The end of the battle settled the overall outcome. Dracoform Martial God’s sacrifice saved Vermillion while Heavenrend Viper lost his life.

The haughty Mu Shaochen also disappeared from the eyes of Myriad’s members henceforth.

Everyone remained fixated on Li Qiye with their mouth shut tightly, speechless.

“The title of number one expert belongs to someone else now.” One ancestor murmured.

It became apparent that after the death of Dracoform, Li Qiye was the only one qualified to hold this title.

However, for some strange reasons, everyone felt that Fiercest rolls off the tongue much better when describing Li Qiye. Number one expert was awkward in comparison.

The title Fiercest sounded more domineering so a title change didn’t matter as much.

“Gentlemen, unfortunately, today is not a joyous occasion, no joyous news either. Everyone has come for nothing.” Li Qiye clapped and interrupted the frozen atmosphere, still a smile on his face.

After regaining their wits, most either shook their head or quietly sighed.

They didn't come to Vermillion to participate in this advertised wedding, only to see the fight between Fiercest and number one.

So, their wish was satisfied in this manner. Alas, Dracoform’s sacrifice was regrettable. Only his legends would remain in Myriad from now on.

The result of this did make people breathe easier. Only a bit more and not just Vermillion but all of Myriad would have gone up in flames. No wedding ceremony and party but the majority of people still happily left. 

Vermillion Martial Court nearly became ashes but it rose again once more - a reason for celebration.

Wu Bingning gazed dejectedly at the land and sighed. One single mistake could have ruined everything. She grieved for Dracoform.

“The ancestor was just mistaken once.” She lamented. Though Dracoform almost forced her to marry Shaochen, she didn’t hate him at all. She considered him a brilliant ancestor among the many generations of Vermillion.

“Gain something, lose something.” Li Qiye chuckled: “His wish is fulfilled, the twelve variations shall return to your court.”

Li Qiye handed the truncheon to Wu Bingning, completely untempted by this incredible weapon.

She sighed again and accepted the truncheon before respectfully bowing towards him.

Without his help, their court would have fallen into damnation. He could have just watched the whole thing instead of helping. Thus, this was a great act of kindness and benevolence in her eyes.

News spread not long afterward - Wu Bingning had taken over Vermillion Court. The sects and clans in the system unanimously supported her.

This came to no one’s surprise. The court needed a powerful and capable leadership after this disaster and the death of Dracoform.

She was definitely the best choice. In the past, she was already coined as the successor and groomed as a future leader. Furthermore, the current leadership suffered a great setback; their authority questioned.

Dracoform and the other higher-ups in the martial court caused a terrible disaster. The thousands of clans and sects stopped trusting and supporting them. In fact, it was up for debate whether the martial court would retain control of Vermillion system or not.

This was quickly dispelled the moment Wu Bingning became the court’s new sect master. No one else disagreed with this choice.

She had a good reputation and was a vocal dissenter of this marriage alliance. Most importantly, she was on Li Qiye’s side, having him as a backer.

Since he was their savior, his influence here was undoubtedly great. The other powers in the system unanimously agreed with Bingning so the martial court kept their position as the leader of the system. 

The news of her ascension would herald a new era for the martial court. However, Li Qiye didn’t linger around, wanting to leave Vermillion.

“Young Noble, will I be able to see you again?” Bingning felt quite sad. Her eyes reddened despite her tough and unyielding personality.

She knew that he was too unreachable. One day, he would leave Vermillion and Myriad for Imperial and somewhere even further. She wouldn’t be able to keep up with her best effort. The difference between them was too great.

He gently fixed her hair and smiled: “We’ll meet again if fate permits. No one can predict the future. Perhaps in Myriad, or in Immortal, or some place else.”

She answered instead by jumping straight into his chest and gave him a tight embrace.

He hugged her back and kissed her on the forehead: “Goodbye, little girl. I’m sure you will soar above the nine firmaments one day.”

With that, he turned and left as she continued to watch his departing figure on the horizon for a long while.

***

Li Qiye didn’t leave for Imperial right away. His destination was Longevity Valley.

It was still as beautiful as ever - fragrant flowers and singing birds. Spring lasted four seasons here, pleasing all of the inhabitants.

People found peace and serenity as they walked through the valley, so a smile appeared on Li Qiye’s face.

Regardless of the time, Longevity Valley always maintained this reclusiveness away from the rowdy world. That’s why others tended to forget about its existence.

“First Brother!” An excited greeting came with three beautiful figures coming over - Fan Miaozhen, Mu Yalan, and Qin Shaoyao.

A touch of red was found on their cheeks.

“First Brother!” The distant and quiet Mu Yalan was actually the first to give him a hug.

He smiled and gave her an enthusiastic hug back.

“Wow, our Second Sister moves so fast, stealing First Brother from us.” Miaozhen acted as always with a charming smile.

Yalan’s thin skin blushed with heat and immediately let go of Li Qiye. She lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. She resembled a bashful young lady right now, a striking contrast from her usual demeanors.

“You can keep going, we won’t watch.” Miaozhen continued.

“Sister!” Yalan angrily glared.

Miaozhen didn’t relent and told Li Qiye: “First Brother, I’ll have you know that ever since you left, our Second Sister couldn’t eat and sleep, look at how thin she is now…”

“You’re making this up!” Yalan wished for a pit so she could jump in to hide her embarrassment.