Volunteering, Full Responsibility!

After the morning court session concluded, the news spread rapidly throughout the entire Capital City.

The Great Yu Dynasty was launching an all-out offensive against the Holy Demon God Sect.

In an instant, every teahouse and restaurant was filled with voices discussing the matter.

Some clapped and cheered, saying that these traitors who had defected to the demons should have been dealt with long ago.

Others were filled with anxiety, worrying that with the demons on the front lines yet to be repelled, starting such a massive conflict in the rear would make it difficult to manage both fronts.

But regardless of how the commoners debated it, the decree for the purge had already been issued.

The Demon Suppressing Division acted faster than anyone had anticipated; less than an hour after the court session ended, urgent dispatches had already been sent to their branches in every province.

A storm of purification, sweeping across the entire Great Yu Dynasty, had officially begun.

Prince Wu'an Mansion.

Lin Changqing had just returned from a stroll and had not yet managed to drink a cup of cold tea when Uncle Liu came to report that Princess Yunshu had arrived.

Su Wanqing walked into the backyard with a light step, carrying a box of pastries freshly made by the Imperial Kitchen.

"Saint Venerable! Have you heard? His Majesty was furious in court today; he had seven or eight officials who colluded with the demon cult arrested on the spot and ordered a nationwide purge of the Holy Demon God Sect!"

She sat down across from Lin Changqing, opened the pastry box, and pushed it toward him.

Lin Changqing picked up a piece of jujube paste cake and took a bite.

"I heard."

He chewed twice and swallowed the pastry.

In his heart, however, he was pondering another matter.

He had just signed in for the Great Wilderness Demon-Subduing Fist last night and was lacking a target to practice on; this operation to purge the Holy Demon God Sect was a perfect opportunity.

Surely, among those cult strongholds hidden throughout the provinces, there had to be a few that could actually put up a fight?

They couldn't all be like the people from the Capital branch, who couldn't even withstand a single sword strike from him, could they?

Just as he was deep in thought, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

["Ding! Random task triggered: Help the Great Yu Dynasty purge a Holy Demon God Sect stronghold in any province (0/1). Reward: Ninth-tier Supreme Grade pill—Limit-Breaking Pill ×10."]

["Limit-Breaking Pill: A Ninth-tier Supreme Grade pill. After consumption, it can assist a peak Martial Saint powerhouse in briefly breaking through their bottleneck to perceive a trace of the mysteries of the Martial Emperor realm. A single pill's effect lasts for the duration of one incense stick; stacking ten pills can significantly increase the probability of breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm."]

Lin Changqing's eyes lit up instantly.

After such a long time, a random task had finally been triggered again.

And the reward this time—the Limit-Breaking Pill—was actually a pill that could help one break through to the Martial Emperor realm!

Although he was already at the peak of the Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, he had never had any clue as to how to break through to the legendary Martial Emperor realm.

While this pill could not make him break through directly, it would allow him to perceive a trace of the mysteries of the Martial Emperor realm.

To him, its value was immeasurable.

What's more, there were ten of them, and stacking them would yield even better results!

"I accept this task."

Lin Changqing thought to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Su Wanqing noticed the change in his expression and asked curiously.

"Saint Venerable, what... are you thinking about?"

Lin Changqing put down the pastry in his hand, casually popped it into Su Wanqing's mouth, and picked up his teacup to take a sip.

"I was thinking that since His Majesty intends to take full action against the Holy Demon God Sect, I might as well contribute my own efforts."

Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing swallowed the pastry, and her eyes brightened immediately.

"Really? You are willing to help, Saint Venerable? That's wonderful! With you there, those demon cult strongholds will be captured in no time! If Father knew, he would be overjoyed!"

Lin Changqing nodded.

"But there is one condition."

"I will take full responsibility for this matter, and the Demon Suppressing Division as well as the garrison troops in every province shall follow my command."

He paused, then added another sentence.

"Although Xiao Qianjun has extensive experience in handling cases, when it comes to the efficiency of the purge, it is faster if I handle it personally."

Su Wanqing nodded repeatedly, her face full of admiration.

"That goes without saying! You alone are worth an entire army, Saint Venerable. Let's go, we'll head to the palace to see Father right now!"

She reached out her hand, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Lin Changqing took her hand, raised his other, and tore through space; the two of them vanished from the mansion's backyard in an instant.

Outside the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

The Royal Forest Guard on duty were patrolling when the space before them suddenly distorted.

A spatial rift tore open, and Lin Changqing stepped out from it, holding Su Wanqing's hand.

The Royal Forest Guards, already somewhat accustomed to such sights, knelt in unison.

"Greetings, Prince Wu'an! Greetings, Princess Yunshu!"

Lin Changqing nodded slightly and led Su Wanqing toward the Imperial Study.

