After Three Lifetimes of Tragedy, I Finally Got a Happy Ending with His Majesty - Chapter 11

The two Prime Ministers argued tooth and nail, completely unable to agree.

Suddenly, a spatial rift tore open in the middle of the grand hall, and Xuan Zhao tumbled out of it with a thoroughly dazed look on his face.

The loud arguments in the hall instantly vanished, replaced by a blanket of absolute silence.

Seeing Xuan Zhao in such a wretched state, Feng Yuan said with deep displeasure, “What happened?”

Xuan Zhao snapped out of his daze. Filled with grief and indignation, he recounted how he had located the Eastern Emperor but was beaten back by Emperor Beiyue, adding inflammatory details to twist the story in his favor.

The grand hall immediately erupted into a flurry of heated discussions.

The Right Prime Minister, however, was secretly extremely pleased. After all, a peaceful ceasefire was exactly the outcome he wanted to see.

After listening to the report, Feng Yuan remained expressionless, leaving everyone completely unable to guess what he was actually thinking.

In truth, Feng Yuan was utterly infuriated. He was furious that Yan Qinyu refused to show him even a shred of respect and constantly hindered his grand plans at every turn.

At that exact moment, everyone suddenly felt a suffocating, powerful pressure descend upon them.

The grand hall fell dead silent once more.

Yan Qinyu walked in, dressed in a sweeping green robe with his hair bound neatly in a jade crown, his expression cold and austere.

He stepped slowly into the grand hall, making absolutely no effort to conceal his formidable aura.

The gathered deities suddenly realized what was happening; it turned out that this prominent figure had returned.

Ever since his previous falling out with Feng Yuan, he had not returned even a single time. What was his intention in coming back this time?

The deities could sense the distinct tension of an impending storm.

No emotion could be read on Feng Yuan’s face.

He simply asked in a cold tone, “Why have you come?”

His voice carried a clear underlying note of annoyance.

Yan Qinyu sighed silently in his heart, ultimately choosing not to embarrass Feng Yuan too much in front of his court.

He restrained his overwhelming aura and reverted back to his usual gentle, jade-like demeanor.

Yan Qinyu performed a formal bow of a minister to his sovereign before Feng Yuan, and his clear, detached voice echoed through the entire hall. “Your Majesty, the Linxu Realm has finally achieved stability. It is highly inappropriate to stir up the flames of war once more. I hope Your Majesty will prioritize the lives of the common people and refrain from plunging the world into devastation again.”

As he spoke, he mercilessly released his pressure as a peak Quasi-Emperor expert, weighing heavily upon the gathered deities.

Since Feng Yuan’s cultivation had not yet fully recovered, Yan Qinyu seized this exact opportunity to suppress the underlying ambitions of the court.

However, he did not push things too far and merely offered a brief demonstration of power to deter them. If he pushed Feng Yuan into a desperate corner and provoked an outright conflict with the four Great Divine Lords and the Left Prime Minister, even someone with a peak Quasi-Emperor cultivation like himself would not gain any advantage.

After all, the implications were too vast and the overall situation was far too complex, meaning every single step required careful deliberation.

Xuan Zhao had already suffered a humiliating loss earlier. Seeing Yan Qinyu act so audaciously now, he roared in a violent rage, “Presumptuous! Yan Qinyu! Do you still have any respect for His Majesty?!”

Feng Yuan, however, simply waved his hand to silence him.

Yan Qinyu had initially assumed that Feng Yuan would fly into a tremendous rage because of his bold words.

Yet, entirely beyond his expectations, Feng Yuan was not consumed by fury as imagined. Instead, he uttered a sentence that left Yan Qinyu completely surprised: “How did it ever come to this? How did it ever come to this!”

A sense of helplessness and deep regret leaked from Feng Yuan’s voice, as if he too had finally realized his past impulsiveness and lack of reason.

He then continued, “Beiyue, it was I who acted with too much haste. The outcome of that previous war was truly unsatisfactory. My heart was filled with bitter resentment, to the point that I temporarily forgot the welfare of the common people and impulsively sought to restart the war.”

Yan Qinyu listened quietly, offering neither agreement nor disagreement.

Feng Yuan paused for a moment before speaking again. “Now, after being enlightened by your words, I have suddenly seen the light and deeply understand the error of my ways. War brings nothing but destruction and casualties. Whether for the Divine Clan or for any other race, it is never a good thing. From this day forward, I shall place the utmost importance on the lives of the common people and will never resort to military force lightly.”

This speech from Feng Yuan caused Yan Qinyu’s perspective of him to shift slightly.

