Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Silent and Soundless, Everything is Under Control

A smile crept onto Yang Chan’s face as he heard the news from Ji Feng. The chaos in White Jade City was finally over—an event he had long awaited.

He hadn’t slept well for the past few days and was still severely sleep-deprived. He just wanted to go back and rest to restore his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

"Elder Ji, can we leave White Jade City now?"

A Direct Disciple spoke up, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

Compared to the perilous White Jade City, everyone naturally preferred to return to the safety of the Cyan Yuan Sect. After all, there weren’t nearly as many dangers within the sect.

Yang Chan listened intently as well.

"Not yet. White Jade City won’t be unsealed for a few more days. According to the reports we’ve received, they’re still rounding up the forces left outside the palace by those who sided with princes like Crown Prince Yang Qian, the Twenty-Fifth Prince Yang You, and the Thirty-Third Prince Yang Yu."

"Many people have yet to be captured. The restrictions on White Jade City will only be lifted after they’ve all been apprehended and thrown into the Celestial Prison."

"It won’t take too long. It should be done within five days."

"White Jade City is the Capital City of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. It’s not just visited by people from our own regions, but also by people from other kingdoms and imperial dynasties for trade and diplomacy. So, the lockdown won’t last too long."

Ji Feng shook his head and shared his speculation.

The capital of an Imperial Dynasty can’t be sealed for too long, or it would lead to even greater problems. It wouldn’t just be an issue for the various Major Sects; other nations would get involved, creating a much bigger mess.

"Elder Ji, is there any news about Elder Yan, Hall Master Qi, and the others?"

Xu Gaocen chimed in. By all rights, some news should have been sent back after so many days.

Even though White Jade City was under lockdown, some messages could still get out. The Cyan Yuan Sect naturally had its own dedicated channels for communication.

If Yan Jinfeng and Qi Yuansheng had escaped safely, they would have certainly sent word to report that they were all right.

"Not yet. However, given the cultivation of Elder Yan and Hall Master Qi, they should be fine. You don’t need to worry."

Ji Feng saw no reason to hide this, as they would find out sooner or later anyway.

He had looked into the situation with the other sects, and it was much the same as the Cyan Yuan Sect’s.

But as long as no bad news had arrived, it didn’t mean anything. After all, they were escaping White Jade City and could have run into other dangers on the road. It would be perfectly normal if they hadn’t had time to send a message back.

Yang Chan’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn’t dwell on it. ’The situation with Yan Jinfeng and Qi Yuansheng doesn’t help us right now. We still need to be vigilant here in White Jade City.’

Logically, with the Imperial Palace back to normal, security in White Jade City should be more or less guaranteed. But who could really say?

According to Ji Feng, there were still remnants of the rebellion at large, and that posed its own threat.

’But all the Major Sects are united here at the Cyan Yuan Pavilion right now. Under normal circumstances, trouble shouldn’t come looking for us.’

"Elder Ji, Pharmacist Xu and I were up all night. I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m going to head back and get some rest. If anything comes up, please have someone come and get me."

Yang Chan listened for a little while longer, but when no new useful information emerged, he took his leave.

He was truly exhausted. An entire night without sleep, on top of a night of intense, focused work, had taken a heavy toll. All he wanted now was to lie down on the ship and rest.

"Alright. Pharmacist Xu, Pharmacist Yang, you two go get some rest. You’ve both been extremely busy these past few days. Just hang in there a little while longer."

Hearing this, Ji Feng dismissed Yang Chan and Xu Gaocen.

The dark circles under their eyes were very noticeable—a clear sign of staying up too late.

The other disciples, though also busy, were working in shifts and didn’t have to pull all-nighters.

After last night’s great battle, patrols were organized as usual. They rotated every two hours, so everyone basically had a decent amount of rest time—far more than Yang Chan and Xu Gaocen.

Before returning to his room, Yang Chan asked an attendant to prepare food and a hot bath, as was his custom. After a busy night, he was both tired and hungry and needed to recover. He also had to prepare his Dragon Bone Medicine Bath. Otherwise, when he woke up, he would likely have to go straight to the infirmary and might not get a chance to come back.

When it came to Potential Points, Yang Chan never slacked off.

...

「Imperial Palace.」

「Taihe Palace.」

"Your Majesty, the news from the palace has been released. In accordance with this news, the Capital City will remain sealed for another three days to apprehend the remaining rebels. Normal transit will be restored in three days."

Grand Tutor Helian Guang reported his arrangements to the Old Emperor, Yang Yu.

The various Major Sects within White Jade City had all been targeted, and their losses were not small. Some sects even had their entire delegations to White Jade City wiped out. Ultimately, the blame for all this would be laid at the feet of Crown Prince Yang Qian and his cohort.

Later, once news of the deaths of Crown Prince Yang Qian and the others spread, these accounts will be considered settled.

The Major Sects suffered heavy losses, but so did the Imperial Family. The fact that the Crown Prince and many other princes were dead, and numerous factions had been purged, would serve as the Imperial Family’s explanation to the Major Sects.

"Three days. Good. It’s time for White Jade City to return to a state of peace. We do not wish to see these sects truly band together."

The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, nodded slowly upon hearing this and then added a deliberate reminder.

The number of sects that had united at the Cyan Yuan Pavilion was considerable, and various powers related to the Buddhist Sects had also joined forces. They were already becoming difficult to handle. As for dispatching a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, Old Emperor Yang Yu had no such intention.

After all, if a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster were to act, the blame could no longer be so easily placed on the Crown Prince and his brothers. The resulting trouble would be even greater.

The Imperial Family had its Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters, but he knew that the Major Sects also had their own masters of that level hidden away. Those old monsters had all lived for a very long time. If the Imperial Family pushed things too far, they would likely intervene, and the gains would not be worth the losses.

A union of so many major powers would possess the strength to overthrow the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. Even if the National Guardian Martial Saint, whose Lifespan is running short, were to intervene, the outcome would be the same. That was why his own arrangements were restrained; he hadn’t sought to annihilate them completely.

On the contrary, the best option was the current situation: letting the members of these sects grow suspicious of one another.

He wouldn’t apply any direct pressure. Instead, he would arrange for a group to sow discord among them. This was an emperor’s art of maintaining balance.

It was a principle he applied not just within the Imperial Court, but across the entire Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty—the fruit of his long years of experience as emperor.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. In three days, White Jade City will return to its former peace, with entry and exit unrestricted. At night, this subject will arrange for the Six Gates to patrol. The chaos of the last few days will not happen again."

Grand Tutor Helian Guang cupped his fist and gave his guarantee, his words clearly showing he understood the Old Emperor Yang Yu’s intentions.

"Good."

The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, heard this and nodded in satisfaction.

The situation in White Jade City was now completely under his control.