Su Gan was in the Imperial Study reviewing memorials when he heard footsteps outside the hall and looked up.

He saw Lin Changqing walking in, holding his daughter's hand.

He set down his vermilion brush.

He wore a kind smile on his face.

"What brings Prince Wu'an to my study today? Please, take a seat."

Lin Changqing sat in the guest chair, and Su Wanqing sat beside him quite naturally.

Seeing this, the smile at the corners of Su Gan's mouth deepened.

It seemed his daughter's relationship with Prince Wu'an had taken another step forward, which was a good thing.

Su Wanqing took the initiative to explain the purpose of their visit on Lin Changqing's behalf.

"Father, the Saint Venerable wishes to participate in this clearing operation, and he is willing to take full responsibility for the matter to relieve the pressure on Chief Xiao."

Upon hearing this, Su Gan's smile grew even brighter.

"If Prince Wu'an is willing to take action, I could ask for nothing more."

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere.

"To be honest, I had originally intended to dispatch several Martial Saints hidden within the Great Yu Dynasty to handle this."

"After all, while the branch sects in the various provinces are not as large as the one in the Capital City, who knows how many experts are hidden within them? If I sent ordinary personnel, I fear the casualties would be significant."

"But since Prince Wu'an has volunteered, it could not be better."

"The previous operations have already proven your strength, Prince Wu'an. Even the Red Python Sect Leader of the Capital City branch, a ninth-rank Martial Saint, could not withstand a single strike from you."

"With you in full charge of this matter, I can rest completely assured."

He stood up and took a Purple Gold token from his dragon desk.

The token was the size of a palm, with the characters "Great Yu" engraved on the front and a five-clawed golden dragon on the back.

"This is my personal token; to see the token is to see me."

"With this, Prince Wu'an, you may mobilize the personnel of all Demon Suppressing Division branches across the Fourteen Provinces of Great Yu. The provincial governors and local garrisons must also provide full cooperation."

"Should anyone defy your orders, you have the authority to execute them first and report later."

He handed the token to Lin Changqing with both hands, his smile fading into a look of solemnity.

"Prince Wu'an, I... entrust this matter to you."

Lin Changqing took the token, glanced at it, and tucked it into his robe.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost."

Su Gan nodded and sat back down on the dragon throne.

With Lin Changqing taking action, a great weight was lifted from his heart.

However, at that moment, Su Wanqing suddenly spoke up.

"Father, that... I... would also like to go with the Saint Venerable."

Su Gan's smile stiffened slightly.

He looked at his daughter, his brows furrowing.

"Nonsense."

His tone was not harsh, but it carried a hint of helplessness.

"This is not a pleasure trip; it is a mission to clear out demonic cult strongholds. The journey is fraught with unpredictable dangers. Even with Prince Wu'an to protect you, for an unmarried princess to be running around outside—what would people think?"

He had another concern he did not voice.

If his daughter went along, Lin Changqing would have to divide his attention between clearing out the cult and looking after her.

If some emergency arose, wouldn't she just be a burden?

But he could not say that directly, for fear of hurting his daughter's pride.

Most importantly, it was still unknown whether Lin Changqing was even willing to take her along.

Su Wanqing turned to look at Lin Changqing, her eyes filled with pleading.

"Saint Venerable..."

Lin Changqing met her pair of watery, wide eyes and smiled with a touch of helplessness in his heart.

Taking the princess on an inspection tour was indeed inconvenient; after all, he was going to purge the Holy Demon God Sect, not to sightsee.

But upon second thought, with himself, Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu present, it would be fine.

Three ninth-rank Martial Saints providing close protection, plus that pure-blooded Qilin, Golden Radiance.

Never mind a branch of the Holy Demon God Sect, even if the Demon Saint himself arrived, he wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on Su Wanqing's head.

There was no one on this continent who could harm someone under his protection right before his eyes.

"Since the princess wishes to go, then let us go together."

Lin Changqing's tone was casual.

Su Wanqing's face lit up instantly, and she nearly jumped for joy on the spot.

"Really? That's wonderful! I knew you were the best, Saint Venerable!"

Seeing Lin Changqing nod, Su Gan also breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Since Prince Wu'an was willing to take his daughter along, he naturally had no reason to object.

In fact, he was secretly quite pleased.

With the two of them traveling together, spending their days and nights in each other's company, the pace at which their feelings would warm up would be much faster than in the Capital City.

"Since that is the case, I shall not keep you any longer."

Su Gan smiled, then added a word of caution.

"Wanqing, you must listen to Prince Wu'an along the way and not be willful."

Su Wanqing nodded vigorously.

"Rest assured, Father! Your daughter will certainly not cause any trouble for the Saint Venerable!"