Lin Changqing took Su Wanqing's hand and raised his other hand, tearing open space.
The two vanished from the Imperial Study in an instant.
When they reappeared, they were in the front courtyard of the Demon Suppressing Division Headquarters.
At the same time.
A tremendous Saintly might poured from him without restraint.
Xiao Qianjun, who was reviewing documents inside the headquarters, sensed the familiar aura. He immediately put down his brush and hurried out to greet them.
"This subordinate pays his respects to Prince Wu'an and Princess Yunshu."
Xiao Qianjun bowed, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.
Seeing Lin Changqing and Su Wanqing standing side by side, their manner intimate, he understood.
From the looks of it, His Majesty's plan to recruit Prince Wu'an as his son-in-law... was about to succeed!
Su Wanqing stepped forward and spoke in a clear voice.
"Chief Xiao, I convey His Majesty's oral decree."
"Effective today, Prince Wu'an will have full authority over the purge of the Holy Demon God Sect throughout Great Yu. The Demon Suppressing Division and the garrisons in every province will all be under his command."
Lin Changqing cooperatively brought out the Purple Gold Token.
Xiao Qianjun glanced at it without the slightest hesitation and immediately dropped to one knee.
"This subordinate obeys the decree! Greetings, Prince Wu'an!"
When he rose, his expression had turned even more solemn.
"Prince Wu'an, I have already drafted a preliminary plan for purging the Demon Cult. Would you like me to report it to you now?"
Lin Changqing sat down and casually picked up the teacup on the table.
"Let's hear it."
Xiao Qianjun unfurled a huge map of the Great Yu Dynasty, densely marked with vermilion ink.
"We can now confirm that the Holy Demon God Sect's Branch Sect in the Capital City has been completely wiped out by Prince Wu'an. The Capital City is safe for the time being."
"But intelligence compiled by the Demon Suppressing Division Branches in the various provinces indicates that there are at least a dozen suspected Demon Cult hideouts in other provinces and prefectures."
"My original plan was for Headquarters to dispatch elite personnel to the various provinces and have them work with the local branches and garrisons to conduct joint searches."
"Any weaker Demon Cult hideouts would be wiped out directly by the local branches."
"For larger hideouts, which might be guarded by high-ranked martial artists, we would first pinpoint their locations and send the intelligence back to Headquarters. Headquarters would then dispatch experts to provide support."
"I would also personally lead a team, starting with the areas around the Capital City and searching outward, prefecture by prefecture, to make sure not a single fish slipped through the net..."
He went through every part of the plan in detail, then looked at Lin Changqing and Su Wanqing.
"Prince Wu'an, Princess Yunshu, is there anything you would like to add to this plan?"
Su Wanqing shook her head with a smile.
"This princess is only here to broaden her horizons alongside the Saint Venerable. Prince Wu'an will make all the decisions."
Lin Changqing set down his teacup.
"The plan is thorough. Do as you said."
He paused, then added, "Leave professional matters to the professionals. This prince is only responsible for killing."
Hearing that, Xiao Qianjun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though his strength was far inferior to Prince Wu'an's, when it came to experience dealing with demons and the vermin of the Holy Demon God Sect, Prince Wu'an really couldn't match him.
After all, he had worked for the Demon Suppressing Division for years, battling the rats in dark corners for more than half his life.
As for the earlier mistake in determining the location of the Capital Branch Sect... that had been purely accidental.
Those people had disguised themselves so well before their exposure that they had fooled him for far too long.
Even Zhuge Wuhou had made mistakes. A man could slip up, and a horse could stumble.
Now that Prince Wu'an wasn't interfering with the specific deployments and would focus only on the most crucial battles, this division of labor couldn't be more sensible.
Lin Changqing rose to his feet.
"Now that the plan is settled, let's get moving."
At a thought, his perception spread out in an instant.
A moment later.
Space in the rear courtyard tore open.
Golden Radiance stepped through the rift at a leisurely pace, its golden scales gleaming in the afternoon sun.
