Emperor Yu's Fury, Executing Nine Generations of Kin!

"Smack! Smack!"

Two crisp sounds echoed through the alleyway.

The fat on Qian Youde's face shuddered violently from the slaps, and his head buzzed.

Several of his teeth had been loosened.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.

"Smack!"

Another slap landed.

"Behave yourself!"

This time, he became completely obedient.

He collapsed onto the ground, not daring to make another sound, his body left trembling uncontrollably.

The Sixth Ancestor looked down at him coldly, as if looking at a dead man.

"Take him away."

He waved his hand.

The Demon Suppression Guards dragged Qian Youde up from the ground and escorted him toward the Ministry of Justice Prison.

The news of the night spread back to the Imperial Palace at top speed.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Su Gan stood before the dragon desk, the vermilion brush in his hand creaking under his grip.

He had seen that Golden Qilin descend from the sky with his own eyes from outside the hall.

He had also seen that Cyan Sword Lotus illuminate the night sky.

He had initially thought this was an auspicious omen from heaven and had been happy for Prince Wu'an.

But when the eunuch reported the full sequence of events from the night, the joy on his face was instantly replaced by rage.

Xiao Qianjun had already written the cause and effect into an urgent memorial, ordering it to be delivered to the palace as quickly as possible.

The memorial was written with absolute clarity.

The Capital City branch of the Holy Demon God Sect was hidden beneath the residence of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qian Youde.

The branch leader, Red Python, possessed the cultivation of an early Ninth-tier Martial Saint.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qian Youde, had secretly colluded with Demon forces, providing them with intelligence, money, and grain for years.

If Prince Wu'an had not intervened tonight, there was no telling how much longer this den would have remained hidden!

After reading the memorial, Su Gan's face turned livid.

He slammed his hand onto the dragon desk.

"Bang!"

The teacup jumped, splashing tea across the table.

"A fine Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue he is!"

His voice was filled with fury, laced with the heartache of being deeply betrayed.

"I personally promoted him to Left Vice Minister! I entrusted him with the court's money and grain! Yet he takes the salary I gave him to act as a lackey for Demons! Does he have any conscience left? Is he even human!"

The eunuchs and palace maids in the hall all knelt on the floor in terror, not daring to draw a full breath.

Su Gan paced back and forth in the hall, the rage on his face growing heavier.

"Left Vice Minister... a third-rank high official... if even a high-ranking minister of this level has defected to the Demons, how many people in the court are still clean? How many others have secretly taken benefits from the Holy Demon God Sect?!"

He stopped pacing, his gaze gloomy.

"I look at everyone now and see a traitor; I look at everyone and feel they are deceiving me!"

The more he thought, the angrier he became, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"If Prince Wu'an hadn't acted tonight, I would still be kept in the dark by this beast! When the Demon armies eventually press upon our borders, if these malignant tumors hidden within the court stab us in the back, what will my Great Yu have to resist them?"

He turned to the old eunuch beside him and issued his command.

"Pass on my decree!"

"Qian Youde has colluded with Demons; his crimes are unforgivable! Order the Ministry of Justice to interrogate him strictly and dig out every single accomplice! Regardless of who is implicated, regardless of their status, investigate to the very end—no leniency!"

"Arrest his entire clan to the ninth degree; not a single one is to be spared!"

"Furthermore, proclaim Qian Youde's crimes to the entire court and country. Let all officials see what the end is for those who defect to the Demons! Whoever dares to repeat this, let Qian Youde be the warning!"

The old eunuch bowed hurriedly.

"This old servant obeys the decree!"

After saying this, Su Gan sat back down on the dragon throne.

He rubbed his brow, a trace of exhaustion appearing on his face.

The events of this evening had dealt him too great a shock.

A third-rank official he had personally promoted had turned out to be a traitor lurking within the imperial court.

This left him with a deep sense of distrust toward the entire court.

He did not know how many more officials were like Qian Youde—loyal to him on the surface, while secretly selling their lives to the Demons.

"It seems I must have the Demon Suppressing Division conduct a thorough, covert investigation from now on..."

He muttered to himself, a flicker of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile.

Prince Wu'an Mansion.

Lin Changqing descended from the sky riding Golden Radiance, landing in the front courtyard of the mansion.

Although it was late at night, everyone in the household was present.

No one could sleep.

The golden light in the sky just moments ago, the Qilin that had descended from the heavens, and the Cyan Sword Lotus that had illuminated the night sky even earlier.

They had all seen them.

