Chapter 1794: Return a Favor

“Hahaha, this is simple. Congyun Prefecture is the fifth-ranked prefecture under the imperial dynasty. From today, your Sky-Warriors Pavilion will take over the entire administrative system of Congyun Prefecture. The fiefdoms of millions of people throughout Congyun Prefecture will all belong to the Sky-Warriors Pavilion. To put it simply, from now on, everything in Congyun Prefecture will be yours, Lady Qingya, to command.”

As expected, the emperor's immense reward utterly astonished the civil and military officials present. A buzz of discussion erupted among them, and Qingya, for her part, was naturally overcome with excitement. She had never dared to dream of incorporating an entire prefecture into her own domain. Even the most powerful experts of her father's ancestral Sky-Warriors Pavilion had never harbored such extravagant hopes, yet with a single word, the emperor bestowed it upon her as a gift.

“Your Majesty, I fear this might be inappropriate. Though our empire is vast and rich, Congyun Prefecture stretches for thousands of miles. Such an immense fiefdom is a rare honor, one that even top generals with exceptional military achievements on the battlefield seldom receive. While these three have contributed greatly, they merely passed the Martial Arts Alliance test. It seems neither reasonable nor proper for them to accept such an enormous reward.” Several ministers voiced their objections, but the old emperor simply waved his sleeve, silencing them.

“Say no more. My decision is final, and my word has been given. How can I retract it? Since this is Lady Qingya's request, I have granted it.”

Unbeknownst to them, the old emperor was exceptionally cunning; he would never so easily relinquish such a significant asset to Qingya, especially since she possessed no royal blood. What they failed to realize was that Xu Yang had already seen through his true intentions.

The cunning old man likely had more demands in store for the three victorious individuals. After granting Qingya's wish, he shifted his gaze to Long Kun.

Long Kun, however, seemed to have few desires left at this point. He pondered for a long time but couldn't think of a reasonable request.

Suddenly, Long Kun spotted the unlucky-looking Prince by his side. This was the same individual who had previously confronted him in the great hall and been sent flying over ten meters away with a single slap from Long Kun.

At that moment, the Prince's gaze was still filled with resentment towards Long Kun. Although he had returned from Juexing Peak unharmed, he had been widely expected to perform well in the alliance. In truth, he achieved no commendable results, being eliminated just outside the top fifty. Already simmering with frustration, he now met Long Kun's eyes and instinctively raised his middle finger.

“Ah, hahaha. Your Majesty, I believe I know what I wish for. That Prince just now defiantly raised his middle finger at me. My request is to cripple all his cultivation and demote him to a commoner.”

Long Kun's request made Xu Yang, standing nearby, burst into laughter. This fellow was certainly adept at tormenting others. Long Kun, who initially had no significant desires, suddenly making such a demand left the old emperor on the dais feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Although the Prince held a noble status, he was not the old emperor's biological son and thus not a true prince. He had been conferred the title of Prince because his family had produced high-ranking officials for generations.

This time, in contrast to Long Kun's demand, the old emperor agreed to his request with almost no hesitation. He cast a glance at the Grand Commander, his sword-wielding personal guard, whose cultivation had reached the early stage of the Dao Integration realm.

The Grand Commander nodded subtly to the emperor, then moved with astonishing speed, appearing before the Prince almost instantly, causing the latter's eyes to tremble with fear.

But the Grand Commander, like an impassive harbinger of death, showed no hesitation. Having received the old emperor's command, he unleashed a palm strike directly above the Prince's forehead, knocking him unconscious in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.

It appeared that all the Prince's meridians had been shattered. Clearly, he would have no further connection with cultivation in this life. Even if Xu Yang were to intervene, only a complete reshaping of his physical body could alter the fate of this arrogant young man.

After crippling the Prince's cultivation foundation, the Grand Commander ordered several accompanying soldiers to carry the "waste" out of the palace and discard him outside the palace gates as if he were refuse.

The once arrogant and lofty Prince was reduced to such a state simply because Long Kun made a wish. It just goes to show how capricious fate can be, and that it's better to maintain a humble demeanor. If one blindly taunts an opponent and offends someone far more powerful than imagined, the only one who suffers is oneself.

The old emperor was naturally quite pleased. Sacrificing a Prince who held little significance to him, to satisfy one of their requests—why wouldn't he? Next, he directed his attention to Xu Yang, the individual he valued most for having made the greatest contribution.

“You may not be aware, but after this Hundred Martial Alliance at Juexing Peak concluded, Elder Wu Hen, who guards Juexing Peak, personally sent me a letter. He specifically mentioned your name and informed me of the entire course of the alliance. Tell me, what do you desire? No matter the cost, I will grant your wish.”

A satisfied expression once again appeared on Xu Yang's face.

“Your Majesty, I have but one request: I wish to travel to the most resource-rich mineral regions, or perhaps the most environmentally harsh cultivation forbidden zones, within the entire imperial dynasty. Your Majesty is likely aware that I was the newly appointed sect master of the Xuanhuang Sect in Congyun Prefecture. I am not very familiar with the geographical layout of the imperial dynasty and wish to use this opportunity to acquire more precious cultivation resources.”

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the old emperor burst into laughter. Such a request was incredibly easy for him to fulfill.

“This is a rare opportunity; are you certain this is your only request? Within the borders of my imperial empire, there are three cultivation forbidden zones that meet your criteria. I am confident you will acquire the resources you seek in any one of them. I will have a complete topographical map delivered to you later. Do you have any other specific requests?”

Xu Yang smiled and shook his head. “Your Majesty has already given more than enough. Now, it's time for the three of us to fulfill our vows.”

Indeed, upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the old emperor's eyebrows rose. He gazed intently at Xu Yang, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Clearly, among everyone present, only Xu Yang and the old emperor understood each other perfectly. Xu Yang was also the only one who had truly seen through the old emperor's intentions.