Did he truly think this way?

But seeing Feng Yuan’s incredibly sincere demeanor, Yan Qinyu decided to offer him a graceful way out, saying, “That is for the best. I hope Your Majesty will think twice before acting. If a dispute escalates into a Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, it would truly be not worth the cost.”

Hearing this, the gathered deities fell into a solemn silence.

If too many living beings perished, the malevolent qi, hostile qi, death qi, and malice in the world would intensify drastically, which could easily trigger a Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. When that occurred, all living beings would be dragged into the calamity, resulting in an endless fight to the death.

However, at least half of the total living beings in existence would have to die before it could morph into a Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. The Linxu Realm was incredibly vast and populated by countless creatures, so a mere war between gods and demons shouldn’t be enough to trigger a Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, right?

The deities felt a bit anxious in their hearts. They were all well aware of how terrifying a Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth could be, and ultimately, none of them dared to gamble with their own lives.

Of course, great wealth and power could be found amidst great risks. Certain matters would still need to be planned thoroughly over the long term.

Xuan Zhao wanted to argue further, but Feng Yuan was quick to interject and stop him.

The tense atmosphere that originally gripped the room gradually eased up following Yan Qinyu’s speech.

The deities began to whisper among themselves and converse in hushed tones, evidently shaken by Yan Qinyu’s words.

Indeed, waging war at this specific moment was by no means a wise move for either side.

In this manner, a massive war that was originally on the verge of breaking out was successfully averted under Yan Qinyu’s intervention.

After Yan Qinyu departed, Feng Yuan returned to his personal palace. The more he brooded over the matter, the angrier he became, though he knew full well that it was currently inconvenient to spark an outright conflict with Yan Qinyu.

Xuan Zhao approached Feng Yuan, his face flushed with anger and dissatisfaction. “Your Majesty, why were you so courteous to him in the hall just now? The few of us are hardly afraid of that Yan Qinyu!”

Feng Yuan barked back in reprimand, “Foolish! It is highly inconvenient to clash with Yan Qinyu right now, as any losses sustained would only weaken our own forces. We must keep a low profile for a period of time. Once my injuries are fully healed, we can discuss other matters.”

“However, I truly did not expect that Yan Qinyu would actually go out of his way to save Yuan Ruoshen. Since he has chosen to betray me, I will absolutely never let him off the hook!”

Yan Qinyu had absolutely no idea that he had just become the target of Feng Yuan’s deep-seated resentment.

He observed the situation for a long time and found that Feng Yuan had indeed maintained a very low profile. He no longer threw irrational tantrums and stopped thinking about waging wars altogether.

Instead, Feng Yuan diligently processed government affairs every single day, governing the Immortal and God Realm with proper care.

This left Yan Qinyu highly satisfied, and the suspicions he originally held gradually began to fade away.

As several centuries passed by, Feng Yuan continued to behave in this commendable manner.

Yan Qinyu’s guard vanished completely. He thought to himself that Feng Yuan had truly learned to care for the well-being of living creatures this time.

For those few centuries, the Linxu Realm enjoyed an era of absolute peace and stability. Every race minded their own business without crossing any boundaries. With Yan Qinyu acting as a mediator between them, the relations between the various factions actually softened significantly.

On the continent that served as the passage between the Demon Realm and the Immortal Realm.

Inside a certain teahouse.

Yan Qinyu was dressed in a pristine cyan-blue divine robe, his dark hair gathered neatly in a crown, a piece of divine jade hanging from his waist, the image of mountains and river ripples embroidered along his sleeves, and a sash of shark-silk bound around his waist. He remained completely spotless.

He still maintained his gentle, jade-like appearance and cold, detached aura, entirely unchanged by time.

A pair of sharp, sword-like eyebrows complemented his eyes, which were as dark and deep as a frozen pool. Beneath his high-bridged nose was a pair of pale, thin lips.

The clear tea liquid added a hint of moist color to his somewhat pale lips.

His facial features should have felt gentle and full of longing, much like a gray-and-green ink wash painting. However, the unbreakable streak of solemn majesty hidden within his eyes forcibly shattered that initial softness, instantly transforming the gentle ink wash painting into an unapproachable mountain range in reality.

Enveloped in curling wisps of steam, he sat in quiet solitude.

A flash of black-and-red light erupted, and Yuan Ruoshen appeared dressed in a sweeping black-and-red pleated robe adorned with intricate gold borders. His hair was bound in a golden chalice-shaped crown, and he wore a silk belt shaped like a beast’s head around his waist, embellished with a jade pendant piece that featured golden tassels.

