Cheng and others, Su Han suddenly halted.

His gaze fell on Hai Cheng, who either regretted, feared, or truly respected Su Han now. Regardless, Hai Cheng felt Su Han’s gaze and did not dare meet his eyes, only respectfully bowing and standing there.

Su Han smiled, didn’t linger, and continued into the hall.

This time, he had slapped the faces of these ministers hard; one could easily guess, even with their eyes closed, what these ministers were saying to Emperor Changming when he went to battle.

In the hall, Emperor Changming’s face beamed with excitement as he said some formalities and then issued rewards to the generals.

Finally, turning to Su Han, Emperor Changming didn’t directly grant a reward but instead asked, "King Qinghong, in this battle, your contributions are the greatest. That’s undeniable. Don’t let anyone speak of things like achievements overshadowing the ruler here; you deserved to be rewarded. So, what reward would you like?"

"A reward, huh?"

Su Han murmured internally. At this moment, countless things flashed through his mind.

Weapons, cultivation techniques, equipment, skills... So many essential things for every cultivator.

Yet, recalling Xuanyuan Wuqing’s words, and the event in the Dwarf Clan’s weaponry, these thoughts vanished instantly from Su Han’s mind.

If one can’t take things with them, what use is it even to acquire them?