"Fourth Brother, I had no choice!" Liu Yunfei explained desperately to Liu Yunheng.

"So I’ve lost... and now I die?" Realization finally dawned on Liu Yunheng as he faced his inevitable fate.

With a grim nod, Liu Yunfei twisted his blade before delivering a swift horizontal slash, cleanly severing Liu Yunheng’s head from his shoulders.

Liu Yunyao had just finished off the beast in her grasp and was about to shout for Liu Yunfei to spare their brother’s corpse from further desecration—but she was a heartbeat too late.

Sighing, she activated her crimson pupils and began absorbing Liu Yunfei’s spiritual essence. Under Ye Liuyun’s control, Liu Yunfei couldn’t even muster resistance. Truth be told, even if he’d tried, he stood no chance against Liu Yunyao’s overwhelming power.

With a dull thud, Liu Yunfei’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon finished crushing Liu Yunheng’s magical beast beneath its massive claws before promptly devouring its prey.

Liu Yunyao produced a spatial ring and carefully stored both brothers’ remains inside.

"At last... it’s over," she murmured with quiet finality.

After the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon and Xuanwu’s team finished clearing the battlefield and collecting the demon soldiers’ remains, they accompanied Liu Yunyao back to the royal capital.

Upon entering the city gates, they found Lin Fengzhi and representatives from all major factions lining the streets in anticipation. Even the Royal Preceptor himself had come to welcome Liu Yunyao’s return.

The outcome was undeniable—the mere fact of Liu Yunyao’s return, regardless of whether she’d pursued Liu Yunheng and Liu Yunfei, confirmed her decisive victory.

Maintaining her composed demeanor, Liu Yunyao faced the assembled crowd. She extended the spatial ring containing her brothers’ bodies toward Royal Preceptor Lin Qiwen.

"Preceptor, please arrange proper royal funerals for the Fourth and Sixth Princes."

"What? They’re both dead?" A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd.

Grand Preceptor Lin Qiwen had long anticipated this outcome and was mentally prepared. He stepped forward to receive the Interspatial Ring and carefully inspected its contents.

"These are indeed the remains of the two princes. We are deeply grateful for Your Highness’s mercy!" He bowed solemnly to Princess Liu Yunyao in thanks.

After all, by returning their bodies instead of destroying them outright and allowing the Grand Preceptor to arrange a royal burial, Liu Yunyao had made it clear that she bore no further grudges. This gesture alone demonstrated her magnanimity—she would neither dwell on past grievances nor purge dissidents in a bloodbath.

"The Princess is most gracious!" Other influential figures quickly echoed the sentiment, praising her benevolence.

Though victorious in this pivotal battle, Liu Yunyao felt a pang of sorrow as she stood before her fallen brothers. Despite their years of enmity, witnessing their deaths brought none of the triumph she had imagined.

With a faint nod to the assembly, she spoke softly, "Forgive me—my spirits are low, and I am weary. I thank you all for your unwavering support. I shall express my gratitude properly another day, but for now, I must retire to rest."

"Your Highness, take care of yourself!"

Understanding her state of mind, the crowd bowed respectfully as she withdrew to the palace.

Liu Qianzhong, now fully informed of the situation, found himself thoroughly impressed by his daughter’s actions. He had never expected Liu Yunyao to possess the strength to annihilate an army of fifty thousand.

"Perhaps I truly underestimated her before."

After a moment of contemplation, he began preparations to pass the throne to her. With no other viable heir, she was his only choice.

Yet Lin Yuan’an remained a lingering threat—one he had intended to deal with personally. But recalling Liu Yunyao’s capabilities, he decided to test her once more, allowing her to gain further experience before intervening if necessary.

"Perhaps this daughter of mine still has more surprises in store for me."

Therefore, he directly drafted an imperial decree to be delivered separately to Liu Yunyao and the commander of the border army.

The decree stated that Consort Lin Mengxian had attempted to harm the princess but ended up harming herself, while Liu Yunheng had committed treason by leading troops to force his way into the palace. As the father of the consort and the uncle of Liu Yunheng, Lin Yuan’an was guilty of negligence in supervision. Consequently, Lin Yuan’an was ordered to relinquish his military authority, which would be transferred to Princess Liu Yunyao.

However, the decree sent to the border army commander included an additional instruction: to temporarily keep the matter confidential and cooperate with Liu Yunyao in taking over the military command.

After issuing the decree, Liu Qianzhong formally announced that the princess would be the future ruler of the Willow-Lin Dynasty, granting her the status and privileges of the heir apparent. This declaration made it clear that Liu Qianzhong recognized and supported Liu Yunyao, effectively signaling his stance to everyone. He even hosted a grand celebratory banquet in the palace to honor her, personally attending to show his endorsement.

All of this was also meant as a message to Lin Yuan’an. As for how Lin Yuan’an would respond, that was entirely up to him.

Lin Yuan’an now found himself in a difficult position. Aware that his military power was likely to be diminished, he dared not mobilize his troops but kept his entire army on high alert, maintaining a defiant posture.

At the princess’s celebratory banquet, Liu Yunyao appeared in a striking red gown with armor draped over it, exuding both elegance and martial prowess. She handled all factions with ease, showing no signs of hesitation. Seeing this, Liu Qianzhong became even more convinced of the wisdom of his decision.

All factions pledged their allegiance to Liu Yunyao without objection, allowing her to smoothly secure her position as the heir to the throne without any complications.

After the banquet, Liu Yunyao bid farewell to Liu Qianzhong, preparing to depart for the border to assume command of the military.

"Lin Yuan’an won’t be easy to deal with. Are you confident?" Liu Qianzhong asked her.

"Rest assured, Father. I will not fail in my mission to reclaim military authority!" Liu Yunyao declared resolutely.

"Good," Liu Qianzhong nodded in satisfaction and said no more, simply urging her to set off immediately. "Go then, and take care."

"Yes!" Liu Yunyao replied before withdrawing.

However, she did not leave right away. Instead, she ordered the Nine-Headed Demon Dragon and the Vespera, along with a contingent of praetorian, to arrest Lin Yuan’an’s entire family.

Only then did she set off for the border with her four maidservants, including Hongxiu, and an escort of two thousand soldiers, taking Lin Yuan’an’s family members as captives.

Though the news of Liu Yunyao reclaiming military authority remained unconfirmed and undisclosed, some speculated based on the arrest of Lin Yuan’an’s family that she was heading to the border to strip him of his command.

Yet none of the major factions in the royal capital dared to warn Lin Yuan’an. They all knew Liu Yunyao’s position as heir had been secured—even if she failed to reclaim the army, Liu Qianzhong would step in.

With Lin Yuan’an’s mere three hundred thousand troops, he could no longer stir up any real trouble. No one was foolish enough to oppose Liu Yunyao at this critical juncture and invite disaster upon themselves.

It wasn’t until Lin Yuan’an lost contact with his family that he realized something had gone terribly wrong.

"This won’t do. I can’t let her reach me," he muttered, his face darkening. "If she arrives and I refuse to surrender my command, it’ll be outright treason." The thought spurred him into action. Immediately, he dispatched his most trusted men in plain clothes to ambush and kill Liu Yunyao along the way.

But he wasn’t one to rely on a single plan. Even if the assassination failed, he had a backup—rescuing at least some of his family. And if all else failed, he could always defect to the barbarians, surrendering in exchange for favorable treatment.