A civil unrest nearly devastated Cloud Capital, especially the explosion from Qin Yan’s final energy cannon blast, which annihilated not only the Imperial Plaza but also large swathes of civilian residences and a section of the palace wall—an unprecedented event in the history of the Southern Cloud Empire.

One month has passed since that internal conflict. The destroyed section of the palace wall has been fully rebuilt, the plaza restoration is underway, and reconstruction has begun on the ruined houses. However, this area, which originally housed the estates of various nobles and princes, was entirely leveled in the catastrophe. The Emperor of the Southern Cloud Empire directly bestowed this entire territory upon Ye Jingyu, commissioning the construction of the nation’s grandest structure outside the Imperial Palace itself: the State-Guarding Mansion (Zhen Guo Fu)!

Yet, raising a massive mansion from ruins is no small feat that can be accomplished in a mere month. Even mobilizing the entire national strength of Luo Ruofeng would require at least three months…

The source of the internal strife, the Crown Prince, was apprehended on the third day, and his high ancestor, Hailang Bing, was ruthlessly executed by Liang Xiaoke, whose soul power was entirely absorbed by Liang Xiaoke…

Everyone associated with the Crown Prince was also eliminated. This past month has been an era of sheer bloodshed for the Southern Cloud Empire; no less than one hundred thousand people were executed under the furious command of Luo Xiaofeng…

Countless families suffered the extermination of nine generations, and even the Crown Prince was secretly executed, officially reported as a sudden death. Even the Fifth Prince was slain, and the Prince of Yong'an smoothly ascended to become the new Crown Prince…

A purge lasted for over a month before it concluded. Three Ministers, seven Vice-Ministers, and hundreds of other officials, both high and low-ranking, were all ordered to have their entire extended families executed…

Now, the imperial court is almost entirely filled with new faces…

When this entire cleansing operation finally ended, Luo Xiaofeng abruptly announced his decision to enter secluded cultivation to stabilize his Martial God realm, declaring he would no longer involve himself in court affairs. In essence, this was a transfer of power to Luo Ruofeng, while he himself would become a carefree Retired Emperor (Taishang Huang)…

The Southern Cloud Empire, having endured such dramatic upheaval, suddenly welcomed a new Emperor. This transition left many in disbelief. The barely settled flames of war showed faint signs of flaring up again; however, under the deterrent presence of Ye Jingyu, the new War God of the Southern Cloud Empire, the Seventh Prince Luo Xiaoyuan, as well as the Sixth and Fourth Princes, could only content themselves with being carefree regional lords, unwilling to suffer the fate of the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince…

Upon ascending the throne, Luo Ruofeng’s first act was to appoint Ye Jingyu as the Grand Marshal of the State-Guarding Army, putting him in command of all national military forces, while simultaneously holding the position of Minister of War. As for his title, he was already named a First-Rank State Duke (Guo Gong)—and the only one, as further such honors were virtually impossible to bestow, so the matter was left as is for the time being…

Zhuge Yishi, meanwhile, was directly promoted by Luo Ruofeng to the position of Prime Minister, the head of the civil service, holding the highest official rank, and further enfeoffed as the Earl of Wending (Wen Ding Bo), becoming the first Prime Minister in the history of the Southern Cloud Empire to possess a hereditary title…

Furthermore, Luo Ruofeng commanded his own son, the current Crown Prince Luo Lixuan, to become a formal disciple under the tutelage of both Ye Jingyu and Zhuge Yishi…

Such bestowals were simply unheard of. While granting Zhuge Yishi the rank of Earl might be understandable, Ye Jingyu now held the titles of Imperial Son-in-Law, Grand General of the State-Guarding Army, State Duke, and commanded all national troops. This concentration of power elevated him to an unimaginable height, far surpassing even that of the Emperor. Yet, strangely, no dissenting voices were raised.

Upon reflection, it made sense. During several moments when the empire faced imminent collapse, it was Ye Jingyu alone who saved the entire Southern Cloud Empire. Moreover, with his current strength, achieving self-coronation would be trivially easy. The Emperor’s grand arrangements were essentially a clear declaration of his profound trust in Ye Jingyu, weren't they?

Of course, this was the public speculation. In reality, Luo Ruofeng trusted Ye Jingyu deeply, acting without reservation when issuing these orders. If he hadn't considered that he might soon run out of honors to bestow, he might have directly named Ye Jingyu a King with a different surname (Yi Xing Wang).

In addition, Nangong Shang, Ying Xiaoxiao, Bieli, Ye Longyi, and others were also granted noble titles and appointed to various official posts of differing importance. Even Liang Xiaoke received the title of Duke of Carefree Travel (Xiao Yao Gong)…

Naturally, this distribution of peerage was heavily influenced by an element of veiled threat. In Liang Xiaoke’s own words: "I am Ye Jingyu’s sworn older brother, and my contributions to the Southern Cloud Empire are no less than his. If he gets to be a Duke, and you don't grant me a State Duke title to play with, I’ll spend every day haunting the Imperial Palace pretending to be a ghost!"

Recalling Liang Xiaoke’s ethereal, unpredictable presence, how could Luo Ruofeng possibly refuse?

Thus, a grand proclamation of rewards was issued. Countless newcomers gained the chance to ascend to nobility, while just as many established nobles were suppressed. There was joy for some and sorrow for others, but regardless, after this great transformation, the Southern Cloud Empire finally coalesced into an iron-clad entity.

With the aid of Ye Jingyu and the Sacred Beast Inner Cores, Nangong Shang successfully advanced to Martial Saint after absorbing one core. Bieli, Ying Xiaoxiao, Ye Longyi, and Yi Ruoshui could not absorb the full power of a single Saint Core, so the four shared one, which immediately propelled their strength to the peak of the Grandmaster realm. Though they had not attained the corresponding enlightenment to break through to Martial Saint, Ying Xiaoxiao and the others were ecstatic. If not for Ye Jingyu, reaching the peak of Grandmaster would have taken them decades.

Bing Ming also received a Saint Core, and after fully absorbing it, his power ascended to the intermediate Martial Saint level, no longer the initial-stage Martial Saint that could be shattered by a single palm from Xuanyuan Xiaozhan.

Chi Yixiu, after recovering from his injuries, also absorbed a Saint Core, greatly enhancing his power. His Innate Earth Body granted his physical defense a staggering level, proving even stronger than Ye Jingyu's.

Of course, while Ye Jingyu’s physical defense might not surpass Chi Yixiu’s, his enhanced healing abilities were something Chi Yixiu could not possess…

Hu Yanqi and Hu Yanmeng shared a Saint Core, and under Ye Jingyu’s supervision, both of their powers grew exponentially. Hu Yanqi, in particular, showed subtle signs of being capable of unleashing the fourth arrow of the Sun-Shooting Art.

Luo Ruofeng, Lin Xiaoyi, Gongsun Xiangyi, Xiao Muzi, and Luo Lixuan also shared an Inner Core’s energy. Luo Ruofeng and Gongsun Xiangyi directly achieved the peak Grandmaster realm, while Lin Xiaoyi, Xiao Muzi, and Luo Lixuan all reached the Master realm. Had their mental fortitude been sufficient, they might have already entered the Grandmaster realm…

Luo Ruofeng’s advancement was one thing, but for ten-year-old Luo Lixuan to suddenly leap from a mere Martial Warrior novice to a Master realm expert was an excitement beyond words. His adoration for Ye Jingyu reached its absolute zenith…