"Boom!"
Liu Neng's body was sent flying directly out of the grand hall. He spat blood, his face filled with terror. However, after stabilizing himself, he hurried back into the hall, knelt before the throne where Huang Wuya sat, and cried, "My lord, I have sinned! I have sinned! I beg you, my lord, for my loyalty, spare your subordinate this once!"
"You are indeed guilty! If you hadn't misled me, would I have gone to war? Would our Huang Palace have suffered such humiliation?" Huang Wuya roared, venting his anger onto Liu Neng.
The many powerful figures of the Huang Palace in the hall watched this scene with cold eyes. Some felt pity. Although they knew the responsibility didn't entirely lie with Liu Neng, no one dared to plead for him at this moment, as Huang Wuya was consumed by rage.
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
Huang Wuya roared, sweeping his hand to send all the tables and furnishings before him flying. He was filled with malevolence. Even if he killed Liu Neng now, it would be of no use. What happened had happened, and it was too late.
"Issue a decree! From this moment on, the Huang Palace shall close its mountain and refuse all contact with the outside world!" Huang Wuya gritted his teeth and spoke, his heart filled with grief and indignation. For a peerless overlord-level sect to be reduced to closing its mountain was a disgrace. If they didn't, they would face the ridicule of the world. He couldn't bear it!
"Li Xiaotian! Great Qin!!! I remember you! This humiliation today, I will repay it in the future!!!"
Meanwhile, in the capital of Great Qin, there was universal celebration. Countless citizens cheered and celebrated the return of the victorious warriors. However, as they saw the returning soldiers, most of whom were wounded, and the significantly reduced army, the cheers of the people grew fainter. The crowd gradually fell silent, and the entire capital grew quiet. Great Qin had won this battle, and the people of the capital were ready to celebrate. But now, they couldn't be happy. Because too many had died, and the losses were too severe.
Faint sobs began to emerge from the crowd. They couldn't control themselves, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"Heroes!!!" A cry erupted from the crowd, as if from the depths of their souls.
"Heroes! Heroes!!!" Following that, more and more voices joined in. The people surrounded the army, shouting and walking alongside them.
Hearing the shouts all around, some young soldiers couldn't help but shed tears, but they quickly wiped them away. As soldiers of the War Department, they couldn't afford to lose face!
It was worth it! The soldiers thought to themselves. What were they fighting desperately for? They were fighting to protect the people around them who cheered for them, to ensure they lived in peace. Now that they had recognition, they had respect, it was worth it!
At this moment, the victorious army gathered on the Qin Palace Square, with a mountain of people beyond the square. The Qin Emperor slowly raised his right hand, and the entire square instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on the Emperor.
"In this battle, two demon overlords were slain! Thirty-two beast emperors! And countless demon beasts!"
"This battle, a great victory!!! Great Qin, mighty!!!" The Qin Emperor shouted with all his might, his face flushed red.
"Great victory! Great victory!"
"Great Qin mighty!!!" On the square, countless people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. Even outside the capital, the thunderous roars could be heard.
"But this great victory was not easily won! Therefore, the heroes who paid the price for this battle, their sacrifices should be sung! Their names should be forever remembered!" The Qin Emperor continued, his voice growing heavy.
"Dragon King Li Xiaotian, with his Imperial level strength, slew an overlord. His cultivation has now fallen, and he is unconscious from his injuries!"
"Our Great Qin had fourteen Imperial level powerhouses; eight have perished, and seven are severely wounded!"
"The War Department army mobilized a million soldiers; now there are five hundred and fifty thousand! Over three hundred thousand are severely wounded, and the rest are all injured!"
"The allied forces that aided Great Qin have lost thirty-two men! The rest are all wounded!"
The Qin Emperor looked at the soldiers on the square, his gaze slowly moving, taking everyone in, and then continued.
"More than this victory, we should remember their sacrifices! Because of their sacrifices, you are now safe!"
"Great Qin shall forever remember their sacrifices! You, too, must remember forever!!!" As he spoke, the Qin Emperor clenched his fist and raised it high, then shouted with all his might.
"Great Qin is unyielding! Humanity is mighty!!!"
At this moment, the entire square erupted. They shouted, they called out the names of those heroes, they celebrated with tears. They knew that their ability to stand here was not due to good luck, but because countless people were silently protecting them! They knew that whether in the past, present, or future, there would always be people who paid the price, sacrificed, and protected them! Therefore, the merits of the heroes would never be forgotten, nor would they forget!
On this day, everyone in the capital was cheering, celebrating. People from all over Great Qin were also celebrating. In the Qin Palace, the Qin Emperor hosted a grand banquet to thank the allied forces who had assisted in the battle.
"Xiaotian, all the forces have sent envoys, and many sect leaders have personally arrived to congratulate Great Qin. Should we make time to meet them later?" the Qin Emperor asked Li Xiaotian, with a hint of disdain in his tone. He himself did not want to see those people, but for the sake of Great Qin, he couldn't act solely on his own preferences. With various forces coming to Great Qin now, it was an opportunity to subdue some of them.
"No. Tell them all to go back. We begged them for help before, and they stood by coldly. Now that Great Qin has won, they come fawning over us. Do they really think Great Qin is easily bullied?" Li Xiaotian replied without hesitation, his tone laced with mockery. He continued, "If they could stand by indifferently this time, they might even dare to stab us in the back next time! Their congratulations, hehe, Great Qin doesn't care!"
"Yes, alright. I'll have someone handle it." The Qin Emperor nodded, then looked at Li Xiaotian with concern, noting his pale face and weak aura.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. My cultivation has fallen, and I just need some time to adapt. I'll be fine after a rest." Li Xiaotian spoke. His condition was neither good nor bad. To kill an overlord, he had to pay a price, didn't he? However, Li Xiaotian was not worried about his situation. Although he was now at the mid-Imperial level, his combat power had not significantly diminished. Moreover, the corpses of the Black Dragon Emperor and the Silver Wolf were in his hands. As long as he consumed their bodies, his cultivation would not only recover to its original state but might even advance further.
Inside the Qin Palace, Li Xiaotian and others continued their celebrations. Outside the Qin Palace, the envoys from various forces, as well as some sect leaders, heard Great Qin's reply, and their expressions became complex. Among those present, except for the Huang Palace, sects from Yan Province had all sent representatives, with many sect leaders personally attending. But they never expected that they wouldn't even be allowed to enter the Qin Palace.