Chương 546: Chapter 545: The Victor’s Spoils

The sun was high in the sky when Li Yu finally opened his eyes. He didn't wake up because of a trumpet blast, a beast roar or the scream of a dying cultivator. He woke up because the smell of roasting meat wafted past his nose. He peeled his face off the hard chitinous plate of Tekton's head and sat up. His back popped in three places, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet morning air.

"How long was I out?" Li Yu yawned while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Eighteen hours, Commander," a voice called up from below. Li Yu looked down. His army was in high spirits. Campfires were burning. It was not for warmth but for cooking. The tension that had gripped the Iron-Web Gorge for the previous twenty-four hours had evaporated and was replaced by the relaxed, jovial atmosphere of a festival. Sect Master Zhou and Patriarch Han were waiting for him. As soon as they saw him stir, they floated up to the top of the centipede.

Their faces were beaming with a mixture of relief and joy.

"Greetings, Commander," Zhou said as he bowed deeply.

"We didn't want to disturb you and let you rest as long as you were able to."

"Is everything around here secured?" Li Yu asked.

"It is," Han confirmed with a grin that split his scarred face.

"The gorge is clear. The extraction teams finished three hours ago. We have swept every nook and cranny of this cursed place." Zhou produced a storage ring and levitated it toward Li Yu.

"Your share, Commander." Li Yu took a look inside the ring. The ring was filled to the brim with beast cores, beast materials, rare metallic ores harvested from the gorge walls and bundles of spirit herbs that grew only in magnetic anomalies. It was a fortune.

"We took the liberty of processing everything while you slept," Zhou explained.

"This includes the share that those strangers had given us. We have already taken our share and distributed it to our forces below. Morale is... well, see for yourself." Li Yu looked down at the camp. Men and women from a dozen different small sects were laughing, comparing loot and eating together. They weren't just surviving anymore; they were thriving. This war truly changed their destinies.

"What about the Silver Sword Sect?" Li Yu asked while pocketing the ring into his Koi Sanctuary. Han's expression turned somber.

"They left after their injuries were healed. Sect Master Yin took the bodies of his disciples and marched away once he had confirmed this area was secured. They performed their duty until the end but there wasn't much to do once they were healed."

"Did he ask for a share?" Li Yu asked.

"Technically, this was his operation zone and he could ask for some."

"He didn't ask for a single copper coin," Zhou said. He was shaking his head in wonder.

"He looked... broken, Commander. Humbled. He walked past our loot piles without even glancing at them. He just nodded to our banner at the end and left. I think the loss of his elites has sobered him greatly." Li Yu nodded slowly. Sect Master Yin had lost thirteen hundred elites in this encounter. He had lost more troops earlier too at the Silent Hollows. It would seem he had lost a bit of his pride as well. He had been saved by the very people he mocked.

A man like that didn't have the face to demand profit from someone he knew was stronger than him. He was lucky to be leaving with his life.

"Good," Li Yu said. Shortly after talking with his commanders, Grandmaster Pan arrived with his team. They had arrived while Li Yu was asleep since the area was secured during that period. Grandmaster Pan brought the familiar chaos of array stabilization. He spotted Li Yu on top of Tekton.

"You!" Pan pointed a trembling finger.

"Again? Do you just follow me around to dangerous places?" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"I was here first, Pan," Li Yu called down. The two actually felt quite close to one another during these three visits and honorifics were dropped.

"And technically, you're following me."

"Details!" Pan waved his hand dismissively. He was manic as always, shouting about magnetic flux and ley lines, demanding Tekton move off a meridian point. Li Yu watched from a distance as the blue light of the Grand Formation finally stabilized, sealing the Iron-Web Gorge and marking the end of the campaign. With the sector secure, the army packed up and began the march back. The battle here was effectively over. One week later.

