Chapter 132: Not a Fault of War

After hearing Qin Tiesheng’s words, Baili Feihong already had a clear understanding of the situation.

The Black Heaven God Sect was an entity that even the major sects feared. Years ago, the sects had paid a tremendous price to eradicate them. Now, the Black Heaven God Sect had risen from the ashes. Moreover, their decision to no longer hide their presence signified that the power they had accumulated was enough for them to fear no one.

"Why is the Taiyi Sect so determined to kill the Emperor?"

"If it were truly a matter of vengeance, the Dao Master of the Taiyi Sect could have dealt a fatal blow to the Guliang Imperial Family centuries ago."

"Yet, it happens at this very moment."

This filled Baili Feihong with anger. The Emperor’s death had no personal impact on him, but what truly enraged him was that the Emperor dying at this juncture would leave the Great Yuan Empire in a highly passive position. Had there been just a few more years of stability, the ongoing changes within the Great Yuan Empire would have ensured a future without any major surprises.

A powerful empire often collapses from within first. The Fara Empire was surging with momentum, and the shadow of the Black Heaven God Sect could be seen in many overseas nations. It was evident that the disaster at the Devil’s Strait was orchestrated by the Black Heaven God Sect to help the Fara Empire recover from its disadvantages. Otherwise, the sect would have continued to accumulate power in the shadows, waiting for the moment they emerged to shock the world and settle the score in one fell swoop.

"Sir, Commander Yan Fei has been severely wounded, and the Southern Navy may face a major reshuffle," Qin Tiesheng said in a low voice.

"Qian Yuchen has been on Feiyuan Island for so long. As a scion of a noble family, he came specifically to seize control of the Southern Navy. He wouldn't care for a mere Vice Commander position," Baili Feihong shook his head.

The gap between Qian Yuchen and Yan Fei was simply too vast. Yan Fei had suppressed the Demon Suppression Division for so long—that was his true capability. This was a struggle for power and profit. What was Qian Yuchen? Nothing but a pampered second-generation heir. If he were to take control of the Southern Navy, the rank and file would never submit to him. The only means at his disposal to consolidate power would be an internal purge. The targets of such a purge would be the elite of the Southern Navy. Kicking them out would mean shaking the very foundation of the fleet.

"Sir, it is not just Vice Commander Qian. Rumors have been circulating on Feiyuan Island that the Military Department will dispatch an expert to take command of the Southern Navy to stabilize the southern front," Qin Tiesheng said with a solemn expression. "I heard it is a top-tier Dharma Manifestation expert from the Military Department. Furthermore, they have mobilized most of the elites from the East Sea Navy, intending to wash away their shame."

"Moving against Yan Fei the moment the new Emperor of Great Yuan ascends the throne signifies that the Crown Prince’s faction does not control the Military Department. This is a move to sever the few remaining military powers under the Prince’s command."

At this moment, the attitude of the Military Marshal was crucial. Unless the Demon Suppression Division or the Divine Surveillance Division intervened, they could not contend with the Military Department. Otherwise, whether the Crown Prince could ascend the throne smoothly remained a mystery. Destiny currently favored the Crown Prince, and any prince attempting to ascend would have to contend with him. However, Baili Feihong did not believe in so-called destiny. This struggle depended on which factions each side could court.

The Crown Prince was now seventy years old. Based on a hundred-year lifespan, if he ascended the throne, he could control the situation in Great Yuan for the next thirty years. For the Guliang Imperial Family, that would make him a short-lived emperor. This was the Prince’s disadvantage. If the late Emperor had not passed away, he could have become the longest-reigning emperor in the history of the Guliang family, ruling for a full seventy years. Among his siblings, only the Eldest Princess remained alive.

"Lord Baili, I am worried that if there is major volatility within the Southern Navy, it will spill over to us," Qin Tiesheng warned.

"It does not matter. At this stage, it is difficult to avoid being dragged into the imperial struggle. However, if the other factions in the court fail to neutralize the Crown Prince within two months, his ascension will be unstoppable."

"The Emperor has passed, and the various factions in court can delay at most for three months. By tradition, the Crown Prince should have already ascended. These factions are merely using the Emperor’s funeral as an excuse to stall him. As long as we hold out for these two months, the outcome will be set."

"Unless the princes conspire to rebel and throw the situation into chaos. But once a prince takes action, the forces controlled by the Guliang Imperial Family will be forced to act to maintain the orthodoxy. The Crown Prince is that orthodoxy."

Baili Feihong shook his head. In his view, although the Crown Prince appeared suppressed by the other factions, a month had already passed, and the longer the delay, the more advantageous it was for him. The Prince had not yet ascended only because the Imperial Clan Court had not spoken. The royal family also had monsters who had lived for hundreds of years. Clearly, they were also watching from the sidelines. To Baili Feihong, whether the Crown Prince or another prince ultimately ascended, it did not matter, so long as it was not the Eighteenth Prince.

