Looking at the now-beheaded Emperor, Yan Xiaobao knew they had officially won the war, but he felt neither joy nor relief at the Emperor’s death. In fact, he was grateful for the information he received before the Emperor’s passing, but regretted that it had come at such a significant cost. No matter how much he had wanted to kill him, it had to be done. Having a beast do the killing for him was not Yan Xiaobao’s way. After all, he was the Great Marshall.
Glancing around, Yan Xiaobao took out the Memory Stone that contained valuable items from the castle. He searched through the stones until he found a rectangular box made of marble, adorned with gemstones and gold. He collected the box, placed the Emperor’s body and head inside, and shut it. "Qiao!" he called out. Ms. Lin came over to him, curious about what he wanted now. Everyone in the garden had witnessed the Emperor’s beheading, but no one truly understood why Yan Xiaobao was now so diligently finding such a coffin. When they saw him place the Emperor inside the beautiful coffin, they were puzzled. To them, the Emperor was nothing more than an enemy, but Yan Xiaobao still hoped the man could die with dignity, and he felt the need to thank him for the information he had given before his demise.
"What do you need?" she asked, curiously eyeing the marble box. "I need someone to take this box to the border of the Sun Kingdom. Preferably to a military camp," Yan Xiaobao replied as he turned and surveyed the area. "If they see that he is dead, they’ll understand this land now belongs to us," he said, pacing back and forth. "Gather everyone. If we don’t manage to eliminate all of the Crusaders, this day will have been wasted, and tonight we will face peril," he continued, shouting commands as everyone began packing up and preparing for the hunt. The atmosphere was charged with anger and resentment. Just hours ago, they had been part of Miss Sunx’s army, made up of familiar faces, united in their thirst for vengeance. Though many of them were already dead, though beasts naturally had little affection for one another, after battling together, they started to feel like a family. Yan Xiaobao understood this better than anyone, because he too bore the responsibility for the soldiers who had fallen.
Soon, a Horned Eagle was dispatched to ferry the marble coffin to the border of the Sun Kingdom, while the rest of the army prepared to hunt down the remaining Crusaders. Few Crusaders had escaped, but there was still a chance they had at least one other Holy Name Expert among them. At the very least, Yan Xiaobao still had thirty-two Saints left, far surpassing his expectations and estimates regarding the Crusaders.
"I hope they haven’t received reinforcements," Yan Xiaobao muttered to himself as he led the way, accompanied by Miss Sunx and Wan Qiao. His body had once again been entrusted to Lan Feng. Wan Qiao noticed the change in dynamic between Yan Xiaobao and Lan Feng but said nothing. Miss Sunx also sensed that something was different about the young man, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed. What she did sense was that the young man seemed no longer to be a King, but a Saint. She had heard of this shift before, particularly when he had battled a towering Saint from the Siban Empire. She had witnessed him achieve the Holy Level, yet now the change felt distinctly strange. Earlier, she thought Yan Xiaobao had risen to an even higher level, but now, although she knew it was him, she didn’t feel like it truly was. He seemed more arrogant, stronger, superior to other Saints in certain ways. It was a kind of power no one else could possess—something born from having lived nobly day after day within the body of a magnificent beast.
Lan Feng didn’t reveal to Miss Sunx the shift in his personality. He was not keen to let many people know about his secret with Yan Xiaobao, not even those who had fought alongside him for life. Having lost his physical body, Lan Feng could no longer trust others easily. He often claimed he wished everyone could keep their secrets to themselves, though this was something Yan Xiaobao couldn’t quite do. Yan Xiaobao wished for those he trusted unconditionally to know his secret, but at the same time, he understood Lan Feng and decided not to force him to share his own secrets with others.
Returning to the desolate city, Yan Xiaobao reflected deeply. He thought about how his army had scattered during the invasion of the city and had to admit that the Emperor had been right. Everything had been too simple—he should have noticed it much earlier. However, it had been impossible for him to do so, as he lacked true combat experience, let alone experience in warfare.
Yan Xiaobao ensured his soldiers remained vigilant now, as he understood they were not only fighting Crusaders but also Saints and the Great Marshall from the Siban Empire. If they fought both at once, it could spell trouble for him.
As they moved through the city, Yan Xiaobao finally realized that if they remained as they were, they would find nothing; thus, he divided his forces into four equal camps. Though separated, they should still be capable of dealing with the Crusaders or at least pinning them down until reinforcements arrived.
Marching through the city, everyone remained silent, observing their surroundings. However, it seemed no one encountered the Crusaders as expected. Yan Xiaobao hoped his army would locate the Crusaders, though he understood that the chances of this happening were slim. Nevertheless, as he crossed the vast city, he held onto a glimmer of hope.