Claiming the Golden Firmament Sacred Kirin, Auspicious Omens Descend from Heaven!

Xiao Qianjun hurriedly replied.

"Good."

The Sixth Ancestor nodded, his tone grim.

"Such traitors must be interrogated strictly."

"He has been in the imperial court for so many years; how much intelligence, money, and grain he has secretly provided to the Holy Demon God Sect, and who his other accomplices are—everything must be investigated clearly."

"Not a single one is to be spared!"

Xiao Qianjun cupped his fists heavily.

"This subordinate understands!"

After speaking, the Sixth Ancestor turned to look at Lin Changqing.

The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of deep gratitude.

"Prince Wu'an, thanks to you, we are safe tonight."

His tone was as sincere as it could possibly be.

"These traitors have been lurking in the Capital City for a long time, and the Demon Suppressing Division has investigated countless times without finding a single clue. If you hadn't discovered this den, I shudder to think what kind of disaster they would have caused in the future."

"On behalf of the Great Yu Dynasty, I thank Prince Wu'an."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to Lin Changqing.

Lin Changqing waved his hand, his tone indifferent.

"A small matter."

"Boundless Saint Emperor, there is no need for such formalities. Since this Prince has accepted the title from Great Yu, this is merely part of my duty."

The Sixth Ancestor straightened up.

Looking at Lin Changqing's calm face, he felt even more moved.

Not only did this Prince Wu'an possess heaven-defying strength, but his character was also so humble.

It was truly a great fortune for Great Yu to have recruited such a powerhouse!

Lin Changqing ignored the Sixth Ancestor's inner thoughts.

He was waiting.

The system notification for the completion of the mission had yet to sound in his mind.

He glanced at the remaining cultists slumped on the ground and frowned slightly.

Could it be that these people also needed to be dealt with for the extermination to count as complete?

Lin Changqing looked at Xiao Qianjun and asked.

"Commander Xiao, do you still need to take these remaining ants back for interrogation?"

"If not, I will just kill them while I'm at it."

Xiao Qianjun gave a bitter smile upon hearing this.

"Prince Wu'an, to tell you the truth, this subordinate already had those previous eight people interrogated."

"As expected, nothing could be extracted."

He shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness.

"Deep within the souls of those people, restrictions had been planted. The moment they tried to reveal any key information, the restrictions would trigger immediately, causing their souls to scatter on the spot, leaving no chance for rescue."

"It is highly likely that these people have had the same restrictions planted within them."

Xiao Qianjun looked at the remaining cultists on the ground, his gaze turning cold.

"Since nothing can be asked, I won't trouble Prince Wu'an any further."

"Keeping these people alive is only a scourge; I will trouble Prince Wu'an to dispose of them all."

Lin Changqing nodded.

He raised his right hand and waved it gently toward the remaining cultists.

Hearing Xiao Qianjun's words, the cultists knew they would certainly die today.

Several of the highest-cultivation core members revealed a beast-like ferocity in their eyes and struggled to stand up from the ground.

"Damn it! Fight them to the death!"

A core member at the Eighth-Rank Grandmaster realm roared, and the Spiritual Power within his body began to expand frantically.

He was about to unleash a self-destruction secret technique that was extremely painful to perform; even if he died, he would drag a few others down with him!

However.

Lin Changqing merely let a thought fall.

An invisible force descended from the sky, pressing down like a ten-thousand-jun mountain.

"Boom!"

The bodies of all the remaining cultists were forcibly crushed by that power!

Their flesh and blood turned into powder, leaving not even a scrap of bone behind.

The violent Spiritual Power had not even had the chance to be released before it was completely erased by that force.

In an instant.

Nearly a hundred remaining cultists were all killed.

The surrounding air fell silent for a moment.

Then.

The long-awaited system notification finally rang in Lin Changqing's mind.

["Ding! Random mission complete: Exterminate the Holy Demon God Sect's stronghold in the Capital City (1/1)."]

["Reward obtained: Early Ninth-tier Martial Saint mount -- Golden Firmament Sacred Qilin."]

