Human Realm.

Things were getting turbulent.

The biggest news in recent days was Su Yu's withdrawal to the Death Realm and the return of the human lord from six thousand years ago.

A large number of people started gathering in several predetermined points.

Great Xia.

A tired group was heading toward the Starfall Mountain. Some were flying, and some were walking. Many traveled with their entire families.

A group of people landed from the sky.

Looking at the elderly who were moving with their entire families, Xia Huyou focused on an old man in the group.

"Old Man."

Blocking the path of the family with a genial smile, Xia Huyou said, "Are you heading to Starfall Mountain?"

First, the old man looked at Xia Huyou. Then, he looked at the ones around Xia Huyou. Finally, his expression changed as he said, "I greet the lord prefect!"

Then, he attempted to kneel down.

Xia Huyou hurriedly stopped him and said, "Be at ease, Old Man. There is no need for this as a fellow citizen of Great Xia."

He asked, "Are you heading to Starfall Mountain?"

"Yes." The old man answered, "People are saying that Emperor Yu is heading to the Death Realm, right? There is an announcement that we can gather at Starfall Mountain if we wish to go with Emperor Yu, so we're here."

Xia Huyou frowned slightly and said, "But we suggested that civilians should stay behind. The Death Realm is very dangerous, and it is not an easy experience to leave your homeland and perhaps never return again."

"We understand that."

The old man was quite old, and he looked like someone who had once cultivated in his youth. However, he wasn't able to reach the Skysoar Realm. At his age, his life force was starting to decline, and he was no longer at his peak.

He looked tired from the long journey, but he still looked spirited as he spoke to the new prefect.

He smiled and said, "We know all that. But I heard that the Xia Family is going as well. We have been following the Xia Family our whole lives. Who knows how the new guy, the guy called Hundred Battle King, will treat us?

"The people here have been with the Xia Family for over four hundred years. We don't want to leave as well, but who knows what the future has in store for us? I'm worried that the new human lord will be prejudiced against us because Great Xia is Emperor Yu's homeland."

Xia Huyou blanked out slightly. He said, "Old Man, we will make the proper arrangements for everyone's well-being before leaving. Things will be fine."

The old man appeared anxious as he said, "It won't be the same. We are all followers of Xia Family. As a prefect, you might not know what the people at the bottom think. We don't really want to leave, but we must leave. Great Xia King is leaving. Prefect Xia Longwu is leaving. Prefect Xia Huyou will probably leave as well. Great Xia is no more."

Xia Huyou said blankly, "No, that won't happen. I...I will ensure a smooth transition to Hundred Battle King before leaving."

The old man had a bitter expression as he said, "Perhaps, but I can't stop worrying. Therefore, I will continue following the Xia Family and Emperor Yu even if it's tiring to do so. Even if the Death Realm is dangerous, it's better than this uncertainty. The future does not matter much for old people like us, but the future matters a lot for the younger generation. We have to take the future of the kids into consideration.

"My son is a member of the Devil Subduing Army. Two days ago, he sent us a letter telling us to follow the Xia Family. Many from the army are leaving as well. They are all saying that a life of hardship might await those staying behind.

"The ascension of each ruler is accompanied by the ascension of new officials. With all the big guys gone, what can nobodies like us do when we encounter troubles in the future? We will have no one to rely on.

"If we follow the Xia Family, we at least know that the Xia Family won't abandon us."

"..."

As the old man spoke, he sighed repeatedly. He didn't want to leave. But everything was changing. Su Yu was the human lord of this era. Everyone in Great Xia knew him. His father was a part of the military as well. And he himself had released many cultivation methods. He was young, but that was someone everyone knew.

He was born in Great Xia. He hailed from Nanyuan. He was a local through and through.

Regardless of what was happening out there, and regardless of the fact that Su Yu had killed some of his enemies like those from the single character faction, he hadn't changed everyone's way of life after becoming the human lord.

