"You have the young ones from your empire to thank. They are the ones who pushed the Xuanling Empire to the very top. From now on, the Xuanling Empire will never have to worry about a thing. It will become the Flame Dragon Dynasty’s first Peak Empire on the border!"
Red Wood Cliff’s words echoed through the desolate, ruined city, sending a tremor through the Mu clan and the royal family, and all those from the Xuanling Empire who had helped defend against the Magical Beasts.
"A Peak Empire! It’s really a Peak Empire!"
"And as a reward for becoming a Peak Empire, the Xuan Clan of the Xuanling Imperial Family will now receive this edict!"
"An imperial edict from the Emperor of the Dynasty..."
Di Cang was overcome with emotion. It had been eighty years since the Xuanling Empire had heard an imperial edict from the Flame Dragon Dynasty—not since it had slipped from a Middle-class Empire to a Low-class one. How could he possibly contain his emotions at a time like this?!
"Go on, receive the edict!"
Seeing that Xuan Yin, who was beside him, remained motionless after hearing the command, Wu Changqing gave him an irritated nudge. Perhaps he was too stunned by what he’d heard; Xuan Yin didn’t even feel the touch. He just stood there dazedly, staring at Red Wood Cliff with a vacant expression.
Red Wood Cliff had originally worn a dignified expression. As the dean of the Flame Dragon Imperial Academy, he was certainly no stranger to being stared at; by all rights, he should have long since become immune to it. But for some inexplicable reason, facing Xuan Yin’s stare made Red Wood Cliff feel faintly awkward. Xuan Yin’s gaze... it was just too intense!
"Er... Xuanling Emperor, are you going to receive the edict or not?" Wiping a bead of sweat from his temple, Red Wood Cliff looked thoroughly exasperated. That fiery stare was making him extremely uncomfortable.
"Ah? Hmm? Oh, right! I, Xuan Yin, Emperor of Xuanling, shall receive the edict of my Emperor!"
"Good." Red Wood Cliff recomposed himself. With a flick of his finger, a nearly transparent Scroll materialized in his hand. As he channeled his Primordial Power, the scroll slowly rose and unfurled before him with a soft rustle. One by one, golden characters began to materialize on the scroll, shimmering with a brilliant, flowing light.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: The Xuanling Empire is a land of abundant genius. It has won repeated and miraculous victories in the imperial tournament, earning widespread acclaim, bolstering the prestige of our Flame Dragon Dynasty, and broadcasting our might. Their merits are undeniable! We are greatly pleased and therefore bestow the following rewards."
"First: The Xuanling Empire shall be elevated to the rank of Peak Empire within the Flame Dragon Dynasty, second only to the Dynasty itself. It is hereby granted a territory of ten million units!"
"Second: We grant fifteen Venerable Realm National Guardian Elders and thirty-five Emperor Realm National Guardian Elders, to solidify the Empire’s majestic power!"
"Fourth: We grant numerous master instructors to the Empire, to foster the cultivation of talent!"
"Fifth: We grant the Xuanling Empire numerous Cauldron Masters..."
"..."
"Nineteenth: We grant the Xuanling Empire tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, as well as great quantities of Spirit Crystals and medicinal pills!"
"Furthermore, the Xuanling Empire is elevated to the rank of Peak Empire. Its current emperor, who shall be known as its first in this new era, will be recorded in the annals of history. May the Xuanling Empire’s glory last for eternity! Thus, it is decreed!"
"..."
A profound silence descended upon the vast, empty space. For a long time, no one uttered a sound.
GULP!
The sound was jarring. Someone, the first to snap out of the daze, had swallowed hard. In the past, such a sound might have been too faint for anyone to notice. But in the current dead silence, it was like a bell tolling in their minds, jolting everyone back to reality.
GULP... GULP...
A series of gulps followed, one after another, quickly forming a bizarre symphony of shock. And among those contributing to the music was none other than the Crown Prince of the Flame Dragon Dynasty, Long Xiaotian.
"He’s lost his mind... My father must have lost his mind."
Mu Chen overheard Long Xiaotian’s muttering and couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Why do you say that?"
"Hmm?" Realizing it was Mu Chen, Long Xiaotian gave a wry smile. "Do you know how many Venerable Realm National Guardian Elders the Flame Dragon Empire itself has?"
"...I don’t believe I do."
"Ahem." Long Xiaotian cleared his throat. "It’s understandable that you don’t. The answer is fifteen. In other words, the Xuanling Empire’s current power is now almost on par with the Flame Dragon Dynasty’s. And then there are the Emperor Realm Elders—a full thirty-five of them. You have to understand, the Flame Dragon Empire itself only has thirty Emperor Realm Elders, not counting any new promotions. It seems my father is finally starting to take the Xuanling Empire seriously. And all of this... is probably because of you."