The royal family in this world was slightly different from the ancient dynasties of his previous life. The late Emperor had hundreds of children, but only eighteen held the title of Prince. The factions behind these eighteen princes were the great clans and families of Great Yuan. They all carried the blood of Martial Sages. For instance, the Gongyang family—Gongyang Yan’s aunt was an Imperial Concubine, and her son was the Eighteenth Prince. By that logic, the Eighteenth Prince and Gongyang Yan were cousins. If the Eighteenth Prince ascended, many in the Gongyang family would enjoy privileges unimaginable to other families for decades to come. However, the pillar of any family remained the Martial Sage. Gongyang Yan was highly favored by the Gongyang Blade Sage, and if the Eighteenth Prince married her, he would gain the full support of the Gongyang family.

The mother of the Eighteenth Prince was not from the direct line of the Gongyang family. What defined the "direct line"? Ever since the lineage of the Gongyang Blade Sage, they had maintained over thirty percent of the pure Gongyang Saint Blood. Marriages between direct and collateral branches were inevitable, and even intergenerational marriages were the norm.

"Sir, what is our stance..."

"Everything as usual. Just fulfill the duties of a Demon Suppressor; do not interfere in court politics." Baili Feihong waved his hand, dismissing Qin Tiesheng.

"My days on Feiyuan Island are numbered," Baili Feihong thought to himself. He would eventually have to return to Dongbin City. Gongyang Yan had done him a favor; even without a promise, he would not stand idly by. He was not worried about the chaos within the Guliang Imperial Family; what troubled him most was why the Taiyi Sect Dao Master had struck. Would the prophecy of that mysterious figure truly come to pass? Having mastered many divine abilities, Baili Feihong was not naive enough to believe that prophecies could be easily broken. Especially those from powerful figures—they truly could see through the future and predict its developments. For example, when he used the Tiangang ability "Retro-Cognition of the Future," he could see fragments of Feng Yusheng’s past and future. It looked impressive, but in reality, it was only because Feng Yusheng was insignificant to fate; his death would cause no ripples, allowing him to see those fragments clearly. Dongbin City, however, concerned the rise and fall of the Great Yuan Empire. Even if he cultivated this ability to the ninth rank, all he would see was a dense fog.

"The Black Heaven God Sect. Once I deal with them, I won't need to waste any more time on Feiyuan Island."

The threat currently facing Feiyuan Island was the Black Heaven God Sect. The outer sect elder of the Primitive Demon Sect, Nangong Zhen, was right. Baili Feihong was certain the Black Heaven God Sect would come to Feiyuan Island specifically for the Black Heaven Stele. The stele recorded history from the primordial, ancient, and archaic eras—even the Demon Suppression Division knew very little about this period. Only sects that had survived from the archaic era held such secrets. Perhaps the sect wanted the stele not for the inscriptions, but because the stele itself was a rare treasure, something like the Heaven Dragon Instrument.

"What did Nangong Zhen mean by saying the war in the archaic era severed the path to immortality?"

Baili Feihong suddenly became interested in the Black Heaven Stele. Although he knew it was a hot potato, his curiosity could not be suppressed. Many Demon Suppressors were waiting for an audience with him, but Baili Feihong ignored them. Their progress was entirely under his divine sense’s observation. Aside from Chen Xingyan’s tremendous progress, Qin Suqing’s was the most significant. However, the one who satisfied him most was Yang Chengfei. He had already mastered the basics of the Demon Suppression Six Paths Scripture and was progressing rapidly. Among the five, he had the lowest natural talent, but his aptitude had a unique quality. If his potential could be fully tapped, his future would be boundless. He did not see them now precisely to let them settle their minds and cultivate.

With a thought, Baili Feihong’s figure vanished from the Demon Suppression Building. He reappeared on the roof of the Commander’s Mansion. The naval port was as prosperous as ever, but in Baili Feihong’s eyes, it was shrouded in a layer of black energy. His Divine Eyes perceived the aura: this black energy was bad luck, a sign of decay. The attack launched by the Black Heaven God Sect had dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Southern Navy. Morale was an elusive thing, but once lost, a series of misfortunes would inevitably follow. The Southern Navy was currently recuperating and restoring its strength. Having been stationed on Feiyuan Island for so long, they had harvested immeasurable wealth, but the failure at the Devil’s Strait had shaken their foundations. It was the loss of elite soldiers that hurt; warships and equipment could be recovered quickly. By now, Baili City should have entered a state of rapid mobilization.

