222: respite

The tremors in the capital had stopped.

That terrifying Aura that seemed to crush the sky and pulverize the Divine Soul had also disappeared without a trace.

In the deathly silence of survivors, the first to lift his head was a young soldier covered in blood.

He stared blankly at the sky; the huge tear that had ripped through it was healing at a visible speed, and sunlight pierced through the clouds again, casting warm golden brilliance.

'It stopped... is it over?' he muttered to himself, his voice so hoarse it didn't sound like his own.

The next second, someone let out a stifled sob, and then, cheers, cries, and wild laughter erupted like a tsunami from every ruin and every corner of the capital, merging into a torrent of life that broke through the sky.

They won! They survived!

Above the ruins of the imperial palace, Li Qingxuan stood unsteadily, leaning on her sword.

Her Phoenix robe was already tattered, and her face was stained with dust and blood, but those Phoenix eyes were brighter than ever before.

She looked at the clear sky and watched the surviving subjects embracing and weeping; her nerves, which had been tense for too long, suddenly relaxed, causing her vision to black out.

'Your Majesty!' The commander of the Imperial Guard beside her quickly supported her.

Li Qingxuan waved her hand, steadied herself, and cast her gaze toward the entrance of the Dragon vein beneath the palace.

She said nothing, but everyone knew who she was waiting for.

Just then, a figure slowly walked out from the entrance of the Dragon vein.

He wore plain black clothes, without any earth-shattering Aura, looking like an ordinary young man.

But the moment he appeared, all the noise in the entire capital seemed to have been paused by an invisible hand.

Everyone's gaze, whether Cultivator or Mortal, was involuntarily drawn to him.

That was Li Dong.

He just stood there calmly, and the whole world seemed to have found order again with him as the center.

'It's... it's him!'

'Master Li Dong!'

In the crowd, Chen Qishan, the old man from the Demon Suppression Division, trembled all over.

He looked at Li Dong's figure, the familiar yet strange feeling making him weep with old tears instantly.

Without hesitation, his knees went weak, and he knelt down heavily, his forehead pressing against the rubble-filled ground.

'Demon Suppression Division, Chen Qishan, welcomes the return of the Commander!'

His kneeling was like a signal.

Clatter—

All surviving Demon Suppression Division Cultivators, whether gray-haired old men or newly emerged talents, all knelt on one knee, their movements uniform, their expressions fanatical and reverent.

'Welcome, Commander!'

'Welcome, Savior!'

The voices, initially sporadic, quickly merged into a steel torrent that resounded through the sky.

They were not just bowing to the legendary Commander from a hundred years ago, but to the deity who had pulled the whole world back from the abyss of destruction with his own hands.

Li Dong didn't speak, just raised his eyes to scan this devastated land, his gaze finally falling on Li Qingxuan, and he nodded gently.

The headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division was now just a ruin.

In a temporarily cleared secret room, Li Dong sat cross-legged.

Three Grand Elders stood before him, their expressions complex—ecstasy, excitement, but more of an awe from the heart.

'Reporting to the Commander,' the Grand Elder's voice trembled slightly as he handed over a thick dossier.

'According to reports from all over, the Void Realm rifts have all closed.

The remaining mutated Yao Beasts and Evil God cult members have lost their power source and fallen into chaos.

Local garrisons are carrying out the final clearing, and it is expected that the world will be at peace within seven days.'

'And casualties?' Li Dong opened his eyes, his voice calm.

The Second Elder's face darkened slightly: 'In the Battle of the Capital, the casualties of the Imperial Guard and City Defense Army exceeded 70%, and the remaining Cultivators of the Demon Suppression Division... less than one in ten survived.

As for the various states, the previous plan to lure the snake out of its hole, the cost...'

He didn't continue, but the heavy atmosphere explained everything.

Li Dong was silent for a moment.

'Carve the names of all the fallen on the Demon Suppression Tower.

Their families will be supported by the Royal Family and the Demon Suppression Division for three generations.'

'Yes!' The three Elders bowed in unison.

'And this,' the Third Elder held an ancient jade box in both hands and respectfully handed it over.

'This is all the records about the Void Realm since the founding of our Demon Suppression Division, as well as the highest authority keys left by our predecessors.