Mu Chen said nothing, but inwardly, he was ecstatic. ’The Xuanling Empire... it’s finally becoming powerful! And not just that—I never thought the Dynasty would value it so highly.’ Even though he didn’t know the details of the Flame Dragon Empire’s situation that Long Xiaotian had described, just the gift of those fifteen Venerable Realm Elders was enough to ensure the Xuanling Empire’s eternal existence, free from all worry! And that wasn’t even counting the thirty-five Emperor Realm Elders!
"Hey, aren’t you going to say something?" Long Xiaotian asked, confused by Mu Chen’s sudden silence.
"Hm? Oh. It’s not bad," Mu Chen said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, the corner of Long Xiaotian’s mouth twitched. ’As expected of the man I admire,’ he thought. ’Damn, he’s just too cool!’
"Xuan Yin, receive the edict!"
Red Wood Cliff was actually quite empathetic. He naturally had the air of someone in a high position, but he didn’t put on airs. In his opinion, even he would have been stunned silent by such an overwhelming reward, let alone the emperor of a minor, Low-class Empire. So he waited, giving Xuan Yin time to react, only announcing the command to receive the edict after the emperor had come to his senses.
And indeed, Xuan Yin had just snapped out of it. Hearing Red Wood Cliff’s command, he hurriedly performed the kneeling bow of an imperial emperor showing respect to the dynastic emperor. He then took the nearly transparent Scroll from Red Wood Cliff’s hands and said respectfully, "My thanks to His Majesty!"
"Good." Seeing that Xuan Yin had accepted the decree, Red Wood Cliff bellowed, "The edict is received! Master builders of the Dynasty, your task has begun! Rebuild the Peak Empire, the Xuanling Empire, in the shortest time possible!"
"YES, SIR!!"
Who was Red Wood Cliff? To Long Yuan, he was the most favored of all old ministers, bar none. His words carried the weight of the Dragon Emperor’s will. Moreover, Xuan Yin had already accepted the edict. Thus, no one dared to act proud; every master builder immediately formed a team and unfurled the architectural blueprints they had already prepared.
In the days that followed, the most important task was, of course, the reconstruction of the Xuanling Empire. It was a project that would take nearly half a month. During that time, Mu Chen and the others had nowhere to go, so they could only sit around and chat. Little Tiger, however, was incredibly busy. As the only Earth Attribute Martial Artist on the team, he had taken a natural liking to the profession of an architect.
"Little Tiger, come here. You will build this house. If your work is not good enough, I will tear it down and you will start again. You will continue until I am satisfied."
Little Tiger, who had been chatting with Mu Chen and the others, was suddenly called away by a voice that was slightly aged, yet filled with boundless delight.
"Oh! Teacher, I’ll be right there!"
Following the voice, they saw Little Tiger walking toward an old man in yellow robes. His hair was slightly gray, but he seemed full of vigor. The old man had one hand clasped behind his back and held a blueprint in the other, a broad smile on his face as he watched Little Tiger scamper over.
Soon, Little Tiger reached the old man’s side, and the two began to converse in low voices.
"So, Little Tiger’s interested in architecture. I thought the only thing he liked was eating," Ye Shuangshuang remarked, crossing her arms and pouting at his retreating back.
"It’s a good thing. I didn’t expect it either. I never thought Little Tiger, who doesn’t seem to appreciate much of anything, would have such a keen eye for architectural aesthetics," Qing Lei said with a smile. He looked around at some of the ingeniously designed new buildings, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Who would’ve thought? The kid has brains, not just brawn," Long Xiaotian, who had been staying with their group for about ten days, suddenly commented from his spot next to Mu Chen.
"Of course. And just look whose teammate he is." Ye Shuangshuang’s personality was quite similar to Long Xiaotian’s, so the two had quickly become acquainted.
"Heh heh, Arson Queen."
"Say that again and I’ll burn that dragon head of yours!"
POOF! A jet of purple flame erupted from the top of Long Xiaotian’s head. A ridiculously smug grin spread across his face. "See? No need for you to do it. I’ve already set my own dragon head on fire."
"You!"
"What about me, Arson Queen!"
"..."
"That’s enough." Looking on in exasperation, Mu Chen finally cut in to stop their squabbling. "Long Xiaotian, I remember you once told me that Holy Tomb Mountain is a very special place. Since that’s the case, you must be quite familiar with it. Could you tell us what makes it so special?"
At the sound of Mu Chen’s voice, Long Xiaotian grunted in acknowledgment, extinguished the Purple Flame on his head, and nodded. "Of course, no problem. But when it comes to Holy Tomb Mountain, I really only know the broad strokes. The finer details are a bit fuzzy. Are you sure you still want to hear it?"
"We’re sure."
In perfect unison, almost everyone present nodded. After all, it was where they were all headed next.