madnovel Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Outside the ruins, the battle was over.
Scar Wolf stood amidst a pile of scrap metal, his knife already sheathed, not even a speck of dust on his body.
Aunt Liu's rats were cleaning up the battlefield—herding the prisoners together, tying up the surviving soldiers, and picking out the usable weapons and ammunition.
Han Mo's bugs are still burrowing in the base, paralyzing all the machines that weren't turned off in time.
Xuanfeng walked over and nodded to Scarface.
Scarface didn't ask about the doctor. There was no need to.
"What's next?" he asked.
Li Xuanfeng looked east, then west.
"wait."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Wait until those two 3S-class vehicles hear the news, then they can choose for themselves."
Li Xuanfeng said calmly, "Those who obey me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish. Those who choose to obey will have their lives spared. Those who choose to oppose will go and keep the doctor company."
Scarface nodded and said nothing more.
The night wind blew through the ruins, carrying with it the smell of burnt food and blood.
In the distance, the eastern horizon was faintly turning white; dawn was approaching.
Looking at the faint light, Li Xuanfeng suddenly remembered something his second grandfather had said:
"Conquest is a complex matter, but it can also be simple."
It's simply about letting everyone know one thing—those who obey you will live; those who oppose you will die.
He smiled.
"Now they know."
three days later.
A letter arrived from the east. It was a personal letter from the Thunder King, written with utmost respect, expressing his willingness to submit to the Li family, pay tribute annually, and never betray them.
The condition is: his territory and his followers must be preserved.
After reading the letter, Li Xuanfeng picked up his pen and replied with a single word:
"allow."
No news came from the west.
What the Ice Queen sent was an ice sculpture—her own head, placed inside a block of ice, frozen solid.
The one who delivered the head was her deputy city lord. The man knelt on the ground, trembling, "The Ice Queen... the Ice Queen said she would fight you to the death, so we... we killed her. Please, my lord, spare my life!"
Li Xuanfeng stared at the ice sculpture in silence for a while.
Then he laughed.
"You guys have a good eye for choosing."
He waved his hand: "Get up. From now on, the west side is your responsibility."
The rules are the same as in the east—annual tributes and unwavering loyalty. Failure to comply will result in your fate as the Ice Queen.
The man kowtowed repeatedly.
Three days later, the west side was also leveled.
Xuanfeng stood in the council hall of Nanfeng City, a hand-drawn map spread out in front of him—east, south, west, and north, four territories, all now marked with the same character:
plum.
He picked up the jade slip used for communication.
"Second Grandfather, that's about enough."
From the other end of the jade slip, Li Xiaoyao's voice came: "Have you taken care of all three 3S-level enemies?"
"Two solutions, one surrender."
Li Xiaoyao nodded after listening.
"Okay. Now it's just a matter of following the procedures."
"Come up here when you have some free time."
"Okay, Second Grandpa."
……
When Li Xuanfeng returned to the flying boat, Li Xiaoyao was sunbathing on a deck chair.
"You're back?" Li Xiaoyao didn't even lift his eyelids.
"You're back." Xuanfeng sat down next to him.
Li Xiaoyao sat up, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and handed it to Xuanfeng.
"This is the document to be submitted to the Immortal Sect. Please fill it out."
Plane number, occupation time, main faction, estimated resources—write them all down.
Li Xuanfeng took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and began to fill in each item one by one.
Li Xiaoyao lay back down and said slowly, "After you finish filling it out, I will hand it over as an elder."
With the approval from the Immortal Sect, the management rights of this plane officially belong to our Li family.
From now on, we'll make offerings according to the rules every year, and the rest will be ours.
As Li Xuanfeng filled out the form, he asked, "So, who should we send to guard it?"
"Whom do you want to keep?"
Li Xuanfeng thought for a moment: "Scarface Uncle should stay. He's steady and his cultivation is sufficient. Aunt Liu and Han Mo should also stay; their methods are suitable for keeping watch."
Of the hundred or so members of the collateral branches, half will stay and take turns guarding the area. Of the two hundred or so members of other surnames, those who wish to stay can stay, and those who don't can return.
Li Xiaoyao nodded: "What about the indigenous people?"
"Bring them back," Li Xuanfeng said. "They were originally there for training, and now that they've finished, it's time for them to come back and cultivate."
"It's fine to leave a few who are willing to stay there, but the main force needs to be brought back."
"Okay. You can arrange it yourself."
After filling out the jade slip, Li Xuanfeng handed it to Li Xiaoyao.
Li Xiaoyao caught it, glanced at it, and casually tossed it away. The jade artifact transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the void.
"Alright, let the Immortal Sect wait for the approval."
He stood up, stretched, and said, "Don't go out around these next few days. There'll be some work to do in a couple of days."
Li Xuanfeng's eyes lit up: "What kind of work?"