The old steward, Uncle Liu, led the one hundred and thirty servants of the mansion, all waiting in the front courtyard.

When the massive form of Golden Radiance descended from the night sky, everyone could not help but gasp.

Seeing it from a distance had been shocking enough.

Now that this Qilin stood before them, less than three feet away, the impact was simply beyond words!

Its entire body was covered in golden scales that shimmered with a soft luster under the moonlight.

Each scale bore natural patterns, resembling finely carved golden leaves.

Golden arcs of electricity still crackled and popped around its four hooves.

The legs of several young maidservants went weak; had they not been supported by those beside them, they would have nearly collapsed to their knees.

One manservant stammered in a low voice.

"G-good heavens... Is this the legendary Qilin? It's even bigger than in the paintings..."

Another manservant swallowed hard.

"It was scary enough seeing it from so far away, but standing this close... I've never seen such a massive exotic beast in my life."

Uncle Liu was an experienced steward who had seen the world; although his face was full of shock, he was much calmer than the others.

He hurried forward and bowed respectfully to the person on the Qilin's back.

"Welcome back to the mansion, Your Highness!"

The servants behind him finally snapped out of it and knelt in unison.

Lin Changqing vaulted off Golden Radiance's back with light, agile movements.

He patted Golden Radiance's neck, a clear smile on his face.

Golden Radiance nuzzled him back, a low purr rumbling in its throat.

The more Lin Changqing looked at it, the more satisfied he felt.

This Qilin was not only imposing and majestic, but its personality was also affectionate.

It was simply the perfect mount.

"Uncle Liu."

"This old servant is here."

"This is Golden Radiance. From today on, it is a member of our Prince Wu'an Mansion."

Lin Changqing gestured toward Golden Radiance.

"As for its meals and such, follow the same standard as mine."

"Give it whatever it wants to eat, and let it sleep wherever it likes; do not restrict it."

Uncle Liu nodded quickly in agreement.

"Rest assured, Your Highness, this old servant will take good care of Lord Holy Qilin."

He clicked his tongue in secret.

Follow the Prince's standard?

That was an annual salary equivalent to 1.5 million Top-grade Spirit Crystals; the cost of the spirit beast meat and spirit fruits it would eat every day alone would be a massive expense!

However, looking at how much the Prince doted on this Qilin, such expenses were nothing.

Lin Changqing patted Golden Radiance on the head once more before turning to walk toward the backyard.

Uncle Liu carefully led Golden Radiance to the side of the hot spring pool in the backyard.

Qilin loved water.

They especially loved places rich in spiritual energy.

With the hot spring mist swirling and the spiritual energy dense, it was the best spot in the entire estate.

Golden Radiance lowered its head to take a few sips of the hot spring water, then sprawled directly onto the bluestone by the pool.

Its massive body curled up, and its tail gave a gentle flick.

It seemed quite satisfied with this new home.

Inside the main room of the backyard.

Lin Changqing took off his outer robe and lay down on the bed.

The room was filled with the scent of calming sandalwood, and the moonlight outside the window was like water.

He rested his hands behind his head and let out a long sigh.

Tonight had truly been a whirlwind.

First, he was recognized and mobbed while strolling through the streets, then he was followed, discovered an Underground Palace, shattered a seal with a single punch, suppressed the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array, slew a Martial Saint Red Python with one sword strike, and finally ended up with a Qilin mount.

One thing after another; he hadn't had a moment to catch his breath.

However, the gains were not insignificant.

Not to mention Golden Radiance, a Qilin mount at the early stage of the Martial Saint realm was both flashy and practical.

He had also incidentally wiped out the Holy Demon God Sect's branch in the Capital City, which could be considered resolving a hidden danger for the Great Yu Dynasty.

Lin Changqing closed his eyes.

He was now at the Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak, already standing at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Martial Continent.

As for how to break through to the Martial Emperor realm... he currently had no clue.

But he couldn't be bothered to think about it.

He had a system.

In any case, there was a fixed sign-in every month, and random tasks were triggered from time to time.

Who knew? Maybe one day he would just sign in or complete a task and break through directly.

Rather than racking his brains, it was better to eat, drink, and properly enjoy his current life.

Eat when he wanted to eat, sleep when he wanted to sleep, and stroll through the streets when he felt like it—that was the way life should be lived.

Lin Changqing turned over and pulled the quilt up.

Soon.

The sound of steady breathing filled the room.

This Evergreen Saint Venerable, who could kill a Martial Saint with a single sword strike and tame a pure-blooded Qilin, drifted off into a sweet slumber just like that.