"What is the problem?" Elder Yao furrowed his brows and asked.

"Do you think our Endless Fire Domain, after suppressing so many Immortal Domains and securing the Golden Banner of military achievement, might cause dissatisfaction among other Immortal Domains?"

Although Xiao Huo was happy, he was also a bit worried. After all, they had just secured a major victory, and major factions were eagerly anticipating the recognition for their military contributions.

He had heard that several Lower-Rank Immortal Realms had suffered heavy losses and only managed to secure silver military achievements. Meanwhile, the Endless Fire Domain didn't deploy a single soldier to the main battlefield but secured the Golden Banner, which inevitably might cause some factions in the Immortal Domain to be disgruntled.

After hearing this, Elder Yao chuckled and said, "It's good that you have this concern, but... you are overthinking this matter."

"Although our Endless Fire Domain did not send a single soldier to the frontline, you must understand that one-tenth of the Elixir Pills at the frontline were provided by us, especially the healing Elixir Pills, nearly one-fifth of them were supplied by our Endless Fire Domain."

"It seems our Endless Fire Domain suffered no losses, but have you forgotten the resources we expended to provide the frontline with an uninterrupted supply of Elixir Pills? How many Spirit Veins did we exhaust, and how many Alchemy Masters died at their Pill Furnaces?"

"My apprentice, you must understand that the contribution in a war is not measured by how many lives were lost, but by the magnitude of the impact made."

At this point, Elder Yao paused, and his tone became solemn: "In this matter, you must not only graciously accept this military achievement, but also do so publicly, so that others know how much contribution our Endless Fire Domain made to earn the master's Golden Banner."

"If you act timidly, it will only lead to disputes, making others think our military achievements were not deservedly earned. Doing so would damage the master's prestige."

"Let me give you a phrase that young people today would easily understand..."

"My apprentice, you have to put on a show!"

"Do you understand?"

Elder Yao said earnestly.

Xiao Huo might not have understood the earlier parts completely, but he surely understood the last sentence, putting on a show? Now that's a trick he was familiar with!

In other areas, Xiao Huo might not be proficient, but when it comes to flaunting, he's never been outdone by anyone!

...

"Master, with what you have said, I understand now."

"In a few days, that old crook is going to marry a concubine, isn't he? Last time, he sent an invitation to my residence, insisting that I attend. Now... I have to go!"

Xiao Huo laughed.

After Old Crook received the silver achievement, his attitude became insufferable. Now it's time to bring him down a notch!

"Don't forget, if anyone asks where you got that Golden Banner from, you should explain it openly."

Elder Yao continued to remind him.

"Leave other matters for now. The most important thing at hand is... to quickly build the master's sculpture and temple."

"Understood, I'll immediately convene a Great World congress to quickly implement this matter!"

With that, Xiao Huo strode out of Elder Yao's residence.

....

As the war for conquering domains came to an end, the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm was completely under control, and the rewarded resources and military achievements were promptly distributed to each Great World.

Winning the war was important, but even more critical was the distribution of resources and the recognition of contributions after winning the war.

In the past, the leader handled these matters, but now with Dong'Er, who had a clear grasp of who contributed most in the war, she assisted the leader in formulating very fair and impartial rewards, garnering much respect from everyone below.

.....

At this moment, in the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm.

On an Immortal Mountain, Jin Yao stood at the peak, gazing down at the teams rebuilding the land.

Behind her stood a girl in a yellow dress, quietly standing behind Jin Yao.

After a long while, Jin Yao spoke: "Ye'Er, do you resent your master...."

At this question, the girl in the yellow dress shook her head and replied, "Why should I resent my master."

Upon hearing this, Jin Yao slowly turned around and said to the girl in the yellow dress: "Because your master led people to destroy the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm, the place where you were born and raised."

Upon hearing this, Illusion answered: "I have no home. The Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm is not my home. Wherever my master is, is my home."

"Moreover, my master did not destroy the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm. My master is helping it to become better."

Illusion's words touched Jin Yao's heart, and she was stunned for a while, her tightly knit eyebrows finally relaxing a bit.

What Jin Yao worried about most was that, after all, she was an undercover agent, embedded in the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm, and over the years, she had taken in many disciples.

These disciples were all native cultivators of the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm.

Therefore, Jin Yao had been deceiving them from the start, using them as chess pieces.

But over time, she found that these disciples, whom she viewed as chess pieces, truly followed her with sincerity, and she gradually developed compassion for them.

Dong'Er protected Jin Yao's undercover identity very well, so much so that even after the complete takeover of the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm, no one knew Jin Yao was actually an undercover agent for the Taishang camp.

The cultivators of the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm merely believed that Jin Yao was forced to submit and never suspected that she had been aligned with an enemy faction from the beginning.

Jin Yao actually planned to keep this secret.

However, among the disciples she took in, Illusion was the most special and the one she valued most, she even considered training Illusion as her successor.

So, she chose this day to reveal the whole truth to her.

If Illusion couldn't accept the truth, Jin Yao wouldn't force it and would let Illusion leave, sending her to a better and bigger Immortal Domain for development.

But Illusion's response brought Jin Yao much relief, as she felt she hadn't chosen the wrong person.

.....

"Master, if you hadn't taken me in and taught me."

"I would have died in some corner long ago. I have no relatives. From the day I followed Master, you have been my only family."

"I don't care about the Ancient Wilderness Immortal Realm, nor about Master's true identity, what matters is Master being my master, the most important person to me, that's enough."

Illusion mustered the courage to express her true feelings.

.....

After hearing this, Jin Yao smiled and said to Illusion: "Come over here, stand beside me."

As she finished her sentence, Illusion came to Jin Yao's side, standing at the highest point of this Immortal Mountain.

"Ye'Er, from my height, look down."

"What do you see?"

Jin Yao softly asked.

"I see many cultivators rebuilding post-war structures, repairing the damaged Great Wall, palaces, and more." Illusion replied.

Hearing this, Jin Yao shook her head: "That's not right."

"Look more carefully and then tell me your answer."

After listening, Illusion gazed down at the bustling Immortal Realm cultivators, observing for a while.

"Master, I understand now."

........

ps: Happy National Day to everyone. This struggling author is currently stuck in traffic on the highway, and this chapter was written during the traffic jam. I apologize deeply.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.