Mission: Clean House

Outside the Han Family's main hall, a large number of experts stood quietly in the courtyard. Every one of them possessed Innate Realm cultivation.

Inside the hall, only the Emperor and the three Han brothers were present.

"May I ask why Your Majesty has come...?"

The Emperor smiled and took out the commander's seal. "General Han has commanded the Eastern Continent Army for many years. How can he simply step down whenever he wishes? Even if I agreed, the officers and soldiers below would never accept it. Am I right?"

Looking at the commander's seal on the table, Han Qishan shook his head. "Pang Ren's second son is young and promising. I believe the Eastern Continent Army will flourish in his hands as well. I have been caught up in these struggles for power for decades. To be honest, I'm tired. I want to rest."

The Emperor said, "How could I not know what Pang Jun is like? In his hands, the Eastern Continent Army will collapse sooner or later. In the entire East Continent Empire, half the military power is in your hands, and the other half is in Sun Hao's. That puts me at ease. As for Pang Ren, if he truly wishes to cultivate Pang Jun, he should first let him start from the bottom."

At that moment, Han Fei and Qi Xuanxuan arrived.

The two bowed to Han Qishan, yet they did not even acknowledge the Emperor.

Naturally, the Emperor was not angered. Compared to their identities, even he, the Emperor of the East Continent Empire, was somewhat inferior.

Seeing the commander's seal on the table, Han Fei said quietly, "Father, Xuanxuan and I are heading out."

Han Qishan was startled. "Where are you going so early in the morning?"

Qi Xuanxuan replied politely, "Hidden Dragon Abyss."

The Emperor was somewhat surprised. "Hidden Dragon Abyss? The valley thirty miles south of the capital? It is very chaotic there. General Sun sent people to suppress it several times, but each time they suffered heavy losses. Later, it was said that experts from the Tianyuan Divine Sect were stationed there, so I let the matter drop."

Then, the Emperor took out the Tianyuan Jade Token that Qi Xuanxuan had left in the royal hall and respectfully handed it back to her.

Qi Xuanxuan smiled, clearly pleased that the Emperor knew when to yield.

She had left the Tianyuan Jade Token in the royal hall precisely to put pressure on him. The Tianyuan Jade Token could be a good thing, but it could also be a bad one.

Seeing Qi Xuanxuan accept the Tianyuan Jade Token without hesitation, the clever Emperor was overjoyed. "I know what to do about the Pang Family. As for Pang Shuai, the one who injured General Han, how should he be dealt with? Please give your instructions, Saintess."

Han Qishan, standing nearby, said, "Why not let it go? They were not entirely wrong either. There is no need to kill them all."

Qi Xuanxuan said, "Handle it as Uncle Han sees fit."

With that, she took Han Fei's hand and left.

Although Qi Xuanxuan had a special status, she truly did not have the authority to command the rulers of the Four Great Empires. Of course, that was likely why she had used the Tianyuan Jade Token.

After Han Fei and Qi Xuanxuan left, Han Qishan hesitated for a long time before finally accepting the commander's seal. After all, many leaders and managers under him had followed him for years. He was reluctant to part with them, and more importantly, he could not rest easy leaving them behind.

Thirty miles south of the East Continent Empire lay a sunken valley known as Hidden Dragon Abyss.

Legend had it that a dragon once rested here, and the valley had been pressed into shape by its body. Thus, it was named Hidden Dragon Abyss.

Han Fei and Qi Xuanxuan stopped at the edge of the valley and looked down along the cliff. Dense forest concealed the entire valley, making it difficult to gather any useful information.

However, they could vaguely make out a cluster of buildings in the distance. That should have been where the rebel Martial Artist squad lived.

Having found their target, Han Fei did not waste time. He leaped straight into the valley and headed toward the buildings.

The entire valley was unusually quiet. Not a single demonic beast could be seen. The valley stretched roughly five li, and the buildings stood at its very center.

"What a paradise. No wonder those rebel Martial Artists chose a place like this to hide. Living here for even a day would be worth it."

Han Fei sighed sincerely.

Flowers, grass, and trees filled the area, while pavilions and towers stood in abundance. There was even a small lake not far from the buildings.

The surrounding scenery was breathtaking, and Han Fei could not help but praise it.

Even Qi Xuanxuan remarked, "These traitors really know how to enjoy themselves."

As they drew closer to the buildings, Han Fei grew more cautious. At that moment, a burly man over two meters tall, wielding two massive axes, dropped from a tree branch overhead.

The two giant axes carried the force of ten thousand jin as they chopped down at Han Fei's head.

Qi Xuanxuan opened her left hand, and something that looked like a paper ball wrapped in layers appeared in her palm. She then tossed it overhead.

"I spotted you long ago. You still thought you could launch a surprise attack?"

Boom! The paper ball suddenly exploded with terrifying force. Judging by the density of its spiritual energy, it seemed even more frightening than a clash between Spirit Gathering Realm cultivators.

