CHAPTER 665: SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE COMPENSATION

"The Sovereign of Yufeng Sect, Xie Jiupeng, has perished, and the Flying Flower Empress has fallen. By order of Lord Yun Xiao, all Imperial Allied Forces must withdraw a thousand miles away from Xuanyue Imperial City, or face death without mercy!"

Voices bellowing such proclamations successively rang out from the four gates of Baiyue City in Xuanyue Imperial City, and the Xuanyue Cultivators who came to deliver these messages no longer appeared disheartened and timid, but instead radiated an unabashedly spirited and exuberant demeanor.

Originally, the Eight Great Empires had laid siege, and the people of Xuanyue Imperial City were filled with anxiety, awaiting the moment the city would fall to fight to the death, then to have their souls dissipate, collectively heading to the Yellow Springs.

No one anticipated this outcome - after all, the Allied Forces of the Eight Great Empires could not be contended with by any single Empire on the Hidden Dragon Continent. Once it was known that the eight collaborated, everyone had resigned themselves to fate.

Who would have thought that such an immense and united army would ultimately be defeated by a single person? That young man named Yun Xiao, from today on, would probably become the spiritual belief of all the people of Xuanyue Country, right?

Outside the North Gate, upon hearing this resounding shout, Xuan Haoran and his son exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other’s eyes a deep sense of joyful surprise.

These two, one the former King and the other the current King, could be said to be the two most concerned with the Xuanyue Empire’s legacy. If Xuanyue should fall, they would have no face to meet their ancestors in the netherworld.

In this moment of utter despair, that youth named Yun Xiao made a triumphant return, with a single move he slew Mercury Lingtian’s King, Luo Qingkong, and the Ice and Fire Giant Dragon swallowed the Earth Rank powerhouse Nie Wencang whole, lifting the peril at the North Gate.

Even so, Xuan Haoran and his son did not hold much optimism for the situation in Xuanyue Imperial City. After all, apart from Nie Wencang, there were still the two Earth Rank powerhouses, the Sovereign of Yufeng Sect and the Flying Flower Empress.

Setting aside these two powerhouses, with an army of more than a million besieging Baiyue City, if the Eight Great Empires were to assault the city without restraint, even Yun Xiao would likely be unable to withstand them, right?

But now, as the sun had only just started to decline in the west, news of the Sovereign of Yufeng Sect and the Flying Flower Empress both having perished arrived, shaking everyone to the core, and for the Xuanyue Cultivators, how greatly exhilarating was this news?

The Imperial City’s North Gate had already been a losing situation, with the two great Empires of Mercury Lingtian not withdrawing just yet, they were waiting for the news from the city gates; now it seems the fate of the other Kings is no different from that of Nie Wencang or Luo Qingkong.

Thus far, the remaining Kings from the Eight Great Empires are reduced to only the King of Yufeng Empire, and Lu Dingtian, the heavily wounded King of Jingshan Empire.

And in his heart, the King of Yufeng Empire even felt somewhat fortunate, thankful that Xie Jiupeng took the lead. Otherwise, his own life might have been claimed by Yun Xiao.

...

"Hey, have you heard? The Allied Forces of the Eight Great Empires have retreated a thousand miles away!"

"Heh, how could I not know? I was right there on the walls of the East Gate of the Imperial City, witnessing Lord Yun Xiao displaying his mighty powers, invincible in all his actions!"

"Brother Li, what an honor for your eyes; please tell us how did Lord Yun Xiao slay the Sovereign of Yufeng Sect and the Flying Flower Empress?"

"Well, that’s a long story. At that time, with the Giant Dragon soaring, Lord Yun Xiao..."

"..."

In the following days, the Xuanyue Imperial City was filled with joy and celebration, countless ordinary people and Low-level Practitioners who had hidden in their homes were all celebrating with great jubilation.

And in these discussions, one could never bypass the name "Yun Xiao," for by this time, everyone became aware that the dire fate of Xuanyue Imperial City had been lifted all at once, all thanks to that young man not yet twenty years old.

The reputation of Yun Xiao, which had already become household knowledge after the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, was at that time merely a personal honor, not substantially affecting others.

Some narrow-minded individuals even felt jealous of Yun Xiao for his great repute despite his young age, believing that he did not deserve such a grand title.

But at this moment today, whether open-minded or narrow-minded, when speaking the name Yun Xiao, all displayed fervor and reverence, for it was that young man who had saved their lives and possessions.

One could only imagine, if Baiyue City in the Imperial City were truly to be breached by the Allied Forces of the Eight Great Empires, what kind of carnage and rivers of blood there would be; those from the other Empires would not have an ounce of pity.

It could be said that Yun Xiao, with his own strength, saved millions from fire and water; even though the Xuanyue Empire is now in dire straits, other cities requiring a long time to return to their former states, at the very least, the calamity of annihilation was lifted overnight.

...

Xuanyue Palace, Moon Embracing Hall!

This is the most important hall of the Xuanyue Imperial Family, and today, the Moon Embracing Hall was bustling with activity. After several days of rest, the rulers of the Eight Great Empires were finally invited here by Xuan Haoran to start negotiations regarding compensation.

