The North Sea was the demon's habitat.
Without a thorough plan and deployment, it was absolutely impossible to enter. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to courting death.
Although Kang Yue was treacherous, Huang Ce didn't want to sacrifice too many soldiers for such a traitor. After all, tens of thousands of the rebel army had been killed by Earth Demon in this battle.
Four of the Imperial Palace's experts had died, including five True Energy Realm generals.
Of course, Ye Tianlang and Guo Qiehu had died as well.
Ye Tianlang, in particular, had suffered a great loss.
Fortunately, Lin Fan was fine.
Furthermore, Lin Fan could be considered as the greatest contributor to this battle. Not only did he discover the Sangfroid Prince's plot to rebel early on, he even managed to destroy the Earth Demon, a peerless Giant Demon, in one fell swoop, saving the country from its crisis.
After the news spread, Lin Fan's name spread throughout the country. He had become the Yellow Dragon Empire's greatest hero. Naturally, the entire country respected and loved him. There were even people who set up a memorial tablet for him at home and worshipped him daily.
Lin Fan was very proud of this. His uncle, parents, and the women in his family were all proud of him.
Xue Jiaying, in particular, rejoiced.
If it were not for Lin Fan, he would still be in a state of madness and would not be able to wake up in this lifetime.
Like Xue Jiaying, all the humans who had been affected by the Demon Aura also regained their sanity after the Earth Demon's death and the dissipation of the Demon Aura.
After this, not only did Lin Fan gain fame, but he also gained benefits.
As for Lin Fan, the imperial court gave him a million taels of silver as a reward and a yellow mandarin jacket. This yellow mandarin jacket was not only a symbol of honor. There were three protective talismans engraved on it. Wearing it, normal spirits and evil beings would not be able to get close.
Lin Fan gave the yellow mandarin jacket to his mother, Xia Cuilan, so she could wear it for self-defense.
That was not all. Huang Ce also gave Lin Fan a flying sword. Not everyone could get a flying sword. Apart from the imperial experts personally trained by Huang Ce, no one else in the country could get one.
On the day of receiving his reward, Lin Fan came to the Imperial Palace for the first time.
The area of the palace was very large, but there were not many buildings. Every building was very tall and magnificent. The main hall was richly ornamented, with four eaves and flying corners. Within the magnificence, there was a hint of elegance.
The Yellow Dragon Hall facing the Noon Gate was where the emperor held court. It was solemn, dignified, mighty, and imposing … On the eaves of the hall, there was a yellow dragon carved.
It was vivid and lifelike.
Especially the dragon's head, which was as big as a bucket, it was even more lifelike. The two bell-like dragon eyes had distinct black and white pupils, as if they were alive.
The body of the yellow dragon was engraved with numerous talismans. Just as Lin Fan followed the three Inner Guards along the long corridor towards the Yellow Dragon Hall, the eyes of the yellow dragon engraved on the roof beam actually moved twice.
Lin Fan happened to see this. Staring at the eyes of the yellow dragon, Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. This was clearly a carving. How could the dragon's eyes move?
Just as Lin Fan was staring at the yellow dragon, the dragon opened its mouth and roared at Lin Fan.
"Roar …" The dragon's roar broke the silence of the morning in the Imperial Palace.
"Sir, quickly lower your head!"
The leading Imperial Guard reminded Lin Fan with a frightened expression. "The yellow dragon is a divine beast, the totem of the Empire. Staring at it like that is blasphemy …"
Lin Fan quickly lowered his head when he heard the words' divine beast '.
In this world, other than humans, demons, ghosts, and monsters, there were also beasts. Beasts also had a clear hierarchy. From the lowest to the highest, they were divided into ordinary beasts, spirit beasts, and divine beasts …
Lin Fan knew that divine beasts had strong bodies and various mysterious techniques. They could soar above the nine heavens and were an existence that was one level higher than spirit beasts. They were very powerful and were not something that a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator like him could contend against. Therefore, it was best not to provoke them.
As Lin Fan lowered his head, the yellow dragon on the roof of the hall stopped roaring. It closed its mouth and its eyes stopped moving. It returned to the state of a stone statue.
The three imperial guards were so scared that they broke out in cold sweat. The leading guard wiped the sweat off his forehead and whispered to Lin Fan, "Sir, remember not to stare at it all the time in the future. Otherwise, even the Emperor might not be able to protect you …"
Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He could not help but say, "Could it be that this yellow dragon is stronger than the Emperor …"
The leading Imperial Guard first reminded, "Shh … Don't be so loud. Be careful that it hears you … To tell you the truth, even the Emperor has to give it some leeway …"
Lin Fan secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva when he heard this. He did not dare to speak anymore.
However, his heart was filled with emotions. He secretly thought that the Imperial Palace was still the safest. There was actually a divine beast guarding it.
Passing through the beautiful corridor, the four people walked to the entrance of the Yellow Dragon Hall.
At the entrance of the Yellow Dragon Hall, there were two tall and sturdy guards standing on each side.
After seeing these two guards, Lin Fan secretly smacked his lips. These two guards were actually Qi Refining stage cultivators.
The trip to the Imperial Palace made Lin Fan realize that although he had become the head of the Jingye Bureau and was in charge of this huge and special organization, his cultivation realm was still not enough to be ranked among the top in the entire Empire. He was still unable to enter the ranks of the strong.
In the Yellow Dragon Hall, Huang Ce warmly received Lin Fan. He first rewarded him and then chatted with him.
Lin Fan was still a little nervous when facing Huang Ce. He was worried that Huang Ce would see through his special ability on the panel. After all, anyone who could survive after entering the Earth Demon's body was definitely not an ordinary person.
However, in the end, Huang Ce did not ask him about it at all. He only entrusted him with an important task. Not only did he want to completely hand over the Jingye Bureau to him, but he also wanted him to be the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Lin Fan did not hesitate and rejected him directly.
No matter how stupid he was, he could tell that Huang Ce was testing him. Not just anyone could be the commander of the Imperial Guards. It was the army that protected the Emperor and the Imperial Palace. Only the Emperor's most trusted person could be in charge of it.
No matter how highly Huang Ce thought of Lin Fan, he definitely could not be the commander. Moreover, he was already the director of the Jingye Bureau. He had the responsibility of eliminating all demons in the world. How could he take on two positions at once?
Huang Ce secretly sighed in relief when Lin Fan rejected him. Lin Fan's rise was too fast. His abilities were too heaven-defying. If he was too ambitious, he might cause trouble when he became stronger.
"Lin Fan, you've contributed greatly to Majesty Kang's rebellion. This reward is really nothing. If you have any requests, just let me know. For example, a title or cultivation method. I can satisfy them all," Huang Ce said hurriedly to prevent Lin Fan from seeing that he was testing him. At this moment, Huang Ce acted as if he cherished talent and wanted to give all the benefits to Lin Fan.
Seeing Huang Ce's enthusiasm, Lin Fan said, "Your Majesty, if you want to reward me, please give me a few more protective talismans. I don't have much ambition. I just want my family to live well and have enough food to eat and clothes to wear …"
Huang Ce laughed when he heard that. "Lin Fan, having enough food to eat and clothes to wear isn't much of an ambition. However, living well in this world is not a small ambition. Not to mention you, even for me, the Emperor, it's not easy to live an absolutely safe life.
You saw it the other day. No one can fight the Earth Demon. If you hadn't set fire to its body and disintegrated it from the inside, we'd all be dead. "