A Chaotic World 250 Returning in Glory

"Is that so?" General Nanbai Zhaoyu answered through his communication ring. "Understood. I will retreat immediately."
Cutting the link through his communication ring, General Nanbai Zhaoyu could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
After a large part of his regiment had been sent over to aid the Central Battlefields, the remaining forces under his command were far from sufficient to face their opponents in direct combat.
Over the past few months, he had been forced to pull out trick after trick in order to stall the enemy forces, preventing them from pushing into the northern borders of the Scarlet Moon Kingdom.
He managed to do a spectacular job while he was at it. But at the same time, he was also quickly nearing the end of his rope.
No matter what, he was still at a disadvantage in terms of pure numbers, and tricks could only get him so far.
But now, after months of fighting, he could finally stop wrecking his head every single day.
Apart from the Northern Battlefields that he was in charge of, the news similarly spread to the Southern Battlefields. The Central Battlefields need not be mentioned, for that was where the news originated.
Soon, everyone had been informed of the current situation.
The war had come to an end.
In this war, both parties had suffered heavy losses from the constant fighting. However, it was actually the originally weaker Scarlet Moon Kingdom that had come up on top, pushing the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom forces out of its borders.
With that alone, no one would be able to deny the fact that the Scarlet Moon Kingdom had won this war.
Of course, the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom would never admit it.
At the same time, the Scarlet Moon Kingdom would not state it officially either. The current results were already more than satisfactory, and no one wanted to risk taking any actions that could possibly reignite the flames of war.
Just like that, forces of both sides retreated back to their respective borders.
***
The streets of Scarlet Moon City were decorated with huge celebratory banners, and crowds lined the sides with expectant looks on their faces, kept from spilling into the centre by long cordon ropes.
There was a rhythmic drumming that sounded overhead, riling them up even more than they already were. Thus it was necessary that at every few metres, a soldier would stand guard, making sure that order was maintained.
Clouds naturally drifted apart to reveal the endless blue skies, and beautiful golden rays shone down from above, basking the crowds in comforting warmth.
It was a glorious weather for a glorious occasion.
This was the day that the Scarlet Moon Army would be returning, and everyone, young or old, male or female, martial artist or worker, wanted no more than to be present to witness this historical scene.
When Marshal Xianming's figure finally appeared from beyond the gate, cheers immediately erupted from the crowds.
He rode on a magnificent white stallion, seemingly a set with his robes of the same colour, both of which matching perfectly with his short white hair that rustled slightly in the gentle breeze.