The atmosphere at the Strategic Command HQ was unrecognizable compared to the panic from before when Li Yu first arrived. The frantic messengers and screaming generals were gone, replaced by clerks quietly filing reports and officers drinking tea. The war had ended. Or rather, it had simply... stopped. After the initial, overwhelming surge of beasts that had threatened to overrun the continent, the pressure simply vanished. The further waves never came.

The coordinated assaults on all fronts and the supply lines stopped. The beast tides that were gathering in the deep wilderness dispersed, wandering aimlessly as if they had forgotten their orders. At the highest levels of the Alliance, the generals were baffled but relieved. They attributed the collapse to the swift victories at key nodes like the Iron-Web Gorge. They congratulated themselves on breaking the enemy's momentum and severing the command structure of the beast horde through their strategic brilliance.

Li Yu, sitting in the briefing room, accepted this explanation with a shrug. It made sense. He had stopped Tekton and that tide. They fought off the rifts and then pushed them back and restored the Grand Array. Kill enough of the enemy and they break. However, the truth was far different and completely unknown to anyone in that room. It was actually related to Li Yu but he had no idea that it had happened.

The Sin that was causing trouble here had been captured by the elders of the hidden village a few days after his visit. With the Sin captured, the mastermind driving the beast horde shattered instantly. No additional mutated beasts were created and set out to the world. The "Generals" of the beast army lost their connection to the hive mind and went about their business. The Alliance believed they had won a strategic victory. In reality, they had just been the beneficiaries of caring elders.

They had gotten partial revenge for their upset nephew and cleaned up the neighborhood so he could have a quiet life. But Li Yu didn't know that. As far as he was concerned, he and his army had done a good job. The Five Mountain Alliance had done a great job. They had saved countless lives and restored balance.

"We are entering the reconstruction phase," Shen Tu announced to the gathered leadership.

"The Alliance needs to consolidate. We need to reward those who bled for this land." The time had come for rewards. Shen Tu called Li Yu forward. The room, filled with Sect Masters who had previously looked down on the small group coming from the Southern Continent to their aid, was now silent with respect. Jian Xuan had not been seen since he was who knows where with Lin Xia and Krell. High Mystic Caelia and her disciple Sylvia returned safely and had contributed as well.

They had their own adventures and had played a key role in capturing the node they were assigned to. However, the person that stood out most was Li Yu.

"Commander Li Yu," Shen Tu said warmly.

"Your contribution to this war effort is undeniable. You secured three critical nodes. Broke the beast tide that threatened us. You rescued the remnants of many sects and clans. You held the line when others fled." Shen Tu unrolled a massive map on the central table.

"You asked for land," Shen Tu said.

"A home for your coalition that wants to follow you. I am here to honor my promise to you for your efforts here." He pointed to a region that made the others draw a sharp breath.

"The Cloud-Mist Peaks," Shen Tu declared. It was a jagged, mountainous region bordering the Silent Hollows. It wasn't a flat basin or a simple valley; it was a fortress of nature. The peaks pierced the clouds, creating natural defensive barriers. The valleys between them were rich with concentrated Qi and filled with ancient spirit veins that had been untouched for centuries due to the harsh terrain. It was a valuable territory that the Five Mountain Alliance had controlled for years.

Hard to tame, but immensely valuable for cultivators who sought strength. It would need to be developed but once it was, it was a great spot.

"This region is hereby granted to the organization known as 'The Alliance of the Jagged Peaks,'" Shen Tu announced.

"Under the leadership of Li Yu. It is sovereign territory. Tax-exempt for ten years. Protected status by the Five Mountain Alliance. Think twice before you try to attack them." He handed a heavy, golden scroll—the Deed of Ownership—to Li Yu. Li Yu took the scroll. He could feel the weight of it. This wasn't just dirt; it was a future for so many. Perhaps this alliance could make a true difference in the future.

"Thank you Shen Tu. For honoring our agreement and being so generous. We will never forget this. When the Five Mountain Alliance is in need. The Alliance of the Jagged Peaks will answer." Li Yu said while tucking the scroll away.