Task: Cleaning House

At the entrance of the Han family's main hall, a large number of experts stood quietly in the courtyard. Any one of them possessed cultivation at the Innate Realm.

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

"May I ask why Your Majesty has graced us with your presence...?"

The Emperor smiled and took out the Marshal's Order. "General Han has been in charge of the East Continent Army for a long time. How can you simply resign? Even if this Emperor agrees, the soldiers below will not. Don't you agree?"

Looking at the Marshal's Order on the table, Han Qishan shook his head. "Pang Ren's second son is young and capable. I believe the East Continent Army will prosper under his command. I have been entangled in this struggle for power for decades. To be honest, I am tired and wish to rest."

The Emperor: "Do I not know what kind of person Pang Jun is? The East Continent Army will collapse under his command sooner or later. The entire East Continent Empire has half its military power in your hands and half in Sun Hao's. I am at ease. As for Pang Ren, if he truly intends to groom Pang Jun, let Pang Jun start from the bottom first."

At this moment, Han Fei and Qi Xuanxuan arrived.

The two bowed to Han Qishan but paid no attention to the Emperor.

Of course, the Emperor would not be angry. After all, compared to their identities, his own position as Emperor of the East Continent Empire was somewhat inferior.

Seeing the Marshal's Order on the table, Han Fei said softly, "Father, Xuanxuan and I are going out for a bit."

Han Qishan was taken aback. "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's a chaotic place. General Sun sent people to clear it out several times, suffering heavy losses each time. Later, I heard it was due to experts from the Tianyuan Divine Sect stationed there, so I let it go."

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

Qi Xuanxuan smiled, clearly satisfied with the Emperor's compliance.

She had left the Tianyuan Jade Token in the royal hall to put pressure on the Emperor. The Tianyuan Jade Token could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

The intelligent Emperor, seeing Qi Xuanxuan accept the Tianyuan Jade Token without hesitation, was overjoyed. "I know how to handle the Pang family's affairs. Also, how should Pang Shuai, who injured General Han, be dealt with? Please instruct us, Saintess."

Han Qishan, standing nearby, said, "Why not let it go? Actually, they are not wrong, and there's no need to kill them all."

Qi Xuanxuan: "We'll do as Uncle Han says regarding how to deal with him."

After saying that, she pulled Han Fei away.

In reality, although Qi Xuanxuan had a special identity, she didn't truly have the authority to issue orders to the monarchs of the Four Great Empires. Of course, it was precisely because of this that Qi Xuanxuan had used the Tianyuan Jade Token.

After Han Fei and the other left, Han Qishan hesitated for a long time. In the end, he accepted the Marshal's Order. After all, he still had many leaders and managers under him who had followed him for a long time. Han Qishan felt a sense of reluctance to part with them, and more importantly, he was worried about them.

Thirty miles south of the East Continent Empire, there was a sunken valley named Hidden Dragon Abyss.

Legend had it that a dragon once rested here, and the valley was pressed out by this dragon. Hence, it was named Hidden Dragon Abyss.

Han Fei and the other stopped at the edge of the valley and looked down the cliff. The entire valley was covered by dense forest, making it difficult to observe any useful information.

However, they could vaguely see some building complexes in the distance. These should be the residences of the rebel martial artists.

Since the target had been found, Han Fei wasted no time and descended directly into the valley, heading towards the direction of the buildings.

The entire valley was exceptionally quiet, with no demonic beasts present. The valley was about five li long, and the buildings were located in the center.

"A paradise on earth. No wonder the rebels chose this place to hide. Living here for a day is a gain."

Han Fei sighed sincerely.

Flowers, plants, trees, pavilions, and towers were all present. Not far from the buildings, there was even a small lake.

The surrounding scenery was extremely beautiful, causing Han Fei to praise it involuntarily.

Even Qi Xuanxuan, standing beside him, said, "These traitors really know how to enjoy themselves."

As they continuously approached the buildings, Han Fei became increasingly cautious. At this moment, a burly man, over two meters tall and wielding two giant axes, dropped from the branches above.

The two giant axes, carrying immense force, were swung down towards Han Fei's head.

Qi Xuanxuan opened her left hand, and something that looked like a paper ball appeared in her hand. She then threw it towards the sky.

"I saw you long ago. Still trying a surprise attack?"

Bang! The paper ball suddenly let out a violent explosion. Judging by the density of the Spiritual Energy, it seemed even more terrifying than a clash between cultivators at the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Whoosh! After throwing the paper ball, Qi Xuanxuan took out a treasure resembling an umbrella and held it in front of her.

The shockwave of the explosion hit the umbrella but caused no significant impact. The shockwave was directly absorbed by the umbrella.

