Volunteering to Take Charge!

After the court session.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire Capital City.

The Great Yu Dynasty was going to launch an all-out campaign against the Holy Demon God Sect!

For a time, teahouses and taverns buzzed with talk of the matter.

Some people applauded, saying those traitors who had thrown in their lot with the demons had deserved to be dealt with long ago.

Others were deeply worried, fearing that the demons on the front lines had yet to be driven back, and now there was turmoil at home too. They feared the dynasty couldn't handle both fronts...

But no matter what the people said, the order to eradicate the sect had already been issued.

The Demon Suppressing Division acted faster than anyone had expected. Less than an hour after the court session ended, urgent messages had already been sent to branches in every province.

A sweeping purge that would engulf the entire Great Yu Dynasty had officially begun.

Prince Wu'an Mansion.

Lin Changqing had just returned from a stroll outside. Before he could even take a sip of cold tea, Uncle Liu came to report that Princess Yunshu had arrived.

Su Wanqing strode lightly into the rear courtyard, carrying a box of freshly made pastries from the Imperial Kitchen.

"Saint Venerable! Have you heard? Father Emperor flew into a terrible rage in court today. He arrested seven or eight officials who had colluded with the Demon Cult on the spot, and he's going to purge the Holy Demon God Sect throughout the realm!"

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

Lin Changqing picked up a date-paste cake and took a bite.

"I heard."

He chewed twice and swallowed the cake.

But his thoughts were on something else.

He had just received the Great Wilderness Demon-Subduing Fist last night and was in need of a target to test it on. This campaign against the Holy Demon God Sect was a good opportunity.

There had to be a few capable fighters among those hidden Branch Sect strongholds scattered across the provinces, right?

Surely they couldn't all be like the people at the Capital Branch Sect, unable to withstand even one of his sword strikes?

Just as he was pondering this, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding! Random quest triggered: Help the Great Yu Dynasty purge the Holy Demon God Sect's strongholds across the provinces (0/1). Reward: 10 Ninth-tier Supreme Grade pills—Limit-Breaking Pills.]

[Limit-Breaking Pill: A Ninth-tier Supreme Grade pill. After taking it, Martial Saint Peak experts can temporarily break through their bottleneck and glimpse a trace of the mysteries of the Martial Emperor realm. The effect of a single pill lasts for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Taking all ten together can greatly increase the chance of breaking through to Martial Emperor.]

Lin Changqing's eyes lit up.

After such a long time, a random quest had finally appeared again.

And the reward this time—the Limit-Breaking Pill—could actually help someone break through to the Martial Emperor realm!

Although he was already at the Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak, he still had no clue how to break through to the legendary Martial Emperor realm.

This breakthrough pill couldn't take him straight to the next realm, but it could let him glimpse a trace of the Martial Emperor realm's mysteries.

Its value to him was immeasurable.

And there were ten of them, no less. Taking them together would make them even more effective!

I'll take this quest.

A smile tugged at the corner of Lin Changqing's mouth.

Su Wanqing noticed the change in his expression and asked curiously, "Saint Venerable, what... are you thinking about?"

Lin Changqing set down the pastry and casually popped it into Su Wanqing's mouth, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"I was thinking that since His Majesty intends to launch an all-out campaign against the Holy Demon God Sect, I might as well do my part."

Su Wanqing swallowed the pastry, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Really? You're willing to help, Saint Venerable? That's wonderful! With you there, those Demon Cult strongholds will be a piece of cake! Father Emperor will be thrilled when he hears!"

Lin Changqing nodded.

"But there's one condition."

"I'll take full responsibility for this operation. The Demon Suppressing Division and the provincial garrisons will all take orders from me."

He paused, then added, "Xiao Qianjun has plenty of experience investigating cases, but when it comes to efficiency, I'll be faster if I handle the purge myself."

Su Wanqing nodded repeatedly, her face full of admiration.

"Of course! You alone are worth a thousand troops, Saint Venerable. Come on, let's go to the palace and find Father Emperor right now!"

She reached out her hand, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Lin Changqing took her hand and raised the other to tear open space. The two vanished from the mansion's rear courtyard in an instant.

Outside the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

The Royal Forest Guard on patrol suddenly saw the space before them twist.

A Spatial Rift ripped open, and Lin Changqing stepped out with Su Wanqing's hand in his.