"Who goes there?" A soldier finally caught a glimpse of Baili Feihong. The shout immediately caused alarm in the mansion, which had been under tight security, yet no one had detected his arrival. Soon, the approaching officers saw Baili Feihong and their expressions changed instantly.

"Greetings, Lord Baili." They were all too familiar with the young man in the white robe and six-clawed python gown. It was the Demon Suppression Commander, Baili Feihong. Rumors had just spread that he had come out of seclusion, but they never expected him to appear at the Commander’s Mansion. They were nervous, yet dared not act rashly. The Southern Navy had suffered a catastrophe and its strength was severely depleted. If this commander wanted to strike, they would have no power to resist.

Baili Feihong ignored him. He leaped from the roof, hands behind his back, and strode into the mansion. Yan Fei was lying in bed, struggling to rise. He had heard the commotion, but he did not want his old rival to see him in such a state. Taking a deep breath, he used his remaining strength to suppress his injuries, straightened his posture, adjusted his appearance, and stepped out of the room. The moment he saw Baili Feihong, he was struck with terror. The man before him stood like an ordinary mortal; had he not seen him with his own eyes, he would have overlooked his existence. Yan Fei immediately understood that this commander had reached a level of cultivation far beyond his reach.

"Commander Baili, your cultivation has clearly advanced greatly. Congratulations." Yan Fei’s hoarse voice sounded first. Baili Feihong gazed at him. Yan Fei was currently filled with deathly energy; the Black Heaven demonic aura had seeped into his marrow and was on the verge of reaching his soul. Once that happened, he would become a puppet for the masters of the Black Heaven God Sect.

"You focused on cultivation but neglected your blood. One battle has pushed you into the abyss," Baili Feihong said softly, yet the officers emerging from the mansion felt their hearts tighten.

"Commander Yan is, after all, a high-ranking official of the Great Yuan, having served to expand the territory. How can he be enslaved by an evil cult like the Black Heaven God Sect?"

With just a glance, Yan Fei felt a sharp pain throughout his body, as if he were being flayed, causing him immense agony.

"Lord Baili, please, spare him!!!" Lu Zhiwei stepped forward, blocking Yan Fei, and knelt on the ground.

"Staff Officer Lu, what is the meaning of this?"

"Sir, Commander Yan is a high official of the imperial court. If you strike him down, we shall all be witnesses." Lu Zhiwei gritted his teeth, looking up at Baili Feihong without a hint of fear.

"Commander Yan has a group of good subordinates," Baili Feihong praised before turning to leave. "Please have Commander Yan send all intelligence regarding the Black Heaven God Sect to the Demon Suppression Division. The sect will soon attack again, and dealing with evil cults is the duty of the Demon Suppression Division."

"I understand," Yan Fei gasped, his voice now full of vigor. The residual Black Heaven power within him had been expelled. It felt like bone-scraping surgery—a fresh recovery, leaving him with an indescribable sense of relief. Having passed through this life-and-death ordeal, his primordial spirit felt reborn, and he gained a sudden insight. He knew he was about to break through his current realm.

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Staff Officer Lu, please trouble yourself to write down the details of what happened at the Devil’s Strait and send it to the Demon Suppression Building." Yan Fei waved his hand and returned to his room, his clothes soaked in sweat. He knew that the Southern Navy had just found a glimmer of hope in its darkest hour. As Fati had said, seeking survival within death, after passing through the gates of hell, one finds the path to the heavens. The ambush by the Black Heaven God Sect had been warned of, but Yan Fei realized his countermeasures had failed due to an assassination attempt. He had been too arrogant, and his brothers in the Southern Navy had paid the price. But now that Baili Feihong had returned, the outcome of this war was no longer certain.

"The suffering of these past few days was worth it." He could see that although Baili Feihong was overbearing, he would not stand by and watch the people of Feiyuan Island die. "My defeat was not due to a lack of fighting spirit. A single loss in battle is not a total strategic retreat. This time, even if I have to risk my old life, I will get my revenge." Commander Yan Fei’s expression was firm.

"The Feiyuan Peak Tower Tree is truly magnificent." Baili Feihong had now arrived beneath the giant tree on the western island. "Judging by the growth rings, I wonder how many years you have lived?" He looked up at the tree and sighed. "Perfect, I have practiced the Earthly Fiend abilities. Five god-like entities can help me find the Black Heaven Stele." Baili Feihong turned and stepped into the forest, his figure vanishing.

"Who is this little fellow?" An ancient face condensed on the bark of the Feiyuan Peak Tower Tree. It watched the human who had disappeared into the woods with a look of astonishment. It was shocked; never had it seen a master of divine abilities with such profound depth. "In an era where heaven and earth do not manifest their power, he has managed to cultivate the foundation of a Human Immortal."

"Why did I have the illusion just now that he wanted to swallow me in one bite?"

"He is truly a demon among demons."