Putting away the umbrella, Han Fei saw that the surroundings were in ruins. Within a ten-meter radius, not a single plant was intact. The nearest large trees had their bark stripped from their roots.

Han Fei clapped his hands. "What kind of treasure is this? It's so powerful?"

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "This is the Spirit Absorbing Umbrella. Although its grade is only a low-grade Magic Treasure, its effect is significant. It can absorb Spiritual Energy and aftershocks, making it much stronger than a mid-grade inner armor. And it's very difficult to damage."

Han Fei: "It is indeed powerful. With such a violent shockwave, I didn't even feel your umbrella move. Amazing."

Then, the two looked at the burly man. The man's clothes were tattered, and his two giant axes lay on either side. He looked quite miserable.

Han Fei frowned. None of the five people mentioned used dual axes. This meant he was likely not part of the rebel martial artists, and his cultivation level didn't match either. He was only at the second level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

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

Qi Xuanxuan answered for him, "He might be an expert hired by this rebel martial artist group. A lot of Spiritual Energy is rapidly approaching from the surroundings."

As she spoke, she opened the Spirit Absorbing Umbrella in her hand and simultaneously produced four more paper balls in her left hand, throwing them out in a fan shape.

Rumble! Four violent explosions sounded, followed by a series of screams.

The Spirit Absorbing Umbrella once again nullified the shockwave. Han Fei watched from the side, rolling his eyes, "Why didn't you use this move that night when you were attacked?"

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "The people I encountered at first were too weak, and using Spirit Burst Bombs felt like a waste. As for Fu Jiahao later, even if I used Spirit Burst Bombs, they wouldn't have done much to him, so it would have been a waste as well."

Han Fei was speechless. That day, he had been beaten so badly, and Qi Xuanxuan hadn't used such advanced items. Now, it was as if she wasn't spending any money, constantly throwing them around.

Even if these things couldn't hurt Fu Jiahao, they could at least disrupt his attack rhythm.

Of course, Qi Xuanxuan didn't tell Han Fei that she had made these Spirit Burst Bombs herself yesterday. She had the materials, and while Han Fei was sleeping at night, Qi Xuanxuan made ten Spirit Burst Bombs.

"Oh dear..."

The area in front of them could no longer be described as a mess. A beautiful landscape had been completely destroyed by five Spirit Burst Bombs, with the surrounding trees exposing their cores and branches blasted everywhere.

Of course, there were also over a dozen experts in various attire lying on the ground. Although they weren't in mortal danger, they posed no threat for the time being.

After dealing with these minor characters, Han Fei finally saw the main target of this mission.

From the direction of the houses, five young people with not weak auras walked slowly closer. Behind them followed more than a dozen subordinates with cultivation levels around the first level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Some of them were even wearing the clothes of the Tianyuan Divine Sect, though the main peak emblem on their chests was different. Clearly, this group was a unit of rebellious disciples that had been recruited.

Qi Xuanxuan explained, "Every year, there are those with exceptionally high cultivation who, for some reason, willingly become rebels and betray the sect. At the same time, their betrayal brings a large number of graduating disciples with them."

"After all, these people have been in the Tianyuan Divine Sect for at least ten years. If they were to integrate into secular society, they would find it difficult to adapt, so it's most suitable for them to be with people who also came from the Tianyuan Divine Sect."

Han Fei sighed, "It's just that these people haven't chosen the right path, right?"

Qi Xuanxuan nodded.

The man leading them narrowed his eyes, "From the Inner Court of the Tianyuan Divine Sect? It seems the Divine Sect is serious this time."

A dark-skinned woman beside him chuckled, "After losing three disciples, they finally remembered to send someone from the Inner Court. The sect's higher-ups really have a way with their brains."

The leading man laughed heartily, "So what if they're from the Inner Court? Look at their cultivation levels. They must have just entered the Inner Court, right? The two of them combined don't seem to be as old as I am?"

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

Han Fei clasped his hands behind his back, "He Xiong, captain of the sixty-third small team of the Digui Peak Hidden Guards. I joined twenty-six years ago and defected three years ago. Honestly, you're a senior, but I don't know why you chose this path of no return."

He Xiong laughed loudly, "Path of no return? When the path of a martial artist reaches a bottleneck, one naturally has to explore other paths. When will being a Hidden Guard in the Tianyuan Divine Sect ever end? If there's a chance to take a better path, I will naturally choose it without hesitation."

"These people are all like-minded with me. Ask them, do they regret it?"

Clang Han Fei slowly drew the Broken Sword from his back. Almost everyone present could hear the sound of the sword being unsheathed.

Han Fei said, "It seems you're beyond saving. Since that's the case, I'll send you on your way."