He had not done much, but everyone could feel their life getting better. A large amount of resources was constantly being brought back to the Human Realm. Cultivation resources that were rare in the past, such as the heavenly source qi, were made available at a low price.

Xia Huyou listened absentmindedly before saying, "Since we're all leaving, everyone is feeling restless. Nobody trusts the future of the Human Realm anymore. Is that the case?"

"How can we keep trusting the future of the Human Realm?" The old man said bitterly, "Our leaders are all leaving. Ordinary people like us would be left completely at the mercy of the new leaders. How would life be in the future? My son is a member of the Devil Subduing Army. Would the new human lord decide to purge all remnants of the previous rulers?

"We once fought for Emperor Yu, and we once fought for the Xia Family. But a new ruler is coming."

He glanced at Xia Huyou carefully and added, "I heard that you're a tolerant and generous prefect. I hope my words don't offend you." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Xia Huyou smiled and said, "No, you won't. You are all citizens of Great Xia. How can I be offended when you're speaking the truth?

"Well, a migration might not be that bad a choice. We never know. Take your time, Old Man. We still have plenty of time. There is no rush. The military has been dispatched to help with the migration. Feel free to seek their help when you need something."

Then, Xia Huyou flew off with his entourage. He flew around while observing the large stream of people. One could say that people were everywhere.

He could even hear some of the conversations. "Leave, just leave. The new guy will punish all of us if we stay. Even the Xia Family is leaving. Great Xia is no more. The new guy won't tolerate the followers of the old rulers like us."

"We're all regular citizens. We should be fine, right?"

"So what if you're regular citizens? This is Great Xia. Every family can find at least one member involved with the military within three generations. We all serve the Xia Family. Can any of us call ourselves a true civilian?"

As Xia Huyou flew around, he saw numerous similar groups. A large number of ordinary people were migrating.

And the more he flew, the more he saw.

The more he saw, the more lost he felt.

After a long silence, he looked back at Ji Hong and said, "Director Ji, would these people really be punished after our departure?"

"No." Ji Hong said, "No matter what, Hundred Battle King is a human lord. There is no need for him to punish the ordinary people for no reason. Even if he wishes to do a purge, the ordinary people won't be affected."

Xia Huyou said, "But...their confidence is evaporating. They believe that nobody will support them anymore. There are millions upon millions of people in Great Xia, and these are the people who have followed the Xia Family for over four hundred years. Not all of them can migrate with us. At most, only one tenth, or even only one percent of them can migrate with us.

"What about the ones left behind? Without the Xia Family serving as their pillar of support, everyone is anxious. Chaos will descend."

He gnashed his teeth and continued, "The Xia Family has been here for generations, and they have fought for us for generations as well. Director Ji...is it irresponsible of us to all leave? Is this the right thing to do?"

Ji Hong's expression changed slightly.

Xia Huyou looked as though he was both laughing and crying at the same time as he said, "I did not notice all that. Not even Second Granduncle considered all that. None of us had expected that everyone would be so worried. Little did we know, Great Xia is already one with the Xia Family."

"Prefect!"

Before Ji Hong could say more, Xia Huyou continued, "I...wish to stay. I will tell everyone that there is nothing to fear. The Xia Family shall remain. We are still here with everyone.

"I will tell everyone that the Xia Family will always be here. If Hundred Battle wishes to carry out a purge, he can do it to me. I'm here. If he wishes to kill someone, he can kill me. Director, I can't leave! I can't abandon our people! I can't!"

He cursed bitterly, "Damn it! I wanted to follow Su Yu! The Xia Family has always been his closest supporter, and we went to the same academy. We are old friends. It's not bad being a founding official of a new court. But I can't leave!"

He sighed and said, "I know, I know that the Xia Family will receive great care after following Su Yu to the new place. After this, he will definitely start strengthening his closest supporters."

