Chapter 147: Returning to the Capital in Triumph

Chen Mo surveyed the scene outside the valley. Nearly two months had passed, and the season was now autumn; the leaves on many of the ancient trees in the surrounding mountains had long since withered and turned yellow.

He was currently about several hundred miles from Luantian Valley. The situation inside the valley remained chaotic, with various extreme weather patterns emerging one after another, and the Grey Mist of the Mirage Sea flowing through it from time to time.

Chen Mo swept his gaze across the area; while not every detail within a radius of several hundred miles was captured in his eyes, he could still grasp the general picture.

Numerous military tents remained in place, and because they had been stationed there for quite some time, some simple military stockades had even been erected.

Nearly thirty thousand Imperial Guards, along with many Personal Soldiers stationed by nearby prefectures, were still garrisoned here.

For this bandit suppression campaign, Chen Mo was the commander-in-chief, holding total authority over all affairs within the army.

If he did not issue an order, and the Imperial Court did not issue a Command Order, then these soldiers could only continue to remain stationed here.

"Foster father!" Chen Mo leaped and turned back, arriving inside a military stockade in an instant.

In the Innate Realm, a Martial Artist's True Qi sublimates, allowing them to truly fly and soar between heaven and earth, and their speed is far faster than before.

Previously, when he flew between heaven and earth or even stood in the void, he had to rely on projecting his Inner Qi to support himself.

But now, with the Heaven and Earth Mechanism at his disposal, he no longer needed to exert such effort; with the circulation of True Qi and by borrowing the Heaven and Earth Trend, he could fly as he pleased.

"Ah!" Sun Shouren caught sight of Chen Mo and was stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with astonishment and his expression blank, as if he could not believe this scene.

"You scared the life out of me! You're finally safe!" He reacted immediately, took two quick steps forward, grabbed Chen Mo's arm, and spoke with immense excitement.

Chen Mo had disappeared, along with several other Innate Experts; this was truly a major event among major events, enough to shock the entire Imperial Court and the public.

In fact, after the white mist had filled the area for a thousand miles around the valley that day, the Imperial Court had sent people to investigate within a few days.

However, after looking, they said nothing, only telling him to lead the army to continue guarding and waiting there.

Sun Shouren had no choice but to wait there every day, becoming more anxious the longer he waited.

He was terrified that Chen Mo might meet with any accident.

Now that he finally saw Chen Mo appear before him again, how could his heart not be stirred and excited?

"The mysterious fog covered me earlier, and I was delayed in it for some time, but no major problems occurred. After I disappeared during this encirclement of the Demonic Path, what was the specific situation?

Also, how is the Imperial Court doing now? Have any major events occurred?"

Chen Mo asked in a deep voice, one question after another. He had spent nearly two months in the Mirage Mirror and had missed many things, so he naturally wanted to understand the situation now that he was out.

"Besides you, three other Innate Experts from the Imperial Court also disappeared. If those three Innate Experts also return, then this encirclement of the Demonic Path can be called a complete victory."

Sun Shouren could not hide the excitement in his heart, but hearing Chen Mo's questions, he still answered in an orderly manner.

Victory or defeat is not judged by the battle results, but by whether the effort and the gains are proportional.

If the encirclement of the Demonic Path resulted in the loss of three Innate Experts, then even if the Demonic Path were wiped out completely, it would still be a major defeat for the Imperial Court.

"Since I have returned, if there are no accidents, those three Innate Experts will also return one after another."

Chen Mo made his judgment with a firm tone, even though he had not met Zhao Xuanxin and the other Innate Expert in the Mirage Mirror he had been in.

But since the two of them had come into contact with the same type of white mist as he had, it was highly likely they were also trapped in a Mirage Mirror, and it was just that the Mirage Mirror they were in had not yet come to an end.