["Golden Firmament Sacred Qilin: A descendant of an ancient pure-blooded Qilin. Its entire body is covered in golden scales, its four hooves tread upon golden thunder, and it can travel tens of thousands of miles in a day. Its current cultivation is early Ninth-tier Martial Saint, soul-bound to the host, and absolutely loyal. If the host falls, the mount perishes; the mount's cultivation automatically increases with the host's strength."]

["Does the host wish to claim it immediately?"]

Lin Changqing's eyes lit up instantly.

It was finally here; this was the moment he had been waiting for!

He recited silently in his mind.

"Claim immediately."

The moment the thought fell.

Ten thousand zhang of golden light suddenly erupted in the night sky above the Capital City. The golden light did not emanate from a single point, but rather blanketed the entire firmament!

The pitch-black night was torn open by the golden radiance, enveloping the entire Capital City.

The streets and alleys of the Capital City were all illuminated as bright as day by this sudden golden light.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Su Gan stood up abruptly from his dragon throne and walked quickly out of the Imperial Study.

He looked up at the sky, his pupils dilating sharply.

"What is this?!"

The commoners in the city also poked their heads out from their windows one after another.

The martial artists who had been locked in their homes all stepped out into their courtyards.

Everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget.

In the sky paved with golden light, a massive golden figure descended from the heavens.

It was a Qilin!

Its entire body was covered in golden scales, each one appearing as if cast from pure gold, reflecting a dazzling radiance within the golden light.

Its four hooves trod upon golden thunder, and with every step, a burst of golden lightning exploded in the night sky.

Its head was held high, its eyes like two burning golden suns, shining with divine light.

Its mane drifted in the wind like flowing fire, trailing a long golden wake behind it.

The aura of an early Ninth-tier Martial Saint radiated from its body, vast and sacred.

It was completely different from the aura of a Demon, carrying a heavenly might that made one unable to resist the urge to prostrate and worship.

"A Qilin! It's a Qilin!"

Someone in the city shouted first, and then the entire Capital City erupted into a frenzy.

"Good heavens! This is the legendary Qilin!"

"It's not a mixed-blood descendant! This is pure-blooded! A pure-blooded Qilin!"

Across the entire Heavenly Martial Continent.

Although Qilins were rare, they were not entirely non-existent.

However, those were all mixed-blood descendants diluted over countless generations.

Pure-blooded Qilins had been extinct for tens of thousands of years!

One could only catch a glimpse of their true appearance in ancient texts and murals.

But now, a living, breathing pure-blooded Qilin had appeared right before everyone's eyes.

The Sixth Ancestor looked at the golden Qilin descending from the sky, his expression changing drastically.

He had lived for over two thousand three hundred years and had seen countless rare beasts, but he had only ever seen depictions of pure-blooded Qilins in ancient books!

The Qilin was an auspicious beast, a symbol of good fortune, and an existence of terrifying power.

Ancient texts recorded that in the ancient era, a pure-blooded Qilin possessed combat strength at the Grandmaster level upon reaching adulthood.

And the aura radiating from this Qilin at this moment was unmistakably that of an early-stage Martial Saint!

Appearing suddenly above the Capital City, it was unclear whether it was friend or foe.

"Could this be another conspiracy by the Holy Demon God Sect? To think they could even summon a pure-blooded Qilin!"

The Sixth Ancestor's brows were tightly furrowed, his Spiritual Power already beginning to circulate within his body.

Xiao Qianjun and the other two immediately drew their weapons.

Regardless of whether the visitor was a beast of good omen or not, they could not allow any accidents to occur!

Lin Changqing, who knew exactly what was happening, raised a hand to signal that they need not be nervous.

"Do not panic."

His tone was very calm.

"This Qilin has no ill intent."

The Sixth Ancestor was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Changqing.

He saw a faint smile on Lin Changqing's face, his gaze calm as he watched the golden Qilin descending from the sky.

Even he had not expected the commotion to be this grand.

