Chapter 128: The Stance of Flame Summer

"Who, who on earth are these people? Their strength is truly terrifying!"

Watching the figures of Xiao Yu and his companions vanish, the group of Enforcement Hall elders remained in a state of stunned disbelief, unable to regain their composure.

"Enough, let us head back for now. As long as they are citizens of Yanxia, it will not be too late to investigate the matter thoroughly once we return," the white-robed elder said after a moment of contemplation.

The others nodded in agreement, then stepped forward to help Elder Liu to his feet. Just as they were preparing to leave, a deep voice echoed around them.

"Gentlemen, you seem eager to know what happened earlier. Perhaps I can provide some clarity."

As the voice rang out, the elders looked up toward the sky. Hovering above them were several figures who then slowly descended before them. These were none other than Tojo and his associates, who had returned.

At this moment, Xiao Yu and his group had already left Mount Fuji, though they had chosen not to depart Sakura Country immediately. Because the Heavenly Queen and the others were in such a precarious state, Xiao Yu decided to wait for them to recover before embarking on the journey back to Yanxia.

In the single day following the conclusion of the battle at Mount Fuji, news of the events spread rapidly throughout Sakura Country, fueled by the accounts of those who had witnessed it.

Upon hearing the news, the warriors of Sakura Country were in an uproar. The account of Xiao Yu and his party slaughtering hundreds of Sakura warriors and terrifying a master like Feng Qingge into fleeing without a fight spread across the entire world.

Although the warriors of Sakura Country had begun to fear Xiao Yu, they were still urged on by various top-tier experts who had emerged from seclusion, scouring every corner of the nation for traces of his group. They knew that Xiao Yu and his companions had not left; they were merely hiding in some corner of the country.

However, ever since the battle at Mount Fuji, Xiao Yu and his group seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing completely from Sakura Country.

The following day, television stations across the major empires reported on the incident, some even exaggerating the facts and painting Xiao Yu and his companions as heinous, unforgivable demons. Several major empires even united, threatening to denounce Yanxia and demanding that the Yanxia government hand over Xiao Yu’s group to provide justice for Sakura Country.

Yet, Yanxia’s stance was remarkably firm: handing them over was absolutely out of the question. If war were to break out over this matter, Yanxia was fully prepared to fight.

The response from Yanxia shocked the major empires. While they acknowledged that Yanxia had developed into a powerful empire capable of rivaling them, they had not expected such defiance in the face of a united front from several major powers.

As for the individuals at the center of the controversy, Xiao Yu and his companions remained entirely unconcerned. While Sakura Country continued its frantic search, the group gathered in a living room, watching the reports from the past few days.

In a private villa in Sakura Country, Xiao Yu watched the news on television with a calm expression, his heart undisturbed. Beside him, with the exception of the severely injured Heavenly Queen, the Twelve Heavenly Generals were all present.

"Boss, it looks like we’ve truly made a name for ourselves this time. Who would have thought that even after hanging up our military uniforms, we could still pull off such a world-shaking feat?"

Taisui, sitting on the sofa, suddenly grinned and spoke to Xiao Yu with a foolish smile.

"Flashy, isn't it?" Xiao Yu looked at Taisui and smiled faintly.

"You could say that. It’s just a shame we didn't finish everything; we let those fellows like Tojo get away."

"There will be opportunities. I hear the experts of Sakura Country are still searching for us. After what happened, Feng Qingge likely won't show his face again, but I’ve heard that the former Palace Master of the Divine Palace, Hattori Hanzo, and Dizang are everywhere, sniffing out our tracks."

Qinglong leaned against a stone pillar in the hall, speaking with an indifferent expression.

"What is there to fear? With Big Brother here, dealing with those two would be a matter of minutes. Am I right, Boss?" Taisui asked, beaming at Xiao Yu.

"Heh, don't overestimate me like that. To be honest, I’m not even sure how I managed to defeat the Eight-Headed Serpent. At the time, I seemed to have entered a very strange state—even I couldn't explain it." Recalling the event, Xiao Yu admitted candidly.

Perhaps no one would believe it, but when he battled the Eight-Headed Serpent, he felt as if he were being guided by an external force. The power he unleashed was not his own, and when he was in that trance-like state, where had that gentle voice come from?

Hearing Xiao Yu’s words, the others were left stunned. Finally, it was Qinglong who regained his composure and asked, "Boss, what should we do next? Do we head back, or stay in Sakura Country?"

Xiao Yu pondered for a long time, then stood up, stretched, and said calmly, "Let’s head back. It’s better for us to spend some time recovering; most of you are still wounded. If we were to run into more Sakura experts, it wouldn't be worth the risk."

The others fell silent at his words.

The situation in Sakura Country continued to ferment. With the major empires united in their denunciation, they received no clear concession from the leaders of Yanxia. Out of frustration, Sakura Country pushed its military forces directly to the border of Yanxia, appearing fully prepared for conflict.

The other major empires colluded with Sakura Country, and upon seeing this move, they reached the same conclusion, ordering their troops stationed along the Yanxia border to prepare for battle.

The goal of the major empires was simple: to use military pressure to force Yanxia to hand over the instigators, Xiao Yu and his group.

Surprisingly, however, Yanxia—a nation that had always championed peace—remained remarkably calm. This led many to speculate that in the face of such pressure, Yanxia might have decided to surrender Xiao Yu to resolve the matter peacefully.

But a few days later, reality struck back. Investigations by the major empires revealed that during those days of silence, the Yanxia forces stationed at the border had quietly and seamlessly mobilized. It appeared that Yanxia had made its choice.

If you want war, we shall give you war!

When this news broke, the entire world was stunned. Empires that had nothing to do with the incident finally realized that Yanxia was no longer the nation it used to be.

This sleeping dragon of the East was ready to soar!

When Xiao Yu and his group learned of this, they were somewhat surprised. They had not expected that while the authorities in Yanxia claimed publicly that the incident had nothing to do with them, they were silently condoning their actions behind the scenes.