The Royal Forest Guard had gotten somewhat used to this by now. As one, they dropped to their knees.

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

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

Su Gan was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study. Hearing footsteps outside the hall, he looked up.

Lin Changqing had walked in, holding his daughter's hand.

He set down his vermilion brush.

A kind smile appeared on his face.

"Prince Wu'an, what brings you here today? Please, have a seat."

Lin Changqing sat in a guest chair, and Su Wanqing naturally took the seat beside him.

Seeing this, Su Gan's smile grew wider.

It seemed his daughter had grown closer to Prince Wu'an. That was a good thing.

Su Wanqing spoke up, explaining their purpose on Lin Changqing's behalf.

"Father Emperor, Saint Venerable wants to join the purge operation. He's willing to take full responsibility and relieve Chief Xiao of some of the burden."

At this, Su Gan's smile widened further.

"If Prince Wu'an is willing to step in, I couldn't ask for more."

He paused, his tone turning more sincere.

"To be honest, I had originally planned to send a few Martial Saints whom our Great Yu Dynasty has kept hidden to deal with this."

"Although the Branch Sects in the provinces aren't as large as the Capital Branch Sect, who knows how many experts they have hidden inside? Sending ordinary forces would likely lead to heavy casualties."

"But since Prince Wu'an has volunteered, that's even better."

"The previous operations have already proven your strength. The Red Python Sect Leader of the Capital Branch Sect was a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, yet he couldn't withstand even one of your sword strikes."

"If you take full responsibility for this, Prince Wu'an, I can rest easy."

He rose and took a purple-and-gold token from the Dragon Desk.

The token was about the size of a palm. The words "Great Yu" were engraved on the front, and a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon on the back.

"This is my personal token. Seeing it is the same as seeing me."

"With this token, Prince Wu'an may command all Demon Suppressing Division branches in every prefecture and county across the Fourteen Provinces of Great Yu. The provincial inspectors and local garrisons must also give you their full cooperation."

"Anyone who disobeys may be executed first and reported afterward."

He handed the token to Lin Changqing with both hands. His smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

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

Lin Changqing glanced at the token, then casually slipped it into his robe.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I'll do everything I can."

Su Gan nodded and sat back down on the throne.

With Lin Changqing stepping in, half the worry had left his heart.

But just then, Su Wanqing suddenly spoke.

"Father Emperor, um... I... would like to go with Saint Venerable too."

Su Gan's smile faltered slightly.

He looked at his daughter, frowning.

"Don't be ridiculous."

His tone wasn't particularly stern, but there was a hint of helplessness in it.

"This isn't a pleasure trip. You'll be purging Demon Cult strongholds. The journey will be fraught with danger. Even if Prince Wu'an protects you, it's hardly proper for an unmarried princess to go wandering around outside."

There was another concern he didn't voice.

If his daughter went along, Lin Changqing would have to divide his attention between eradicating the Demon Cult and looking after her.

If anything unexpected happened, wouldn't she only hold him back?

But he couldn't say that outright. He didn't want to hurt his daughter's pride.

Most importantly, he didn't know whether Lin Changqing was willing to take her along.

Su Wanqing turned to Lin Changqing, her eyes full of pleading.

"Saint Venerable..."

Lin Changqing met her watery eyes and gave a helpless little laugh to himself.

Taking a princess along on a campaign was certainly inconvenient. After all, he was going to eradicate the Demon Cult, not go sightseeing.

But then he reconsidered. He had Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu with him.

Three Ninth-Rank Martial Saints would protect her at close quarters, and Golden Radiance, a pureblood Qilin, would be there too.

Forget the Holy Demon God Sect's Branch Sects—even if a Demon Saint came in person, none of them could so much as harm a hair on Su Wanqing's head.

No one on this continent could hurt someone under his protection right under his nose.

"If the princess wants to go, then she can come along."

Lin Changqing spoke casually.

Su Wanqing's face lit up. She nearly jumped on the spot.

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

Seeing Lin Changqing nod, Su Gan quietly let out a 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 rather pleased.

Traveling together and spending every day in each other's company would bring them closer far faster than staying in the Capital City.

"In that case, I won't keep you any longer."

Su Gan smiled, then added a reminder.

"Wanqing, be sure to listen to Prince Wu'an along the way. Don't be willful."

Su Wanqing nodded firmly.

"Don't worry, Father Emperor! I won't cause Saint Venerable any trouble!"