Chapter 122: As Long as the Heart Holds the Nation

Chapter 122: As Long as the Heart Belongs to the Nation

Just as Hua Ye finished speaking, Ruoning’s expression hardened. She pushed him away and asked in a cold voice, "Hua Ye, am I still your queen?"

"Of course, why wouldn't you be? Once we secure the Heavenly Palace and rally all the Heavenly Palace warriors, I will announce it to them all." Hua Ye was not annoyed at being pushed away; instead, he spread his arms as if to embrace the world and spoke loudly.

Ruoning’s initially gloomy expression softened after hearing this. She lowered her head and whispered, "My King, as you wish."

Su Mali also took the opportunity to bow respectfully to Ruoning, hand over his chest, saying, "My Queen."

Hua Ye laughed heartily for a few moments before returning to his somewhat indifferent demeanor. "Go on then. Before we reclaim the Heavenly Palace, go blow up another planet to announce the arrival of the Heavenly Palace."

Ruoning nodded in agreement and entered the interior of the palace ship to use its supercomputer for wormhole calculations.

As Ruoning left, Hua Ye let out a cold snort, his thoughts unreadable. Su Mali, judging by his years of experience following Hua Ye, knew that he was dissatisfied with Ruoning. In the era of the Heavenly Palace, he would have certainly found a reason for Hua Ye to dispose of her. But now, Su Mali knew that if they wanted to restore the glory of the Heavenly Palace, Ruoning was an indispensable technical talent. Besides, her combat prowess was not to be underestimated, so he advised, "My King, to regain our glory, the greater good must come first."

Hearing this, Hua Ye looked at Su Mali with a newfound focus. He felt that his top general had changed. Yet, he knew this was not the time to indulge his temper. He trusted Su Mali’s loyalty and knew that everything he did was for his own benefit. Choosing to set aside his dissatisfaction with Ruoning, he went along with the suggestion, saying, "I understand. My Grand Commander knows how to handle things."

Su Mali quickly claimed he didn't deserve such praise. Hua Ye smiled again, took Su Mali’s hand, and said, "It is already night; let us go."

Su Mali could not help but look up at the starry sky outside the shield. He couldn't say a word, for when navigating the universe, one could not simply define when it was night. A bitter expression flickered across his face before he masked it with a smile, allowing himself to be led by Hua Ye toward his quarters. Nearby, two effeminate Heavenly Palace soldiers tried to follow, but were stopped by Hua Ye’s cold glare, leaving them with expressions of sheer terror, as if the sky were collapsing.

***

Chiwu Star System, Earth’s moon.

Yun Yang teleported to the lunar surface based on the coordinates and saw a three-meter-tall figure standing quietly nearby. Yun Yang paused for a moment and asked, "Didn't Morgana say she would come to pick me up personally? Could Qiangwei have lied to me?"

Ato, hearing this, couldn't help but scoff internally: *You think you deserve the Queen to pick you up in person? If you weren't a god, I wouldn't even be here myself.* Though he thought this, his expression remained unchanged as he said solemnly, "The Queen is the main god of a civilization; she has many matters to attend to."

Yun Yang understood immediately. Ato was saying he wasn't worthy of the Queen’s personal attendance. He shrugged and said dismissively, "Fine, lead the way to Demon No. 1."

Ato nodded, contacted the demons on the ship, and a wormhole opened before them. He signaled for Yun Yang to enter first. As they stepped through, they appeared in the council hall of Demon No. 1, surrounded by a circle of demons.

Yun Yang felt a brief moment of tension before realizing he was overthinking; these were only first or second-generation demons, posing no threat to him. More importantly, their eyes held only curiosity, with no intent to attack.

Just then, the grand doors of the hall slowly opened, and the circle of demons parted to create a path. Yun Yang looked over and saw three people walking in: Morgana, her face as still as water; an unfamiliar male demon with a look that suggested he wanted to eat someone; and finally, the red-haired girl who had haunted his dreams.

Just as Yun Yang was about to speak, Qiangwei suddenly vanished, reappearing before him. Before he could react, she wrapped her arms around him, rubbing her red-haired head against his face.

The scene happened so fast that no one present reacted, not even the only fourth-generation god in the room. When Morgana finally processed what was happening, her stoic mask vanished. Her eyes seemed to be burning—there was anger, but more than that, there was jealousy.

Yun Yang wrapped his arms around Qiangwei’s waist, tightening his grip. He then caught Morgana’s gaze and gave her an apologetic look, signaling her to wait a moment. However, to Morgana, Yun Yang’s look was a provocation. Her temper flared, and she raised her hand, intending to strike him with a Demon Claw. But remembering that Qiangwei was still clinging to him, she feared causing accidental harm and forcibly suppressed the urge.