From today on, everything in the Demon Suppression Division is up to you.'

They knew very well that the old era had passed.

Today's Li Dong was no longer bound by the identity of the Demon Suppression Division Commander.

He was the guardian of this world and the only hope.

Li Dong didn't take the jade box, just closed his eyes.

'I need to meditate for a while to consolidate my Realm.

Before I leave seclusion, do your best to treat the wounded, comfort the people, and rebuild our homes.'

'Understood!'

The three Elders retreated quietly, not daring to disturb him again.

The secret room returned to silence.

Li Dong sank into his consciousness and looked within himself.

The power of the Great Ascension Stage flowed quietly in his body like a gentle ocean.

Every cell, every inch of his Meridians was full of unprecedented vitality.

He could feel that the Eternal Prison in his Sea of Consciousness had undergone a strange qualitative change after devouring that Ultimate Shadow.

It was no longer just a tool for devouring; inside, it seemed to be evolving and simulating some of the core Laws of the 'Boss'.

This thing seemed to be getting easier to use.

Not only that, as the Void Realm rifts around the world healed and Spiritual Qi recovered, the Origin of the whole world seemed to have come alive, continuously transmitting a pure, grateful power to him, nourishing his newly broken-through Realm and making it more perfect.

This feeling... it was like the world was actively 'currying favor' with him.

'Heh, that's realistic.' Li Dong laughed at himself.

I don't know how much time passed, he slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the stone door of the secret room, a figure stood quietly, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

It was Lin Yue.

'Something up?' Li Dong asked.

Lin Yue walked in.

She had changed into clean combat gear, but the calmness in her brow after experiencing the baptism of blood and fire could no longer be erased.

She was more like a sharp sword that had retracted all its edge than before.

'I came to see you.' Her voice was very soft.

'The capital... has already begun to rebuild.

The Empress has ordered that all soldiers who participated in this battle will receive the highest rewards.'

'Hmm.'

'The contaminated land has also begun to grow new shoots.'

'Hmm.'

Lin Yue looked at him and suddenly asked: 'What are you going to do next?'

Li Dong looked at her.

From the woman's eyes, he saw something different from before.

It was no longer pure coldness and determination, but an added... determination to protect something.

'What do you think?' Li Dong asked back.

'That thing, the 'Boss', it's still alive.' Lin Yue said firmly.

'Although it was severely damaged, as long as it exists for one day, this war has not truly ended.'

She paused and looked directly into Li Dong's eyes: 'So, take me with you.

I don't want to miss the final battle.'

Li Dong laughed.

'You have certainly grown a lot.'

He stood up, walked to the window of the secret room, and his gaze seemed to pierce through layers of obstacles, looking into the depths of the endless Void Realm.

There, he could 'see' a pair of giant eyes that were once arrogant.

At this moment, there was no more rage and greed in those eyes, only a weakness stemming from the Origin and... fear.

It was afraid.

It could feel that the human who had severely damaged it already possessed the power to truly threaten its main body.

It could feel even more that the Eternal Prison was like a straw rooted in its Origin, extracting its power every moment.

With the ebb and flow, the shadow of death shrouded it for the first time.

'It is, of course, still alive.' Li Dong retracted his gaze, his tone flat.

'And, it should have already prepared a 'grand' welcome ceremony for me.'

He turned to look at Lin Yue and the three Elders who had appeared at the door again at some unknown time.

'It is waiting for me to go over, to fight me to the death in its lair.'

The Grand Elder's face changed: 'That must be a trap!'

'It is a trap, but it is also my only chance.'

Li Dong walked to the highest point of the Demon Suppression Division headquarters, the top of the half-collapsed Demon Suppression Tower.

He overlooked the scene below.

Although it was devastated, he could see countless busy figures, hear the laughter of children, and feel the vibrant vitality that was tenaciously recovering.

This world is trying hard to survive.

'It is very weak now, very weak.

This is a fact it least wants me to know, yet cannot hide.'

Li Dong's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

'So, the time for breathing has ended.'

He raised his head, his gaze once again cast toward that deep starry sky.

'It is time to go and get our things back, with interest.'