Right after it.
Three more Spatial Rifts tore open at once.
Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu stepped out of them, landing beside Golden Radiance.
This time, the three made no attempt to conceal their auras.
White, red, and blue Saintly might burst forth at once, like three volcanoes erupting in the courtyard.
Their overwhelming Saintly might intertwined, enveloping the entire Demon Suppressing Division Headquarters!
The Demon Suppression Guards in the courtyard could barely breathe under the pressure. Many people's legs gave way, and they could only stay upright by leaning against the walls.
Three Ninth-Rank Martial Saints, and a Saintly beast in the Early Martial Saint Stage!
Add Prince Wu'an himself, and that made five Martial Saint-level combatants!
Xiao Qianjun's eyes went wide.
He stared at Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu, who usually served tea and water at Prince Wu'an's Mansion and followed him on shopping trips. His mouth opened several times, but he couldn't close it.
He had seen these three several times before.
He'd always thought they were merely attendants who took care of Prince Wu'an, Great Grandmasters at best.
But now, each of their auras was unmistakably that of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint!
Three Ninth-Rank Martial Saints willingly called a young man in his twenties "Master," following him around all day and taking orders like attendants.
Just who was Prince Wu'an?
Su Wanqing was stunned too.
She knew Lin Long and the others had been assigned rooms at Prince Wu'an's Mansion, but she'd never imagined all four of them were Martial Saints!
In her understanding, every Martial Saint was either a regional overlord or one of a dynasty's ancestors.
What Martial Saint would willingly serve as someone's attendant?
Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu approached Lin Changqing and saluted in perfect unison.
"Master."
Lin Changqing nodded, then turned to Xiao Qianjun and Su Wanqing.
"I forgot to tell you earlier: they're all Ninth-Rank Martial Saints. There's no need to make a fuss. Let's get moving."
With that, he slipped an arm around Su Wanqing's waist and gently lifted her onto Golden Radiance's back.
Su Wanqing hadn't yet recovered from her shock when Lin Changqing picked her up and placed her on the Qilin.
Her cheeks flushed faintly, but what she felt most was admiration for Lin Changqing.
Three Martial Saints as attendants.
That kind of grandeur... there wasn't a second person like him on the entire Heavenly Martial Continent!
Xiao Qianjun had seen his share of great storms. He was the first to suppress his shock, clasping his hands in acknowledgment.
"This subordinate obeys!"
He took a deep breath and turned to gather his people.
He secretly marveled to himself.
Aside from Prince Wu'an himself, there were now three more Ninth-Rank Martial Saints and a Pureblood Qilin.
With an array like this, wiping out a few Demon Cult hideouts was nothing. They could probably even attack the Holy Demon God Sect's main altar directly!
It seemed...
The Demon Cult hideouts within Great Yu would soon be swept clean!
At Xiao Qianjun's command, the entire Demon Suppressing Division Headquarters sprang into action like a finely tuned war machine.
The Demon Suppression Guards set off in groups, each assigned to a designated area.
Xiao Qianjun personally led a team of elite guards, beginning his search around the Capital City and working outward through the prefectures of Si Province.
Meanwhile, Lin Changqing didn't sit idle either.
He called Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu over and gave each of them a token to prove their identity.
"You'll each lead a route and act separately."
He pointed to the areas on the map marked most densely.
"Lin Hu, go to Xu Province. Lin Que, go to Yan Province. Lin Wu, go to Green Province."
"Once there, go straight to the local Demon Suppressing Division Branch and the provincial Inspector. Identify yourselves and have them give you their full cooperation."
"If you run into someone too tough to handle, send me a message. I'll go deal with them myself. I've been itching to find a suitable target for the Great Wilderness Demon-Subduing Fist."
The three stowed their tokens and saluted together.
"Yes, Master!"
Three Spatial Rifts tore open at once. Each of them stepped into one and vanished from the front courtyard.
Lin Changqing mounted Golden Radiance, with Su Wanqing seated in front of him.