Rolling her eyes, a new idea sparked in her mind. "Warriors, that is the silver-armored brat. He wants to take away our spoils of war. Tell me, should we give them to him?"

As she spoke, a spatial cage appeared abruptly above the hall. Before it could fall, she caught it with a Demon Claw, shaking it to signify that these were the spoils she spoke of. The curious demons, hearing their Queen’s words, shifted their gazes and began to stare coldly at Yun Yang.

Yun Yang was oblivious; he was busy expressing his longing to Qiangwei and had no sense of impending doom. He was confident that as long as he was linked to the sun, even if these first or second-generation demons hacked at him, they wouldn't break his skin.

After Yun Yang playfully tapped Qiangwei’s nose, they separated. Qiangwei stood by his side, using her actions to show she was on his side. Morgana’s face turned even darker as she looked at Qiangwei with resentment, but Qiangwei simply tightened her hold on Yun Yang’s arm and looked away, ignoring her.

"Queen Morgana, name your terms, and I will take these angels away. After all, they have fought for Earth, and we are friends," Yun Yang said with a smile, pointing to the angels who looked like canaries in the cage.

"Heh, terms? You? What does your Earth have that I would covet?" Morgana sneered, her words filled with disdain for Yun Yang and Earth.

"Then I am very grateful to Queen Morgana. Can I take them away now?" Yun Yang, showing no sign of anger, feigned surprise and twisted her words.

"You're dreaming. We demons speak with strength. There are five angels here. Let’s set up a ring; win one match, and you take one away," Morgana replied, summoning another Demon Claw and pointing at the angels in the spatial cage.

Hearing this, Qiangwei thought Morgana intended to harm Yun Yang and wanted to question her, but Yun Yang gave her a subtle tug, signaling he had it under control. She parted her lips but remained silent, returning a look of worry. Yun Yang patted her hand and spoke.

"Very well. I am confident in my strength. But what happens if I accidentally kill one or two of them?"

Morgana clapped her hands, and an aura of dominance suddenly surrounded her. Her demon subordinates were equally efficient. The heavy doors, which had opened silently before, creaked as several demons carried in a medical pod.

The demon A-Tai stepped forward and pointed to the pod. "With this thing, even if you’re cut in half, we can stitch you back together. It’s for demon use only; if others use it, it’s twice the effort for half the result and incredibly painful." After speaking, he gave Yun Yang a look that seemed to ask if he wanted to try it out. The demons carrying the pod wore cruel smiles, all gesturing for Yun Yang to step forward.

Seeing this, a chill ran down Yun Yang’s spine. A thought echoed in his mind: *When the black men smile, life and death are unpredictable; when the coffin is lifted, a life is wasted.* Given the skin tone of those demons, the observation was almost too fitting.

Suppressing his intense urge to retort, Yun Yang nodded with a strange expression. "That puts my mind at ease. I was afraid of being too ruthless and killing a demon, and then you wouldn't let them go."

Morgana watched his odd expression, knowing he wasn't thinking of anything good, but she wasn't in the mood to ask—she knew he wouldn't tell her anyway. She pointed to Ato, A-Tai, Abulun, Suotun, and Wei Qi. "Just them. Win against them, and you can take these angels."

Suddenly, a demon named A-Bang spoke up from behind Morgana. "Queen, Wei Qi is only first-generation. He can't possibly beat him. Let me go, I can..."

Morgana waved her hand to stop him, wearing a cryptic smile without saying a word. A-Bang swung his blade in frustration but fell silent, letting out a deep sigh.

Wei Qi, finding himself pointed out even though he was standing on the periphery, gave a bitter smile and walked up to Yun Yang, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Yun Yang punched Wei Qi in the chest and said, "It’s fine. Don't hold back when the time comes. I’m confident in my own strength."

"No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just... my current identity, I feel a bit..." Wei Qi said, his expression unnatural.

"I understand. This isn't your fault. As long as your heart belongs to Huaxia, you are a son of Huaxia," Yun Yang said, cutting him off and gripping his hand firmly.

Wei Qi listened, collected his thoughts, and forced a grim smile. He nodded fiercely and said, "Born a son of Huaxia, die a ghost of Huaxia!"

Seeing that the man’s inner conflict had been somewhat resolved, Qiangwei smiled as well. She placed her hand over their joined hands and said, "That’s right, Lao Qi. As long as the heart belongs to the motherland, no matter the identity, one can be a warrior fighting for Huaxia."