Whoosh! After throwing the paper ball, Qi Xuanxuan took out an umbrella-like treasure and held it in front of herself.

The blast wave struck the umbrella, yet it caused no impact at all. The umbrella directly absorbed the shockwave.

After she put the umbrella away, Han Fei saw nothing but devastation around them. Within a radius of ten meters, not a single plant remained intact. Even the bark around the roots of several nearby trees had been stripped away.

Han Fei clapped. "What kind of treasure is that? It's incredibly powerful."

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "It is called the Spirit Absorbing Umbrella. Although it is only a low-grade Magic Treasure, it is extremely useful. It can absorb spiritual energy and residual shockwaves, making it much stronger than a mid-grade inner armor. It is also very difficult to damage."

Han Fei said, "It really is powerful. That shockwave was so intense, yet I did not even see your umbrella move. Impressive."

The two then looked toward the burly man. His clothes were in tatters, and his two huge axes had fallen to either side of him. He looked utterly miserable.

Han Fei frowned. None of the five used dual axes, which meant this man was likely not part of the rebel Martial Artist squad. His cultivation did not match either; he was merely at the second level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Han Fei asked coldly, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Qi Xuanxuan answered for him. "He may be an expert bought by this rebel Martial Artist squad. A great deal of spiritual energy is rapidly approaching from all around us."

As she spoke, she opened the Spirit Absorbing Umbrella in her hand. At the same time, four more paper balls appeared in her left hand, and she flung them out in a fan shape.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four violent explosions rang out, followed by a chorus of agonized cries.

The Spirit Absorbing Umbrella neutralized the shockwaves once more. Han Fei rolled his eyes as he watched from the side. "Why didn't you use this move when we were attacked that night?"

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "The people we encountered at first were too weak. Using Spirit Burst Bombs on them would have been wasteful. As for Fu Jiahao afterward, even if I had used Spirit Burst Bombs, they would have been useless against him. That would have been a waste too."

Han Fei was speechless. He had been beaten so badly that night, yet Qi Xuanxuan had not used such advanced items. Now she was tossing them around as though they cost nothing.

Even if they could not hurt Fu Jiahao, they could at least have disrupted the rhythm of his attacks.

Of course, Qi Xuanxuan had not told Han Fei that she had made these Spirit Burst Bombs yesterday. She had the materials, and while Han Fei slept that night, she made ten of them.

"Ah..."

The scene before them could no longer be described as mere devastation. Five Spirit Burst Bombs had thoroughly destroyed the beautiful landscape. The surrounding trees had been blasted open to their cores, and broken branches littered the ground.

Naturally, more than a dozen experts in different clothing lay sprawled across the ground as well. Their lives were not in danger, but for the time being, they posed no threat.

After dealing with these minor lackeys, Han Fei finally saw the true targets of this mission.

In the direction of the buildings, five young people with formidable auras slowly approached. Behind them followed more than a dozen subordinates with cultivation around the first level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Some of them even wore Tianyuan Divine Sect uniforms, though the main peak insignias on their chests were different. They were clearly graduates recruited by this rebel Martial Artist squad.

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "Every year, there are people like this. They possess exceptionally high cultivation, yet for one reason or another, they willingly become rebel Martial Artists and betray the sect. At the same time, their betrayal brings along a large number of graduates."

"After all, these people have spent at least ten years in the Tianyuan Divine Sect. If they were forced to integrate into the secular world, they would struggle to adapt. Staying with others who came from the Tianyuan Divine Sect is the most suitable choice."

Han Fei sighed. "It is just that they chose the wrong path, isn't it?"

Qi Xuanxuan nodded.

The leading man narrowed his eyes. "From the Tianyuan Divine Sect's Inner Court? Looks like the Divine Sect is taking this seriously this time."

The dark-skinned woman beside him laughed. "Only after losing three batches of disciples did they think to send people from the Inner Court. The higher-ups of the sect are really something."

The leading man laughed loudly. "So what if they are from the Inner Court? Look at their cultivation. They must have only recently entered the Inner Court, right? Put together, those two do not even seem to be as old as me."

"Hey, junior brother, do you know who I am?"

Han Fei stood with his hands behind his back. "He Xiong, captain of the sixty-third squad among Digui Peak's Hidden Guards. You entered the sect twenty-six years ago and defected three years ago. To be honest, you count as a senior. I just do not know why you chose this path of no return."

He Xiong laughed. "A path of no return? When the path of a Martial Artist reaches a bottleneck, one naturally has to expand into other paths. How long could I keep serving as a Hidden Guard in the Tianyuan Divine Sect? When there is an opportunity to walk a better road, of course I would choose it without hesitation."

"These people all share my ideals. Ask them yourself—do they regret it?"

With a ringing shing, Han Fei slowly drew the broken sword from his back. Nearly everyone present could hear the sound of the blade leaving its sheath.

Han Fei said, "It seems you are beyond saving. In that case, I will send you on your way."