Ceasefire Between Both Sides, Division of the Luminous Empire's Territory

River Hill Lin Family, Lin Feng's residence.

"What? You brought Princess Fengxi here? Where is she?"

Lin Feng had been handling military reports from the front lines and administrative affairs from various regions. He had not expected Zuo Chuan Mingwang to come, much less bring him such explosive news.

"Lin told me to place her in Snow Moon Tower!"

"Snow Moon Tower? What does my brother have to do with Snow Moon Tower? Why put Her Highness the princess there?"

Lin Feng asked curiously, unable to make sense of it no matter how hard he thought. Wouldn't it have been simpler to bring her directly to his residence?

"I don't know!"

Zuo Chuan Mingwang answered calmly. He did not concern himself with such matters; he simply did whatever Lin told him to do.

"Forget it, asking you is pointless anyway. When will my brother return?"

"He said he would come once he finished dealing with his matters over there. About a year."

"However, before that, we need to end this war as soon as possible. I will gather the families from every region and mediate the conflict between you."

Zuo Chuan Mingwang spoke calmly and rationally.

"Hmph! This war can only end when they surrender and admit their mistakes, acknowledge that they are rebels who betrayed the Empire!"

Lin Feng was clearly furious at those family factions. They had openly rebelled the moment the imperial family of the Empire showed weakness.

"The Luminous Empire has already fallen. That is an irreversible fact. If you insist on continuing, it will only bring greater harm to humanity."

"Once you insist on fighting on, both sides will only suffer mutual destruction. If humanity's strength declines in this war, how will humans face the demon army in the Far East, which we have only temporarily driven back?"

"Therefore, the best solution right now is to stop the war and prevent humanity's remaining defensive forces from being completely exhausted, giving the demons an opportunity to invade humanity!"

Zuo Chuan Mingwang's words were like a clap of thunder, instantly waking Lin Feng from the hatred consuming him over the restoration of the Empire.

If he fought the other human families to the bitter end, the ones who ultimately benefited would still be the races of the Far East, while humanity's power would be left hanging by a thread.

"The seeds of the Luminous Empire's downfall had already been planted after its eleventh emperor. So you need not blame yourself or grieve. This is the course of history."

"As long as you raise Lin Fengxi, the Empire's surviving orphan, to adulthood, you will not have failed the Empire!"

Lin Feng pondered for a moment before finally lowering his head and saying weakly, "Then go. Proceed according to the ceasefire agreement drafted by the Flowing Wind Clan!"

"Humanity will never forget Marshal Lin's righteousness!"

Seeing that he had persuaded Lin Feng, Zuo Chuan Mingwang turned and left. He still had to find the Anti-Lin Alliance.

When dealing with the Anti-Lin Alliance, he would not be nearly as gentle as he had been with Lin Feng.

He smashed his way through the camp, seized Flowing Wind Heng, Zichuan Yun, Ming Lin, Hu Guiyang, and the other leaders, and dragged them into a single tent.

He used his fists to make them obediently shut up.

The four of them sat in the main tent with bruised and swollen faces, staring fearfully at the man standing guard at the entrance.

Looking at these chief culprits behind humanity's turmoil, it would have been impossible for him not to be angry.

But all of this had been inevitable. The powers across the Empire had already become divided into regional factions.

Even if they had not split away in this generation, they would have done so in the next.

Killing them would accomplish nothing. Without a powerful figure swiftly unifying the land, humanity would only fall into even greater chaos.

Lin Feng did not have that ability. Being able to hold his own against these people with fewer than a hundred thousand River Hill Army soldiers was already his limit.

Lin Junyu did possess the ability to end this chaotic age, but he seemed uninterested in such matters. He devoted himself to secluded cultivation and remained obsessed with his various studies.

If he were ever to achieve enlightenment and decide to end this age of chaos, then with the century of accumulation and research behind him, he could rapidly unify the entire continent and establish a new civilization.

That was the conclusion Zuo Chuan Mingwang had reached through rational analysis.