He was aware that Su Yu would not allow his closest followers to remain weak. All sorts of benefits and resources would be made available to them. Prior to this, Su Yu had prioritized the more talented ones when growing his followers in his desperation to strengthen his side.

But things had changed.

Having made up his mind, Xia Huyou stopped sighing. Looking at the migrating people, he smiled and said, "Director, these people are the real foundation of Xia Family." "The Xia Family descended from a human king. My great grandfather founded Great Xia. He didn't do that for power. He did that to provide shelter to these people."

He grinned, "So be it. I'll stay. If Hundred Battle wishes to purge anyone, he can purge me. Even if he allows me to remain, I will do my best to make life better for the people of Great Xia.

"Director, I wish to contact some of the people who are leaving and persuade some to stay behind with me. We need to continue protecting humanity, the various prefectures, and our foundation.

"Humanity has been fighting among itself for so many years, but we are still fellow humans. Hundred Battle is someone from the previous epoch. Ultimately, he is not the same as us."

They were different.

Xia Huyou's mind became firm. He would stay, and he would even persuade more people to stay. They would remain, preserving their legacy in the Human Realm. If a purge were to come, so be it.

At the very least, this was better than letting the ordinary people face the potential purge from Hundred Battle King.

Ji Hong exclaimed, "Prefect! You are one of the closest supporters of Emperor Yu! The Xia Family and Zhu Family are the true powers behind Emperor Yu's rise! And people like us are the ones who will suffer the most in a new dynasty!

"The others might be fine staying behind. If Hundred Battle King is a wise leader, he won't do much to them. But the Xia Family is different from the rest of them. Emperor Yu can be considered a wise leader, but you saw what he did! You saw his attitude toward those who were not supportive of him during his rise!

"The rise of each ruler is accompanied by the rise of new officials. There is a reason for this to be such a popular saying. Even the most sagacious of rulers will not allow the remnants of the old system to remain in power. That is even more so since Emperor Yu isn't dead."

Things might be different if Su Yu were dead. But he wasn't. He was still alive. It was likely that Hundred Battle King would suspect that Xia Huyou was staying behind as Su Yu's spy. Everyone knew that the Xia Family was among the most loyal supporters of Su Yu. They would never stand against Su Yu. In that case, they would be viewed as a thorn on Hundred Battle King's side.

Xia Huyou laughed and said, "I know all that. But...Su Yu's continued survival might also be a good thing for us. Before Hundred Battle is ready to fully turn against Su Yu, he won't kill me. Killing me is the same as forming a blood feud with Su Yu. He can insult me. He can suppress me. I can endure all that. What do you think, Director?"

Ji Hong had a heavy mood.

"But if Emperor Yu failed to return in the future, we would—"

"Not we. Me."

"No, it's us." Ji Hong declared, "Since you're staying, we will stay. How can we leave when the Xia Family is staying behind?"

Xia Huyou frowned and said, "My great-grandpa, father, and second granduncle are all leaving. I'm the only one staying behind."

"It's the same." Ji Hong said, "As long as someone from Xia Family remains the prefect, I will remain a director of Xia Family. How can I abandon my post so easily?"

He wouldn't leave without Xia Huyou.

Behind him, the military officials roared, "We will follow the prefect to the death!"

Even if only one person from the Xia Family remained, they would not leave. Rather, they would stay and keep serving.

Xia Huyou gave them a deep stare before laughing in a self-mocking manner. "I, Xia Huyou, have always been looked down upon. Most still don't view me as the proper prefect. But today, you guys are being awfully loyal. How annoying."

At that, Ji Hong laughed. The others laughed as well. Since the prefect was staying, it was only natural that they would stay. Prior to this, his seniors were all around. It was only natural that they would keep viewing him as a kid.

But all those seniors were leaving. No matter what, he was still someone from the direct line of descent of Eternals. His status was different from that of the other members of the Xia Family. It was likely that Xia Huyou would be the sole remaining Xia in the Human Realm. Moving forward, he would be the only lord for them to serve.