Chapter 1006: Divine Dragon Medal!
The final demon-slaying operation was victorious!
The countless demonic miasmas once draped across the skies were finally cleansed today!
The entire firmament returned to clarity. Though still deep underground, the magical arrays painted it with a sky as radiant and beautiful as the stars.
During the day, a magical artificial sun even rose in brilliance.
The bright and gentle sunlight bathed this once-desolate land in warmth and peace once again.
The Ten Thousand Demons Fortress was already being reconstructed.
The grotesque flesh cannons were being dismantled and taken back for study.
Other horrific structures, like the Ten Thousand Demons Tower forged from countless Professionals' skulls, and the flesh-strangling blood pools, were all being removed.
These structures alone told how many Professionals had perished here.
But none of this cleanup required Ling Zhan's involvement.
After the battle ended, Ling Zhan immediately resigned from his position as General of the Dragon Kingdom.
He had always felt inadequate at battlefield command and thought his young age made him an ill fit for such a position.
Many believed him to be a tactical genius, given how Lemoris Fortress, the Heavenly Demon Capital, and the Ten Thousand Demons Fortress were all captured under his leadership.
His contributions were monumental.
But Ling Zhan saw it as brute-forcing his way forward with sheer power.
Not through any so-called command ability.
So upon returning to camp, he stepped down.
He had accepted the post only for convenience.
The title helped him avoid unnecessary hassles.
Even after resigning, his merits were undeniable.
Ling Zhan now ranked first in total merit points.
Surpassing every world-class powerhouse.
He had three times as much as the second-ranked Azure Dragon Meng Zhang.
Because...
Each of Ling Zhan's battles had sealed a phase of decisive victory.
The demonic disaster that plagued the world for millennia—solved today by Ling Zhan. His merit ranking first made perfect sense.
Azure Dragon Meng Zhang was even glad to see it.
"The Ten Thousand Demons Abyss is no more!"
"We finally don't have to worry about them anymore!"
"Hell yeah!"
Soldiers of all nations erupted into celebration.
The campaign had truly reached its end.
The other three forbidden zones had caused far less damage and were far weaker than the Abyss.
Previously, their monsters ran rampant only because the world's main forces were focused on the Abyss.
Now that the Abyss was purged, the main armies could finally turn to those zones.
Mm...
Probably within ten years, all the forbidden zones would be erased from the lower realm.
News reached the Demon-Slaying Legion: Ling Zhan had also resigned as their instructor.
"Huh..."
"Instructor Ling Zhan really stepped down?"
"Was he removed from the position?"
"Are you stupid? No one dares remove Instructor Ling Zhan—he stepped down on his own."
"So what's he planning to do next?"
"Come on, he's obviously going to ascend to the upper realm."
"True. It'd be a waste for a monster like him to stay here."
"Right now he's just nominally part of the Dragon Kingdom's legion..."
"So what about us in the Demon-Slaying Legion? What do we do now?"
At those words—
The members looked around at each other in silence.
The Legion was founded to train top-tier warriors to battle the Ten Thousand Demons.
Why else would it be called the Demon-Slaying Legion?
But now that the Abyss was gone, was it time to disband?
"Technically, yes. Then we return to our respective nations."
"Eventually, this Ten Thousand Demons Continent will be drawn back to the surface through a joint operation."
It had sunk into the earth ages ago.
But no nation would let such a vast land remain buried underground.
It was simply too inconvenient.
And now many people lived on the continent.
Before, they couldn't raise it because of the Abyss.
Mm...
The Holy Council was going to be extremely busy now.
Managing post-war affairs.
Rebuilding efforts.
Merit distribution.
Coordinating the land-raising project.
......
But regardless, the victory in the final demon-slaying operation had lifted the crisis.
"What we should be looking forward to now is the rewards..."
"We racked up a ton of merit. No other legion even comes close!"
"Our rankings jumped massively."
"So what kind of reward will Instructor Ling Zhan get?"
At those words—
The members fell silent.
Everyone wore puzzled expressions.
Because...
They had no idea!
Divine gear?
Ling Zhan already had top-tier divine gear.
Skill tomes?
All his skills were SS+ tier.
Miracle elixirs?
He'd already exchanged all his merit for permanent stat-boosting potions. He'd basically cleared out the vault.
"Damn..."
"At this point, we literally have nothing left to give him..."
"Maybe just an honorary medal?"
"That's probably all we can do..."
As it turned out—
They were right.
The allied legions couldn't think of a suitable reward for Ling Zhan.
Because he already stood at the pinnacle of the lower realm.
The number one—just over twenty years old!
The true strongest!
Can you even believe it?
In the end...
After discussion, the legions awarded him the highest military honor.
The Divine Dragon Medal!
The most prestigious medal in the entire allied army!
So far, only Ling Zhan had earned it.
Only those with the most outstanding performance and contributions could receive it.
Without Ling Zhan, the medal would've gone to a veteran world-class powerhouse.
But now—
Ling Zhan had earned it without dispute. Even the proudest of those veterans didn't dare question it.