"Let's go. We're setting out too."
Golden Radiance raised its head and let out a clear cry. Its four hooves trod upon golden lightning as it soared into the sky, flying toward Yu Province.
At the same time, deep within the Imperial Palace.
The Crown Prince's Palace.
Inside the great hall, Crown Prince Su Mingyuan sat behind his desk, his expression shifting between light and dark.
He held a secret report in his hand.
The report described everything that had happened at court that day, along with the major news that Prince Wu'an was also preparing to get involved.
Father Emperor had ordered a nationwide purge of the Holy Demon God Sect, with the Demon Suppressing Division leading the effort and the provincial garrisons cooperating.
Xiao Qianjun, who was already responsible for the operation, had been hard enough to deal with. Now Prince Wu'an had joined him.
Xiao Qianjun was renowned for his meticulous work and seasoned methods, while Prince Wu'an was a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak who could kill the Red Python Martial Saint with a single sword strike.
How long could the Demon Cult hideouts in Great Yu hold out against those two working together?
The old man standing beside him, who looked like an adviser, had also finished reading the report. His expression was just as grim.
His name was Han Yongnian. Officially, he was the Crown Prince's Tutor in the Eastern Palace; in truth, he was the Crown Prince's most trusted adviser.
"Your Highness... this is troublesome."
Han Yongnian put down the report, his brows knitted tightly.
"Prince Wu'an's strength is there for all to see. He killed the Red Python Sect Leader with a single sword strike. Now that the Demon Suppressing Division and the provincial garrisons are giving their full cooperation, it's only a matter of time before those Branch Sect hideouts are overrun."
"If they uncover any secret letters or account books that haven't been destroyed during the purge, then follow the trail back to us... we'll be in grave danger."
Su Mingyuan said nothing, but his fingers tightened around the report.
Yes, the Holy Demon God Sect had been able to establish a Branch Sect in the Capital City thanks not only to Qian Youde, the big fish in the Ministry of Revenue, and the little fry apprehended that very morning... but also to the Crown Prince himself.
He had used the authority at his disposal to secretly forge identity documents for the Demon Cult's people, allowing them to move about the Capital City legally.
He had also tipped them off ahead of time, helping them evade the Demon Suppressing Division's searches several times.
He had done it because the terms the Demon Cult offered were too tempting.
They had promised that when the Demon Realm descended and the world changed hands, they wouldn't lay a finger on Great Yu's Fourteen Provinces. What's more, they would support him in becoming Great Yu's new emperor!
Now that the Branch Sect had been destroyed and Qian Youde executed by slicing, he, the real big fish, had luckily avoided the Demon Suppressing Division's suspicions.
It wasn't that Xiao Qianjun couldn't find him; it was that every lead that might have pointed to him had gone cold with Qian Youde.
Qian Youde had withstood the Ministry of Justice's torture and never named him, even in death.
Now a new purge was about to sweep across the entire realm. It was both a crisis and an opportunity.
As long as every Branch Sect that might still hold evidence against him was dealt with in time, he would be completely safe.
Su Mingyuan took a deep breath, a look of resolve flashing through his eyes.
"Send word to the leaders of those Branch Sects at once. Tell them about the court's purge plans."
"Have them destroy any documents that might implicate me as soon as possible, then move immediately. They must disappear without a trace before the Demon Suppressing Division's people arrive."
"Once it's done, cut off every connection to me. Don't contact me again for the time being."
Han Yongnian bowed to acknowledge the order.
"This old subject will see to it at once."
He turned and hurried out of the Eastern Palace, vanishing at the end of the corridor.
Su Mingyuan sat alone in the hall, his gaze dark as still water.
"Prince Wu'an, Lin Changqing, a Martial Saint Peak at twenty years old who killed the Red Python with a single sword strike..."
He murmured to himself, wariness and murderous intent in his eyes.
"You'd better not find your way to me. Otherwise, even if you're a Martial Saint Peak, I have ways to ruin your reputation and leave you disgraced."
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