Marshal Xianming cared not for riding this stallion that was not even his to begin with. But no matter what, this was still an official military procession. The leader of the Scarlet Moon Army certainly could not be seen walking through the street on his own two feet, and he knew it as well.
Calm as ever, even when he was faced with such an enthusiastic welcome, Marshal Xianming did not let it get to him, or at least not on the surface. He maintained a nonchalant smile on his face as he continued forward, leading the way down the open street.
After him came the various Generals and other Origin Core realm experts, all of them on horses of their own.
Unlike Marshal Xianming, their faces brimmed with pride when they heard the excited cheers of the crowds.
Yes, that's right!
They were the ones who had led the Scarlet Moon Army into this war, and they were the ones who had won it!
Considering that, they certainly deserved to be basking in this wonderful atmosphere, enjoying the feeling of being celebrated by the masses, did they not?
Right as they were still enjoying the moment, the volume of the cheers suddenly shot up, reaching an almost uncontrollable level as the crowds were overwhelmed by excitement.
There was only one reason for that – Formation Master Beimu had just shown her face.
Those in the crowds might not have personally joined the war, but they had their own sources of information all the same. Not being on the battlefield did not equate to not knowing what had happened during the war.
During the final battle at Rockfall Plain, it was none other than Formation Master Beimu who had turned the tides, single-handedly taking control of the entire battle with a grand formation and beating the enemy leaders into retreat.
Such overwhelming combat capability and stellar battle achievements, on top of her graceful figure, made her the perfect target of idolisation.
Formation Master Beimu naturally could sense the eyes of the crowds resting upon her. Not letting them down, she reciprocated with a bright smile, complete with polite waves of her hand.
Her actions only served to stir the excitement in the air even longer, sustaining the thunderous cheers pouring out from the crowds.
The Origin Core realm martial artists quickly passed, and it was time for the ground soldiers to enter.
With that, the volume of the crowds immediately plummeted, their respect level for the soldiers obviously incomparable to the Origin Core realm martial artists.
Even the appearance of Lu Tianzi, or Beimu Fei and Beiqian Ming of the Four Stars, did not change things much.
Many had heard that they accrued a ton of accomplishments during the war, but much of the specifics were lost during communication. In fact, some had even believed certain matters to be mere rumours, largely exaggerated and falsified just to magnify the extent of their talent.
After all, how much influence could an Essence Condensation realm martial artist possibly have in a battlefield that involved dozens of Origin Core realm martial artists?
There were over a hundred thousand soldiers involved in the procession. Since no one was in a rush, it took quite some time for them to finally clear off the streets, entering through the gates of Scarlet Moon Palace.
Even after the last soldiers disappeared from the streets, it took a long before the crowds decided to leave.
They were still infected by the excitement from before, drunk in their celebratory mood. Many shop owners held events and promotions, commemorating this day of great significance.
For days on, the entire Scarlet Moon City would be drowned in a festive atmosphere.
Within the walls of the Scarlet Moon Palace, things were no different.
A celebratory banquet had been prepared for the returning soldiers, held in a grand hall big enough to accommodate every single one of them, and yet still had room to spare.
Male and female servants of fine aesthetics scurried through the tables, plating up dish after dish, all of which delightful by sight and heavenly by taste.
The Scarlet Moon Overlord was naturally seated at the deepest end, on a majestic throne that oversaw the entire grand hall. An elegant table had been positioned before him, adorned with the finest of dishes.
Nearer to him, Marshal Xianming, the lords of the various cities, and the generals of higher cultivation levels sat at individual tables as well, each of them enjoying the food placed before them.
Further away, the remaining generals and the various Origin Core realm martial artists of other influences shared tables in groups of ten.
Then it came to large tables of twenty, shared by the Essence Condensation and Essence Building realm martial artists.
But among the three groups, those at the Essence Condensation and Essence Building realms were definitely deriving the greatest pleasure from this banquet. It was not every day that they got to enjoy such top quality dishes, and few spared any thoughts to their demeanour as they wolfed down the delicacies hungrily.
"Hahaha! Well done, all of you!" the Scarlet Moon Overlord laughed heartily as he raised his wine cup in a toast. "Here, to the end of the war!"
"To the end of the war!" Marshal Xianming led the response with a toast of his own.
"To the end of the war!" the other Origin Core realm experts echoed.
They downed the wine in their hands, not leaving a single drop behind. It was excellent wine, something that was served only to the Origin Core realm experts.
That was a good thing too, for the high alcoholic content could have resulted in some accidents among the Essence Building and Essence Condensation realm martial artists. Unlike the Origin Core realm experts, their resistance towards alcohols and poisons were lower in general.
"In this war, Formation Master Beimu really showed the world that she is deserving of her title," Marshal Xianming laughed. "Especially for the final battle at Rockfall Plain. Without her assistance, the victor would have been undecided."
"So I have heard as well," the Scarlet Moon Overlord turned his attention towards Formation Master Beimu. "Formation Master Beimu, you have contributed greatly this time."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's kind words, but Marshal Xianming has truly overstated matters," Formation Master Beimu's voice was as graceful as ever. "For the final battle, the ones who truly contributed are our Fei'er and Tianzi. Without their help, the formation would never have come to fruition in the first place."
The Scarlet Moon Overlord nodded in silent agreement.
He had already received a report on the events that had transpired during the final battle, and things were exactly as Formation Master Beimu had said. There were many individuals who had played a part in the battle, but there was no doubt that Nanlu Tianzi and Beimu Fei were the main contributors towards the final outcome.
Considering that they were mere Essence Condensation realm martial artists, this was something quite inconceivable!
"Nanlu Tianzi, Beimu Fei, come forward."
The boisterous atmosphere in the grand hall was silenced immediately upon hearing the Scarlet Moon Overlord's voice. His voice had not been too loud by any measure, yet it still managed to pierce through the loud discussions in the grand hall, sounding to everyone as though it had originated from right beside their ears.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Lu Tianzi and Beimu Fei shot up from their seats immediately, surprised by the sudden call.
They dared not delay, quickly making their way to the end of the grand hall and only stopping when they were finally standing directly before the Scarlet Moon Overlord. Before they could even greet him though, the Scarlet Moon Overlord gestured for them to stop with a casual wave of his hand.
"Both of you have done exceptionally well this time. In recognition of your efforts, I have a gift prepared for each of you," the Scarlet Moon Overlord smiled.
With a wave of his hands, two spatial rings flew out, one towards each of the youngsters.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The two of them replied simultaneously before reaching out to receive their respective spatial rings. After which, they tactfully put away the spatial rings. They would check the contents of the spatial rings later when they were alone.
"The two of you are nearing the limits of the Essence Condensation realm now. Next step will be refining the impurities in your inner world in preparation for the breakthrough to the Origin Core realm. I will give you some pointers on how to go about doing that later," Marshal Xianming offered with a smile.
"Thank you, Marshal Xianming!" the two clasped their fists towards him in gratitude.
Marshal Xianming was only directly below the Scarlet Moon Overlord in terms of status. Even if it was only giving some pointers, for him to personally guide them on their cultivation could be considered as an honour.
The rest of their peers looked on in envy, but all of them understood that the duo deserved what they were getting. Even Beiqian Ming of the Four Stars had not performed well enough during the war to be standing shoulder to shoulder with the two of them right now.
From the side, Formation Master Beimu smiled along in satisfaction, together with the other Origin Core realm experts. All of them understood that before long, these two youngsters would be qualified to be seated beside them as well.
However, not everyone was feeling glad in their hearts.
For example, Beiqian Zuo of the Flying Dragon Hall.
Beimu Fei had nothing to do with him, but the relationship between him and Nanlu Tianzi was already well beyond any chances of reconciliation. And the more glorious Nanlu Tianzi became, the more dangerous his position would become.
Thankfully, the Scarlet Moon Overlord did not speak any further to the two youngsters, dismissing them back to their respective tables right after.
Soon, it was time for the banquet to end.
That was the intention of the Scarlet Moon Overlord as well.
While it was necessary to give a warm welcome to the returning soldiers, there was no doubt that they were exhausted from the war as well.
Now, it was finally time for them to have a good and uninterrupted rest.
Of course, rest was the last thing on Lu Tianzi's mind when he entered his assigned quarters that night.
After all, he had just received a gift from the Scarlet Moon Overlord himself. It would be a lie if he said that he was not excited to check out the contents!
Surely a gift from the Scarlet Moon Overlord would be something fitting of his status!

Chapter end