Li Xiaoyao glanced at him and smiled.
"move place."
A month later.
A massive flying ship rose from the Sunset Realm and slowly sailed into the void.
This is the largest transport airship in the Li family—the E-52, with a carrying capacity five times that of the standard model.
It is rarely used because it consumes too many spirit stones.
It was used today.
Inside the cockpit, Changhu stood in front of the main control console, carefully checking the flight path.
Behind him were the three younger ones, Xuanxuan, Xuanzhu, and Xuanling, each responsible for a section.
"Father, where are we going?" Xuanxuan asked.
Changhu didn't even turn his head: "Let's move."
"Move what?"
"Move people, move things," Changhu said. "Your second grandfather said that we only need a few hundred thousand people in that new dimension. The rest, move them all back."
Li Xuanxuan was taken aback: "Move everything back? How long will that take?"
"If one trip isn't enough, we'll make two. If two trips aren't enough, we'll make three."
Changhu finally turned around, glanced at his son, and said, "Can we leave our Li family's things to them?"
Li Xuanxuan remained silent.
The spaceship passed through the void barrier and entered the new era.
Below them lay the land they had just conquered.
Two months later.
New Era Realm, Southwind City.
The former council chamber has now become a "materials transfer center".
There was a long queue at the door—people who were all moving out.
Scar Wolf stood at the door, watching people register, get numbers, and board the flying boat one by one.
Standing to the side were Aunt Liu and Han Mo.
"How many times has this been?" Aunt Liu asked.
"The fifth trip," Scarface said. "We received a letter from Long Lake saying that two more trips should be enough."
Aunt Liu nodded and looked at the people in line.
There were ordinary people, people with superpowers, scientists from the old era, and prisoners who were willing to follow the Li family.
Men, women, young and old, with their families in tow, all wore different expressions—some were expectant, some were fearful, and some were bewildered.
"How many people should we keep?" Han Mo rarely asked.
"Leave them a few hundred thousand," Scarface said. "Enough for them to live on their own."
Han Mo didn't say anything more.
In the distance, another airship slowly descended.
The hatch opened, and Li Xuanfeng stepped out.
"Uncle Chen, how's it going over here?"
"Soon," Scarface said. "This is the last batch. We'll leave once registration is complete."
Li Xuanfeng nodded and looked at the city they had conquered with their own hands.
The streets are still there, the houses are still there, but more than half the people are gone.
The remaining people stood on the street corner, watching from a distance.
Will they hate us?
Li Xuanzhu approached at some point.
Li Xuanfeng glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Maybe. But it doesn't matter."
Why?
"Whether they hate us or not won't affect our departure," Li Xuanfeng said. "We've come, we've taken enough, that's enough. As for how they live afterward—that's their business."
Li Xuanzhu seemed to be deep in thought.
Li Xuanfeng turned around and walked towards the flying boat.
"I'm leaving. This is my last trip."
……
Sunset Glow Realm, Qixia Peak.
Li Xiaoyao stood in front of Chengxia Palace, watching the flying boat slowly descending in the distance.
The airship's cabin door opened, and the crowd surged out like a tidal wave—
There were ordinary people in tattered clothes, scientific and technological personnel in white coats, people with superpowers, children, and the elderly.
Changhu squeezed out of the crowd and quickly walked up to Li Xiaoyao.
"Second Uncle, the fifth batch has arrived."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Li Xiaoyao patted him on the shoulder, "Have you taken a count? How many people are there in total?"
"The first five batches totaled over 3.2 million," Changhu said. "There's one last batch, about 700,000 to 800,000. Once that batch arrives, the total will be around 4 million."
Li Xiaoyao nodded: "What about the ones left behind?"
"They left about 500,000," Changhu said. "Enough for them to live on their own."
Li Xiaoyao looked at the surging crowd.
Someone knelt on the ground and kissed this unfamiliar land.
Some people looked around blankly, unsure of what would happen next.
Some people held their children and silently shed tears.
"Is everything arranged?"
"It's all arranged," Changhu said. "As you said, we'll be resettled in three batches."
Those with skills were assigned to workshops, those with special abilities were placed in reserve units, and ordinary people were allocated land to grow grain.
Li Xiaoyao nodded.
"Go ahead. Take a few days to rest after you're done."
Li Changhu responded and turned to make the arrangements.
Li Xiaoyao stood in front of the hall, watching the crowd gradually disperse.
As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with rosy clouds.
He suddenly remembered that many years ago, when he first transmigrated, the Li family was just a small, impoverished family, guarding a few acres of meager land, and had not even reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
What now?
Sunset Realm, Dawn Departure Heaven, New Era Realm.
Three planes, millions of people, and tens of thousands of cultivators.
He smiled, turned around, and walked into Chengxia Hall.
"The road ahead is still long."