"Furthermore, during this encirclement of the Demonic Path, the number of Demonic Path scoundrels our army killed has been fully recorded in the military register. There were also many spoils of war, which I had people put away for now, just waiting for you to come and divide them."

Sun Shouren nodded lightly, stating the specific situation regarding the encirclement of the Demonic Path scoundrels.

During the days Chen Mo was absent, he had not been idle and had basically finished everything that needed to be done.

"Alright, then foster father, you go ahead and gather everyone later, keep the Imperial Court's share, and distribute the rest to the brothers."

Chen Mo had no intention of managing this; since his foster father was dividing the spoils, he certainly wouldn't leave out his own share.

"I need to go near Luantian Valley and take another look."

Chen Mo set off as he spoke. With his current strength, entering Luantian Valley naturally posed no great risk.

However, before he could leave Luantian Valley, he spotted the figure of Chu Tianxiu from afar.

"Senior." Chen Mo bowed as he had in the past.

"Something has happened at the Imperial Court, I must return first. You should also lead the troops back to the Capital as soon as possible.

Zhao and Xuan Yu and the others should not have escaped the Mirage Mirror yet; it will likely take some time.

Leave a batch of troops stationed here, and tell them that if they meet Zhao and Xuan Yu, have them go to the Capital as soon as possible."

Chu Tianxiu's expression was hurried and his tone anxious; after speaking, he flashed away, unable to stay for even a moment longer.

Seeing him emerge from Luantian Valley, Chen Mo decided not to go there himself for the time being.

Even though his own strength was sufficient, Luantian Valley was, after all, a dangerous place; it was better not to go if he could avoid it.

Besides, there was nothing left inside now; all the spoils of war had basically been cleaned out.

Chen Mo returned to the main military tent; the several garrison commanders from nearby prefectures, along with Lu Chuan and his foster father, were all in the tent now.

"After you all finish dividing the spoils, the garrison commanders of each prefecture will return to their posts to stand guard, and the Imperial Court's Imperial Guards will immediately return to the Capital."

Chen Mo walked into the main military tent and immediately gave orders to everyone.

"We obey!" Everyone bowed and saluted one after another.

The matter of the encirclement of the Demonic Path could be considered to have come to a complete end at this point.

Dividing the spoils was naturally a happy event for everyone. Chen Mo also received a fair share; he did not want silver, but instead had it all converted into Blood Essence Stone and Mirage Spirit.

It wasn't just him; the other generals did the same.

After all, they had channels to exchange these items for silver or other cultivation resources, but those common soldiers didn't have that ability, so giving them money was the most appropriate choice.

Chen Mo received another fifty Blood Essence Stones and eighty-three Mirage Spirits, which could be considered a significant harvest.

Even though the Qi and Blood required for his next rebirth would be massive, having some was better than having none.

In addition, a portion of the income had to be distributed to the Yulin Guard.

Chen Mo was not only the commander-in-chief of the main army but also a Zhonglang General of the Yulin Guard, commanding five hundred Yulin Guard soldiers.

The spoils obtained by the Yulin Guard according to the rules were, of course, to be distributed by him.

After distributing the spoils, Chen Mo ordered a banquet to be held that evening to entertain the various generals.

Seeing him appear safe and sound again, Mo Hu, Xu Dabao, and the others were also quite happy, and Chen Mo drank a few cups with them.

It was not until late at night that everyone dispersed, leaving only Sun Shouren and Chen Mo in the main military tent.

"Foster father, I have gained quite a lot this time. I have an extra Storage Bag here; do you think you could use it?"

Chen Mo took out the Storage Bag and said with a laugh.

He had indeed intended to trade this Storage Bag away, but rather than giving it to an outsider, it was better to give it to one of his own.

Sun Shouren's face was slightly flushed, though he was not drunk. He took the Storage Bag with interest and examined it carefully again and again.

Of course, he had seen a Storage Bag before, but he had never had the opportunity to obtain one.

