This night was destined to be a silent one; nothing happened between the two. In such a time, one couldn't imagine having the inclination for anything to happen. They simply held each other, quietly listening to the rhythm of the other’s heart, until the dawn broke.

Ye Jingyu bid farewell to Jiufeng. He still had more crucial matters to attend to. Jiufeng offered no plea for him to stay; just as she had promised, whatever he did, she would support him.

Watching the silhouette draped in black vanish from sight, Jiufeng finally whispered a few words: "If the day comes when you are truly gone, I will descend to join you, always by your side, whether in hell or in heaven!"

Ye Jingyu’s form paused momentarily in the void. Even with his immense divine sense, Jiufeng’s words resonated clearly in his mind. Gazing at the pavilion standing sentinel by the roadside, and recalling that faint, ethereal figure, a bitter smile touched his lips. He realized he had spoken words much like those to Ling'er once before!

Could this truly be love?

Jiufeng, if I can return alive, I swear I will never allow you to suffer the slightest grievance again.

He murmured the sentiment silently in his heart, and Ye Jingyu’s figure dissolved back into the emptiness of the void.

Soon, the news that the Duke of Zhenguo of the Nanyun Empire, Fang Zhuguo, had fled in fear with his retinue spread throughout Yunjing City. Many who heard it for the first time displayed looks of utter shock; they found it hard to believe that Duke Ye, who had rendered such monumental service to the nation, would retreat without a fight.

But as the rumor gained wider traction, a growing number of people began to accept it. They started to curse Ye Jingyu, to heap imprecations upon him, voicing their condemnation through every available channel.

The Emperor of the Empire, Luo Ruofeng, wasted no time, issuing an imperial edict that revoked all of Ye Jingyu’s authority and titles, officially declaring him the foremost traitor of the Nanyun Empire.

The court immediately listed Ye Jingyu as the number one most-wanted fugitive for his act of desertion.

This announcement instantly threw the entirety of the Nine Provinces into an uproar. Ye Jingyu, who had once single-handedly defeated Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan to become the new God of War, was now fleeing without engaging the enemy—how could this not cause widespread astonishment?

Many initially refused to believe it, but as the Nanyun Imperial Family released successive waves of wanted decrees, people found themselves unable to deny the truth.

It could be said that Ye Jingyu’s image in the hearts of the Nanyun Empire’s populace plummeted instantly from the highest pedestal to the deepest pit. Especially among the citizens of Yunjing, those whose own families had witnessed the Duke’s entourage sneaking out of the city propelled their curses against Ye Jingyu to a fever pitch.

Jiufeng stood on the upper floor of the Mingyan Tower, watching the ignorant masses below ceaselessly denouncing Ye Jingyu. A flicker of scorn crossed her face. If this charade weren't enacted, you wouldn't even know how to write the character for 'death.' He is doing all of this for your sake.

In the highest tower of the Imperial Palace, Luo Ruofeng, clad in his bright yellow dragon robe, stood atop the battlements, his gaze fixed toward the northwest. He muttered softly, "A'Yu, you have suffered this injustice!"

Behind him, Nangong Shang, Bieli, Ye Longyi, Ying Xiaoxiao, and others watched with troubled eyes, veins bulging in their arms. The world was insulting Ye Jingyu, yet the world had no idea that everything he did was intended to lure Fang Zhuguo away, thereby saving the people of the Nanyun Empire from a massacre.

One had to remember that Fang Zhuguo, in his relentless pursuit to kill Ye Jingyu, had somehow managed to acquire eighty thousand Blood Guards from the Tianyuan Empire through unknown means. It was less a matter of using these eighty thousand Blood Guards to reach the imperial border and more accurate to say that these eighty thousand Blood Guards were accompanying him on a path of slaughter to the borderlands. Intelligence indicated that Fang Zhuguo was carving a path of destruction, relying on his overwhelming personal strength to commit outright slaughter in every city he encountered. For such a madman, unless there was absolute certainty of his elimination, the continued existence of Yunjing City could never be guaranteed.

The issue, however, was that Ye Jingyu did not possess that absolute certainty required to destroy him, so how could he allow Fang Zhuguo to reach Yunjing City?

Compelled by necessity, Ye Jingyu devised this strategy of treason, making everyone believe he had fled without a fight, thereby completely severing ties with the Nanyun Empire.

Since Fang Zhuguo was here solely for his life, everything else was merely procedural. If Fang Zhuguo learned that he had already fled Yunjing, he would naturally cease leading the Blood Guards to attack the Nanyun Empire and would certainly shift his focus to personally hunting Ye Jingyu.

After all, a Ye Jingyu stripped entirely of his reputation was a vastly different entity from a Ye Jingyu enjoying supreme prestige. In that scenario, would the remaining eighty thousand Blood Guards truly dare to assault Yunjing City? They were, in essence, nothing more than tools.

Most crucially, by letting Fang Zhuguo know he was now disconnected from the Nanyun Empire, if Ye Jingyu were ultimately overwhelmed by Fang Zhuguo, it was unlikely the madman would then turn to annihilate a populace that had absolutely no remaining connection to Ye Jingyu. This action successfully averted the impending catastrophe.

Ye Jingyu was the one making the greatest sacrifice, yet everyone involved, including Luo Ruofeng, understood this fully but could offer no explanation on his behalf. Instead, they were forced to continually cast opprobrium upon him—what a desolate and agonizing ordeal.

On the border of Yanzhou, several hundred kilometers from Yunjing City, near the Yun River, the eighty thousand Blood Guards of the Tianyuan Empire were encamped. Inside the command tent, Fang Zhuguo was engaged in a frenzied coupling atop a beautiful woman, whose face was contorted in pain. Yet, facing the formidable Fang Zhuguo, she was powerless to do anything but try her best to accommodate the man above her.

At that precise moment, a military officer rushed in. Caught completely off guard by the sight of Fang Zhuguo in such activity, his face instantly shifted to one of alarm.

"General, I—"

"Speak! What is it?" Fang Zhuguo sneered, showing no intention of pausing his movements...

"General, the Duke of Zhenguo of the Nanyun Empire fled without a fight upon hearing of our army's arrival at the border. The entire Nanyun Empire has issued a warrant for his arrest!" The officer, fearing he might lose his life for interrupting the General’s pleasure, quickly relayed the intelligence he had obtained upon hearing that Fang Zhuguo seemed in no mood to chastise him.

"Oh? Fled without a fight? A man who dared to kill Fang Jiuyou would flee without a battle? Heh, he probably intends to deliberately draw me away. But that serves well enough. Since he is no longer the Duke of Nanyun, I have fewer scruples. So be it, let him have his wish?" Fang Zhuguo gave a cold laugh. As his words ended, his body convulsed, clearly having reached a profound climax...

"Then, General, what are our next orders?" Seeing that Fang Zhuguo was not angered, the officer mustered the courage to inquire further.

"What are the orders? What you all do has nothing to do with me. I am only here to kill people, hahahaha..." Fang Zhuguo burst into roaring laughter. With a casual wave of his hand, the head of the woman beneath him exploded completely. Under the horrified gaze of the officer, his figure vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a headless corpse splattered with brain matter...

(Conflict! Little Ye's conflict! Alas, it seems I have circled back to an old problem! I, too, feel conflicted!)