The Golden Heaven-Saint Qilin galloped down from the high heavens, its four hooves treading upon golden lightning.

Its speed was extreme, dragging a long golden afterimage through the air.

In the blink of an eye, it reached the alleyway where Lin Changqing stood.

Then, it halted in mid-air.

Its massive body landed slowly in the alley, its four hooves striking the bluestone pavement with golden lightning crackling beneath them.

Up close, the Qilin looked even more majestic and extraordinary.

Standing, it was a full two zhang tall, towering over the surrounding houses.

Its golden scales shimmered with a soft luster under the moonlight, each one appearing like a meticulously polished work of art.

It lowered its head, bringing its massive skull right in front of Lin Changqing.

There was not a trace of ferocity in those golden eyes, which were instead filled with affection.

It extended its tongue and licked the back of Lin Changqing's hand.

The tongue was as large as a cattail fan, yet its movements were as gentle as a puppy's.

Then, it lowered its head again, nuzzling against Lin Changqing's shoulder while emitting a low, rumbling purr from its throat.

It was like a giant cat acting spoiled in front of its master.

Finally, it bent its front legs and nudged Lin Changqing's leg with its head, pushing him toward its back.

The meaning was clear: get on.

Everyone present was left dumbfounded by this scene.

A legendary pure-blooded Qilin, a peerless beast of good omen at the early Martial Saint stage, was acting like a puppy, fawning over Prince Wu'an?

And it was volunteering to be a mount?

The Sixth Ancestor was the first to recover, his beard trembling.

"Congratulations, Prince Wu'an!"

His voice was several octaves higher than before, his face full of joy.

"The Qilin is an ancient beast of good omen and a symbol of auspiciousness. Ancient texts record that a pure-blooded Qilin only bows to the true person of destiny!"

"For this pure-blooded Qilin to descend of its own accord and willingly become Prince Wu'an's mount—this is Heaven's will! Heaven blesses Prince Wu'an, and Heaven blesses our Great Yu!"

He grew more excited as he spoke, his voice trembling.

"Today, the Qilin has descended to the world and acknowledged Prince Wu'an as its master. Once this news spreads across the land, the Demons will surely be struck with terror! The national fortune of our Great Yu will undoubtedly flourish even more!"

Xiao Qianjun also snapped out of his shock.

His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the Qilin nuzzling Lin Changqing's shoulder.

His heart was in a state of turmoil.

What kind of background did this Prince Wu'an actually have?

It was one thing to break through to the peak of the Martial Saint realm at twenty, and another to slay a Martial Saint of the same rank with a single sword strike.

But now, even a legendary pure-blooded Qilin was voluntarily offering itself as a mount?

Was he even human?

At the same time.

The citizens and martial artists throughout the entire Capital City had witnessed the scene.

They had seen with their own eyes that golden Qilin descend from the sky and land in the direction of the west side of the city.

Then, they saw the Qilin lower itself, allowing a young man in black robes to climb onto its back.

"It's Prince Wu'an! The Qilin has acknowledged Prince Wu'an as its master!"

"An auspicious omen from the heavens! Heaven bless our Great Yu!"

"Long live Prince Wu'an!"

The commoners in the city knelt one after another, bowing toward the west side of the city.

Cheers erupted from all directions, converging into a tidal wave in the night, and the entire Capital City was immersed in an atmosphere bordering on fanaticism.

Meanwhile, in the alleyway.

Lin Changqing reached out to stroke the head of the Golden Radiance Sacred Qilin; the texture felt as warm and smooth as jade.

The Golden Radiance Sacred Qilin let out another low purr, its tail wagging happily.

It was no different from a large dog.

"From now on, I'll call you Golden Radiance."

Lin Changqing vaulted onto the Qilin's back with a crisp, clean motion.

Riding on the back of the Qilin, his field of vision suddenly widened significantly.

He could see the commoners in the distance bowing to him, and he could see the lights across the city being lit once again.

He could also see the Sixth Ancestor and the others standing below, their faces etched with shock.