Now that it was in his hands, he naturally felt it was incredibly novel. He circulated his Inner Qi, picked up a wine cup, placed it into the bag, and then took it out, repeating the process several times.

"Good, this is a good treasure!" Sun Shouren laughed loudly, unable to put the item down.

"Not too much, not too little, I only have this much; you take it all. As your foster father, I cannot simply take your things for nothing."

Sun Shouren took a bundle from the side and handed it to Chen Mo; inside were the spoils of war he had been allocated this time.

"Ah." Chen Mo smiled and accepted it, not refusing.

Since he was giving the Storage Bag to his own family, the value was naturally not very important.

Even if his foster father had taken it without giving anything in return, Chen Mo would have had absolutely no objections.

After seeing his foster father back to his tent, Chen Mo walked back to his own large tent to rest.

The next day, after arranging for a portion of the men to guard the place while waiting for the other two Innate Experts to break free from the Mirage Mirror,

Chen Mo officially led the Imperial Guard to return to the capital, while the various prefectural garrison commanders also led their own Personal Soldiers back to their respective prefectural seats.

With the army on the march, the speed was naturally not fast. As the commander-in-chief of the main army, Chen Mo could not leave the camp at will now and could only travel slowly.

Fortunately, Luantian Valley was not too far from the Great Qian Capital; with a distance of over five thousand li, it would take at most two months to return.

After traveling with the army for nearly a month, they passed a Post Station where a Palace Attendant was waiting for the army's arrival to convey an Imperial Edict.

The Imperial Edict did not grant Chen Mo any promotions or titles, nor did it contain any rewards; it was merely a Command Order.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Qingmu County Baron, Xuanwu General, Yulin Guard Zhonglang General Chen Mo.

My beloved subject, quickly lead the Yulin Guard into the capital to directly serve as the Crown Prince's Commander!"

The Imperial Edict was very brief. The Palace Attendant who came to convey the edict did not look very good, clearly aware that something major had happened.

In fact, not only him, but even Chen Mo, who only knew a little information, understood that there must be a problem with the Emperor suddenly sending such an edict to him, ordering him to serve as the Crown Prince's Commander.

In reality, he already had a guess: the Emperor might be about to pass away.

Not granting him a promotion or title, but only letting him lead the Yulin Guard into the capital to guard the Crown Prince, was to allow the Crown Prince to bestow favors upon him after ascending the throne.

And if it were truly as he guessed, this was absolutely a major event that would shake the entire world.

"I have been outside suppressing the Demonic Path for some time and am unaware of the situation in the capital. I do not know when the Imperial Court appointed a Crown Prince, and is His Majesty still in good health?"

Chen Mo walked to the side of the Palace Attendant, casually took out a stack of silver, and asked in a low voice.

"In reply to Chen, the current Crown Prince is the First Prince whom you once saved. His Majesty issued the edict half a month ago, conferring the title of Crown Prince upon the First Prince.

As for His Majesty's health..."

At this point, his tone paused, and his voice dropped even lower, "He is still in good health, but he rarely attends court."

His words were very cryptic. If he were truly in good health, why would he not attend court, and why would he suddenly appoint a Crown Prince?

Such things in themselves already indicated many signs.

"Many thanks." Chen Mo smiled lightly and handed the silver notes forward.

The Palace Attendant looked around, flicked his sleeves, and in the blink of an eye, tucked the silver notes into his Huai.

"Chen, His Majesty also ordered me to give this wooden box to you." He took a Purple Sandalwood Box from his sleeve and presented it to Chen Mo with both hands.

The Purple Sandalwood Box was surrounded by many restrictions; to open it, one had to slowly wear down these restrictions before the contents could be safely retrieved.

Chen Mo took the wooden box, circulated his True Qi, and instantly wore the restrictions away completely.

Inside the wooden box was only a Tiger Tally, a Tiger Tally that could mobilize the Imperial Guard of the Palace City.

(End of chapter)