It’s worth mentioning that on the side of the Xuanyue Empire, apart from Xuan Haoran and his son Xuan Jing, the two generations of Kings, the Sect Master Yu Shu from the Jade Pot Sect and the Sect Leader Jia Yi from the Luoyi Sect were also seated prominently.

Among the Eight Great Empires, six had lost their Kings, so naturally, the highest-ranking individuals present were the Emperor of the Yufeng Empire and King Lu Dingtian of the Jingshan Empire.

Yet, these mighty figures who usually stood high above others all wore somewhat awkward and sullen expressions on their faces. Initially intending to overthrow the Xuanyue Empire, they ended up in this state—a situation beyond words.

Thinking of this, the representatives of the Eight Great Empires couldn’t help but envision the figure of a young man dressed in humble attire. When they realized that he was not present in the hall, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

That’s because people like Lu Dingtian knew, had they faced that terrifying youth, they might not have dared to speak more than necessary, surely complying with whatever he demanded. But now, in Yun Xiao’s absence, they found a bit more courage to negotiate.

"Heh, well, Haoran brother, indeed we have been reckless and made mistakes this time. Just name your price for compensation, we won’t argue—no second words!"

King Lu Dingtian from the Jingshan Empire, having mostly recovered from his injuries over the past few days, took the lead to speak since he was one of the two remaining Kings. The Emperor of the Yufeng Empire had previously been merely a puppet, so Lu Dingtian assumed the role of spokesperson for the Eight Great Empires.

"Hmph, compensation? You say it so lightly. Can the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Xuanyue Empire’s soldiers be settled with just a word of compensation?"

Hearing Lu Dingtian’s words, the young King Xuan Jing could no longer contain his frustration. Grief overwhelmed him at the thought of those fallen Imperial Soldiers, especially those from the Jing Feather Army—he had trained them with immense effort.

Now, besides Xuanyue Imperial City, all major cities of the Empire have fallen. It is easy to imagine how fierce the battles were when those cities were breached—massacres were not uncommon.

"Indeed, Lu Dingtian. You Eight Great Empires joined forces intending to annihilate the Xuanyue Empire, causing immense suffering to the people of Xuanyue. Are you aware that countless departed souls are looking down upon you from the heavens?"

The usually composed Xuan Haoran was visibly affected. If it were possible, he really wanted to slap these invaders from the Eight Great Empires dead one by one for daring to invade the Xuanyue Empire.

However, Xuan Haoran managed to retain a shred of reason. He knew that if he pushed too hard, the over a million soldiers from the Eight Great Empires, who had retreated a thousand miles away, might strike back. With just him and Yun Xiao alone, they wouldn’t be able to withstand another attack.

"Haoran brother, there’s no point talking about this now. Focusing on how to settle things properly is the real matter!"

The Emperor of Yufeng, having shaken off the restraint of Xie Jiupeng from the Yufeng Sect, spoke with an unexpected hint of arrogance, causing the Xuanyue representatives to feel uncomfortable.

It seemed that the Emperor of Yufeng also understood that the Xuanyue Empire couldn’t possibly kill all the soldiers from the Eight Great Empires. If they did, it would only provoke a backlash.

Without Yun Xiao here, relying solely on the King of Xuanyue, Yu Shu, Jia Yi, and others, there was no strong deterrent force. At this moment, it seemed the Xuanyue representatives were at a disadvantage.

"Alright, since you all want to discuss compensation, let’s discuss it!"

Suppressing his inner fury, Xuan Haoran spoke sternly, "After I have tallied the casualty and disability numbers from this battle, compensation per head will be determined: one hundred thousand Gold Coins for each deceased as consolation, fifty thousand Gold Coins for each injured."

It appeared Xuan Haoran had already devised a plan; his previous statements were mere emotional outbursts in anger. Nevertheless, as his words were spoken, representatives from several empires’ colors changed drastically.

One hundred thousand Gold Coins—it was a middle-class family’s lifetime of earnings; many ordinary people could not amass such wealth in their entire lives.

Considering that at least two to three hundred thousand soldiers from the Eight Great Empires had died in the invasion of the Xuanyue Empire, would this not mean compensating hundreds of billions of Gold Coins?

Not to mention compensating fifty thousand Gold Coins for each injured person, with injured people likely outnumbering the dead by several times, this astronomical sum, even if split among the Eight Great Empires, would be detrimental.

"No, Haoran brother, isn’t that asking for too much?"

Therefore, as soon as Xuan Haoran spoke, Lu Dingtian’s head shook like a rattle drum, directly refusing. This caused the other empires’ representatives to nod in agreement, their gazes towards Xuan Haoran turning unfriendly.

"Indeed, Haoran brother, both you and I understand—a middle-class family, even after a lifetime of hard work, would not earn one hundred thousand Gold Coins. Could it be that the salaries of Xuanyue Empire’s soldiers are several times more than those in the Yufeng Empire?"

The Emperor of Yufeng Empire did not hesitate to join the conversation with a sound and grounded argument. Accusing Xuan Haoran of demanding an exorbitant price—after all, based on the salary of a Yufeng Empire soldier, even if they served for life, they wouldn’t earn one hundred thousand Gold Coins.

In truth, the united forces of the Eight Great Empires never anticipated defeat, much less imagined that they would be here negotiating compensation. Hearing Xuan Haoran’s extravagant demand, their hearts naturally felt the imbalance stir.