The patterns on his robe possessed a rough, stone-like texture that felt grand and outstanding, flashing with brilliant golden glints amidst the deep black fabric.

The inclusion of gold borders and golden ornaments highlighted his extraordinary status, adding a touch of untamed arrogance to his presence.

He wore his hair in a high ponytail. Differing from their very first meeting, his originally black hair had transformed into a vibrant shade of gold-red. The bound gold-red hair looked exceptionally dazzling, presenting the image of a truly dashing young master.

Yan Qinyu’s eyes curved into a slight smile, thinking to himself that he truly was a flamboyant Golden Crow.

Holding a flask of fine wine in his hand, Yuan Ruoshen sat down directly across from Yan Qinyu.

A brilliant smile danced within Yuan Ruoshen’s dark red eyes. “I truly did not expect that you would purposely come out here to find me.”

Yan Qinyu studied Yuan Ruoshen for a moment. “The late-stage of the Quasi-Emperor realm. Your cultivation has recovered.”

Yuan Ruoshen nodded. “It has recovered.”

Yan Qinyu remarked, “You are remarkably strong, to be able to fight against Feng Yuan, who is at the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm, along with three other Quasi-Emperor experts of the same level, all while you were only at the late-stage of the Quasi-Emperor realm.”

“Furthermore, you managed to beat Feng Yuan so severely that he has failed to fully recover to this very day.”

Yuan Ruoshen let out a mocking laugh. “I am hardly as formidable as you claim. If I hadn’t chosen to self-detonate the Chaos Clock, I don’t even know if I would still be among the living right now.”

Yan Qinyu asked, “Is your Chaos Clock truly gone for good?”

Yuan Ruoshen raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Yan Qinyu. “Why are you asking about this?”

Yan Qinyu smiled gently. “It is nothing, I was merely curious.” He simply felt that it was a bit of a pity.

Yuan Ruoshen took a sip of his wine, his mind seemingly drifting off to other matters.

Yan Qinyu did not say anything either.

Yuan Ruoshen turned his gaze toward the view outside the window. The streets were filled with a scene of absolute harmony, and the loud cries of street vendors rang out in an endless stream. The chaotic misery that characterized the wartime and immediate postwar periods was completely gone.

Yuan Ruoshen spoke up, “I still cannot understand why you, the prominent Emperor Beiyue, went out of your way to save me back then. Didn’t an action like that equate to betraying Feng Yuan?”

Yan Qinyu’s words faltered for a brief instant, as if he were carefully pondering how to phrase his response.

After a short silence, he spoke up in a soft voice, “The word ‘betrayal’ is far too heavy a burden.”

His voice was incredibly soft, as though a gentle gust of wind could blow it away entirely, yet it carried an indescribable sense of gravity. “I withdrew from the Divine Court a long time ago, and he has abandoned me as well, so how can there be any talk of betrayal?”

Yuan Ruoshen paused, realizing that he had spoken out of turn. After a brief silence, he slowly raised his wine cup and said with a hint of apology, “I spoke without thinking.”

Yan Qinyu shook his head, not taking the matter to heart at all.

“It is quite alright. Besides, didn’t I tell you before? I simply do not wish to see the Linxu Realm engulfed in the flames of war ever again. The common people… they are entirely innocent.”

Yan Qinyu gazed at the bustling street outside the window where the cries of vendors never ceased. The faces of the living beings were all painted with bright smiles, showing their thorough satisfaction with their current stable lives.

The corners of Yuan Ruoshen’s mouth curled upward into a faint smile that wasn’t entirely a smile. He raised his eyebrows, his deep eyes staring fixedly at the man across from him as he spoke in a measured pace, “I truly find it difficult to comprehend. Given your strength and methods, you possess the full capability to drag Feng Yuan down from his position as the Divine Emperor, replace him, and ascend to that supreme throne of power yourself.”

“If you had done that, all the authority and glory would belong entirely to you, which sounds far more simple and direct, does it not? Yet, you chose not to act in such a manner. Why is that?”

Yan Qinyu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “How could it possibly be as simple as you make it sound! If I had taken human form earlier and stayed a step ahead of Feng Yuan, it might have been possible.”

“The four Great Divine Lords under Feng Yuan’s seat are all his absolute confidants, and there is also the Left Prime Minister whose strength has reached the late-stage of the Quasi-Emperor realm.”

“If I were to truly wage a war against them, I wouldn’t gain any advantages at all.”

As he spoke, he paused slightly, shifting his gaze directly toward Yuan Ruoshen. “Furthermore, there is another highly critical reason.”