The four former imperial generals, now mighty rulers of their own territories, behaved like obedient children before Zuo Chuan Mingwang.

After all, this man had slaughtered his way through their entire military camp and brought them here. His martial strength was extraordinary—undoubtedly the greatest expert in human history.

After an unknown amount of time, a young and handsome general entered.

"Gentlemen, it has been a while!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone stood up and became alert, because the person who had arrived was Lin Feng.

Lin Feng, who had forcefully withstood the attack of their allied forces with fewer than a hundred thousand men.

"Hmph! You all enjoyed the Empire's support, yet none of you remembered its grace. You have all become traitors!"

"What do you know? You brat, when I was fighting on the front lines, you hadn't even been born yet!"

"We achieved what we have today entirely because of the protection of our ancestral families. For so many years, which generation of imperial rulers did not wish to wipe us out as quickly as possible?"

"Grace? The Empire probably wanted all of us dead!"

The hot-tempered Zichuan Yun immediately rose to his feet. Of all the clans, the Zichuan Clan had suffered the worst persecution from the imperial family.

Anyone from the Zichuan Clan who bore the family's mark would never receive important appointments from the Empire.

Moreover, whenever the demons invaded, the Empire always sent the Southeast Legion to the front, constantly draining the clan's strength.

Once, the Southeast Legion under the clan's command faced a demon army several times its size.

They sent people to break out and request reinforcements, yet not a single Imperial army came to help. They could only watch helplessly as their legion was swallowed by the demon army, standing by with folded arms.

Had they not invited their ancestor to intervene at the critical moment, the entire clan's power would have been completely wiped out after that battle.

Once the legion was destroyed, all that awaited the Zichuan Clan would be the Empire's endless suppression and destruction.

Therefore, from that time onward, no member of the Zichuan Clan entered Imperial service again. They steadily developed their own power instead.

They went their own way while the Empire went its own way. Whenever an Imperial decree arrived, they would toss it aside without even bothering to glance at it.

"This meeting is for a ceasefire. You are all outstanding figures among humanity. If you continue fighting, the only ones who will benefit in the end are the demons!"

Zuo Chuan Mingwang arranged seats for everyone, calmed their emotions, and then stated the terms of the meeting.

"I have no objection. As long as Marshal Lin no longer insists on restoring that Luminous Empire which should have perished long ago, we can withdraw our troops!"

"Yes. During the reign of the eleventh emperor, my ancestor left behind an ancestral instruction: after the Third Prince's death, the Luminous Empire had already become an empty shell in name only. We were to build up our clan's strength to prevent ourselves from being purged, and if there was ever a chance to leave the Empire, we had to do so!"

Flowing Wind Heng recalled the ancestral instruction left behind by his forefather, Liu Fengchuan. It was precisely because of that instruction that the Flowing Wind Clan had always acted with extreme caution.

Otherwise, if they had stirred up trouble beneath the Far Capital Emperor's very eyes, their clan would have been destroyed long ago.

For the past several centuries, the Flowing Wind Clan had lived in stifled caution. In outsiders' eyes, they were merely an obedient dog loyal to the imperial family.

"I agree!"

Before coming here, Lin Feng had already prepared himself mentally for everything.

"Then both sides will cease hostilities from this point onward. As the witness to this agreement, I will also serve as its overseer. If you violate it, I will make you pay the price. Believe in my strength!"

Zuo Chuan Mingwang put away the agreement signed by both sides. After issuing his warning, he rose and left.

The remaining people were likewise unwilling to stay long beneath Lin Feng's murderous gaze, and hurriedly got up and departed.

Afterward, both armies withdrew.

The Flowing Wind Clan occupied Far Capital and the northwestern territories of the former Luminous Empire.

The Ming Family occupied the central territories of the former Luminous Empire.

The Zichuan Clan occupied the eastern territories of the former Luminous Empire.

The Lin Family occupied the River Hill region and the southern territories of the former Luminous Empire.