My Crazy Upgrade System-Chapter 97 - 96: Conclusion

Looking at the piles upon piles of corpses, some who had never experienced such carnage couldn’t bear to look, or simply vomited nonstop. The stench of blood was simply too thick; the blood flowing from the bodies had stained the snow-covered ground red.

Those who had experienced such battles remained unfazed; to them, this was perfectly normal. It was the law of the jungle. If they hadn’t fought back, they would have been the ones to die!

"It’s finally over..." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yi Tianyun gazed at the pile of corpses before him, his eyes ice-cold, without a trace of pity. Had he shown them even an ounce of mercy, he would have been the one to die. To be merciful to one’s enemies is to be cruel to oneself.

The disciples of Merak Palace immediately began clearing away the corpses and collecting the spoils of war.

But now a major problem presented itself: the disciples who had chosen to surrender. It was unclear what would become of them. One thing was certain, though: they were regretting their decision to the core. They had never expected Merak Palace to be so powerful.

Now, no one knew how they would be dealt with. Would they be utterly wiped out, or would they be spared?

At least the few who were outright traitors had already been executed on the spot, without a shred of mercy. The moment they rebelled, their doom was sealed.

"Palace Master, how should we handle them...?" Elder Mo Yu asked, looking to Shi Xueyun.

"Let them go. There’s no reason to keep them. After all, they didn’t really do anything wrong; they just chose their own way to survive." Shi Xueyun waved her hand, gesturing for them to leave.

"Th-thank you, Palace Master!"

After receiving their pardon, they all dropped to their knees and kowtowed deeply before fleeing in haste. It was impossible for them to stay at Merak Palace any longer, and Merak Palace would never accept them back in the future.

Shi Xueyun didn’t blame them. ’This is a good opportunity to weed out the disloyal disciples,’ she thought. ’The ones who remain are the ones worth nurturing.’

"Celestial Cloud, if it weren’t for you this time..." Just as Shi Xueyun started to thank him, Yi Tianyun raised a hand to cover her mouth.

"To be honest, given my old temperament, I only ever did things for my aunt. What happened to Merak Palace didn’t really concern me. But as it happens, I am now an elder of Merak Palace, which means I have a stake in it. Protecting Merak Palace is my duty!" Yi Tianyun spoke with such righteous conviction that many disciples turned to look at him, their hearts deeply moved.

"Elder Yi, you’re so cool! We’ll listen to whatever you say from now on!"

"That’s right! Elder Yi, you were so incredible just now! It’s fantastic that you’re our elder!"

"From now on, whatever Elder Yi tells us to do, we’ll do it!"

They all flocked around him, their faces blooming like flowers, their eyes filled with adoration.

DING! "Protection Achievement completed. Obtained permanent title: ’Guardian.’ Equipping it permanently doubles your Defense Power!"

Yi Tianyun froze. The message that suddenly appeared had startled him; he never expected there to be an achievement system. After protecting so many people in Merak Palace, he had successfully obtained the "Guardian" title. The crucial part was that it doubled his Defense Power!

This was astounding. ’An effect this heaven-defying? Doubling my Defense Power... what does that even entail?’

He inspected the "Guardian" title, and detailed information immediately appeared: Guardian Title, doubles Defense Power. Requirement: Protect 500 instances of companions with over 100 Favorability during a crisis.

He immediately understood the requirement. He had protected them once before, but back then, none of their Favorability ratings toward him had exceeded one hundred, so he couldn’t complete the achievement.

But things were different now. With their Favorability ratings all over one hundred, saving them during this crisis had allowed him to complete the achievement all at once.

’I can’t see any other achievement tasks here, but I bet the conditions for them are incredibly strict...’

Yi Tianyun wanted to check for other achievement tasks, but he couldn’t see any. Still, seeing how amazing the effect of the Guardian title was, he could only imagine that the even better titles he might acquire in the future would have even more incredible effects.

With Yi Tianyun being so popular, the Ancestors were in an awkward position. His cultivation was now higher than theirs, and crucially, they had once been so furious that they had tried to drive him out.

The three Ancestors exchanged a look. Ice Heart Ancestor stepped forward and said, embarrassed, "Um, Elder Yi... we are very sorry. We shouldn’t have treated you that way back then. We hope you can forgive our past transgressions..."

All three of them were willing to lower their heads and apologize for their past actions. For them to come and apologize at their advanced age was truly not an easy thing.

"I don’t care about the past—not now, and not ever. I only follow my aunt’s orders. Anything else is unnecessary." Yi Tianyun’s words were as blunt as ever. It was impossible for him to simply erase what had happened.

He still clearly remembered the days when he and Shi Xueyun had only each other to rely on, when everyone else had looked at him with utter disdain. Since Shi Xueyun had asked him to become an elder, he would fulfill his duty to protect Merak Palace.

Of course, his main priority was protecting Shi Xueyun and Jiu Lingyun. Otherwise, the order he had given the Snow Wolf would have been to protect all of Merak Palace, not just the two of them.

He was just that partial, that selfish. It wasn’t just women who held grudges; men were just as capable of it! He was certain that if his cultivation weren’t so powerful, they would never have bowed their heads and would have continued to treat him with contempt.

They were mortified, but at least Yi Tianyun hadn’t turned his back and walked away.

"Is that any way to speak to your elders!" Shi Xueyun lightly tapped him on the head, then broke into a wide smile. "But I like it."

Just when the Ancestors thought Shi Xueyun would mediate on their behalf, they realized they were mistaken. Back then, she had been willing to leave Merak Palace to protect Yi Tianyun, so things like respecting the opinions of elders were, frankly, bullshit to her... She was a born rebel, but she rebelled for the sake of her family.

The other three Ancestors could only manage bitter smiles, but they couldn’t say a word. Yi Tianyun was so powerful now that, by rights, they should be the ones addressing him as Senior!

Even though he was much, much younger than them, his superior cultivation was all that mattered. The master is anyone with greater skill. Those with formidable cultivation had to be addressed as elders, and this rule applied even to the three Ancestors.

"Alright, disperse for now. Clean this place up..." Shi Xueyun’s gaze turned ice-cold, brimming with killing intent. "After a little while, we will pay a personal visit to the three major powers and tear them out by the roots!"