Chapter 265: End I

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General Nie Dan descends from the heavens.

Of the two divinities he sensed, the Wandering Wind is gone, and the Storm Dragon has returned to being merely a shadow. Nie Dan is not entirely sure what happened while he fought He Bin, but this is the best outcome he could have hoped for. The remaining dangerous factors on the battlefield are all easily dealt with.

Nie Dan takes a step.

The Renegade looks at him with wide eyes. The Heaven Realm cultivators around him are all similarly surprised. Looking at them, it is clear they have been in battle but not with each other.

Interesting.

“You are in the Renegade Realm,” he says to the dirty young man. “Is your mind still your own?”

The reply comes quick and sure.

“Yes.”

“You could be lying.”

“I’d like to think lying would indicate I have a good enough sense of self-preservation.” The young Renegade smiles nervously but charmingly. “Surely, that’s trustworthy in its own way?”

Nie Dan considers it and nods.

“Good enough.”

His head tilts towards the two puppeteers cloaked in shadows.

“We will talk later.”

He takes a step.

The young cultivators nearly fall over. In the case of Prince Qing Guo, there is no nearly about it.

“You have done a good job securing the prince,” Nie Dan tells them. His eyes land on the young Qing Guo. “Prince, I understand this must be confusing, but I ask that you do not do anything reckless. Rest assured that you and your father will not be harmed.”

The last thing Nie Dan needs is for the prince to call upon the aid of the Storm Dragon. Thankfully, the prince just nods, too intimidated to do anything else.

He takes a step.

He Bin’s remaining commanders die one by one. Murong Bang’s men are also an issue, but that will have to come later. Should he kill them now, Murong Bang’s soldiers would be stupid enough to fight to the bitter end instead of surrendering. Nie Dan has no time to deal with that foolishness.

“Hear me!”

Enhanced by his Qi, General Nie Dan’s voice reaches every corner of the battlefield. The few soldiers still fighting after being hit by the presence of two Emperors and the brief but intense burst of divinity immediately stop.

“The treacherous He Bin is dead!” Nie Dan announces with no small amount of satisfaction. “All enemy combatants are to surrender immediately! There is not a single force left that can oppose the righteous liberation of our beloved country! The civil war is over!”

Shock and disbelief follow those words. Soldiers on both sides are left stunned by Nie Dan’s proclamation. However, that reaction is soon overwhelmed by something else.

Cheers.

The joyous cries of the victorious soldiers are so loud the whole battlefield vibrates. Fists are raised into the sky, and weapons clang against shields in joy.

He takes a step.

“Greetings, Ancient One,” Nie Dan says, bowing his head to the Storm Dragon.

“Your oratory skills need work,” the Storm Dragon tells him.

“Talking was never my duty, Ancient One. It was the Black Dragon who could move hearts, not I.” Nie Dan’s eyes find the unconscious Qing Jin. He reaches into his robes and pulls out a bottle. “May I?”

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The Storm Dragon says nothing, which is probably the closest thing to permission he will receive. Nie Dan kneels down and pours the elixir down Qing Jin’s throat as gently as he can, which is not particularly. Within seconds, Qing Jin’s eyes flutter open.

“Elixir of the 400-Day Journey,” he says, running a finger over his lips.

As expected, he knows of it.

“Wait…” The confusion in Qing Jin’s eyes fades away. “General… How long have I been unconscious?!”

Nie Dan has no great medical knowledge, but the way the child speeds up the production of adrenaline in his body and stimulates his nervous system is all too familiar. It will keep him conscious for a few more hours, but his body will not appreciate it. Highly inadvisable but regrettably required. That was how he always justified it.

Remarkable.

“It has not been long,” Nie Dan says. “The battle is over. We are victorious.”

“I see…”

The young Qing Jin does not look happy. Nie Dan did not expect him to be.