Four Paths Diverge, The Crown Prince's Worry

Lin Changqing gripped Su Wanqing's hand and raised his other to tear through space.

The two vanished from the Imperial Study in an instant.

When they reappeared, they were already in the front courtyard of the Demon Suppressing Division's headquarters.

At the same time, a majestic, holy aura erupted from him without the slightest restraint.

Xiao Qianjun, who was busy reviewing official documents inside the office, felt this familiar presence, immediately set down his brush, and hurried out to greet them.

"This subordinate pays 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 with such intimate familiarity, he understood the situation at once.

Judging by this display, His Majesty's plan to recruit Prince Wu'an as his son-in-law... was likely nearing success!

Su Wanqing stepped forward and spoke in a clear, resonant voice.

"Chief Xiao, hear the oral decree of His Majesty."

"Effective immediately, the total eradication of the Holy Demon God Sect across the Great Yu Dynasty is under the full authority of Prince Wu'an. The Demon Suppressing Division and all regional garrisons are to be under his command."

Lin Changqing cooperated by revealing the purple-gold token.

Xiao Qianjun glanced at the token and, without a moment's hesitation, dropped to one knee.

"This subordinate obeys the decree! I pay respects to Prince Wu'an!"

After rising, his expression became even more solemn.

"Prince Wu'an, I have already drafted a preliminary plan for the eradication of the demon sect. Would you like me to report it to you now?"

Lin Changqing sat down in a chair and casually picked up a teacup from the table.

"Speak."

Xiao Qianjun unfurled a massive map of the Great Yu Dynasty, which was already covered in dense markings made with cinnabar ink.

"It is currently confirmed that the Holy Demon God Sect's branch in the Capital City has been completely wiped out by Prince Wu'an, so the Capital is safe for the time being."

"However, according to intelligence gathered from the Demon Suppressing Division's branches in various provinces, there are at least a dozen other suspected demon sect strongholds."

"My original plan was to dispatch elite personnel from the headquarters to each province to coordinate joint searches with local branches and garrisons."

"For weaker demon sect strongholds, the local branches will handle the eradication directly."

"For larger strongholds that may be guarded by high-ranking martial artists, we will first lock down their locations, relay the intelligence back to headquarters, and then have headquarters dispatch experts to provide support."

"I will also personally lead a team to sweep through the provinces and counties starting from the outskirts of the Capital City to ensure no fish slip through the net..."

He detailed every aspect of the plan before looking at Lin Changqing and Su Wanqing.

"Prince Wu'an, Princess Yunshu, do you have any additions to this plan?"

Su Wanqing shook her head and smiled.

"This Concubine is merely following the Saint Venerable to broaden her horizons this time; this matter is entirely up to Prince Wu'an to decide."

Lin Changqing set down his teacup.

"The plan is comprehensive. Proceed as you have described."

He paused, then added, "Leave professional matters to the professionals; I am only responsible for the killing."

Hearing this, Xiao Qianjun breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Although his strength was far inferior to Prince Wu'an's, when it came to experience in dealing with demons and the scum of the Holy Demon God Sect, Prince Wu'an was truly not as seasoned as he was.

After all, he had worked in the Demon Suppressing Division for so many years, spending the better part of his life fighting these rats in the dark corners.

As for the previous error in judging the location of the Capital branch... that was purely an accident.

Those people had disguised themselves too well before they were exposed, misleading him for far too long.

Even the best can stumble; even Zhuge Wuhou had times when his calculations were off.

Now that Prince Wu'an would not interfere with the specific logistics and would only handle the most critical combat phases, this division of labor could not be more reasonable.

Lin Changqing stood up.

"Since the plan is set, let us begin."

With a thought, his perception instantly expanded.

A moment later, the void in the backyard was torn asunder.

Golden Radiance stepped out from the rift with a leisurely gait, its golden scales shimmering brilliantly in the afternoon sun.

Following closely behind...

Three more spatial rifts tore open simultaneously.

Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu stepped out from the rifts, landing beside Jin Yao.

This time, the three no longer concealed their auras.

Four-colored holy might—white, crimson, and blue—was unleashed simultaneously, like three volcanoes erupting in the front yard.

The majestic holy might intertwined, engulfing the entire headquarters of the Demon Suppressing Division!

The Demon Suppression Guards in the courtyard were so oppressed by this pressure that they could barely breathe, many with weak knees, relying on the walls to stay upright.

Three ninth-rank Martial Saints, and a beast saint at the early stage of Martial Saint!

Combined with Prince Wu'an himself, that was the combat power of five Martial Saints!

Xiao Qianjun's eyes widened.

He looked at Lin Hu and the other two, who he usually saw serving tea and water in Prince Wu'an Mansion or accompanying him on shopping trips, and his mouth opened and closed several times without closing.

He had seen these three several times before.

He had always thought they were merely attendants serving Prince Wu'an, at most Grandmasters.

But the auras emanating from them now, each one was a genuine ninth-rank Martial Saint!

Three ninth-rank Martial Saints were willingly calling a twenty-year-old young man "Your Excellency" and followed him around like lackeys every day.

Just what was the background of this Prince Wu'an?

Su Wanqing was also stunned.

Although she knew that Lin Long and the other three were arranged by Lin Changqing to live in the mansion, she had never imagined that all four of them were Martial Saints!

In her understanding, weren't Martial Saints all overlords of a region or ancestors of imperial dynasties?

How could a Martial Saint willingly serve as a subordinate?

Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu walked up to Lin Changqing and saluted him with clasped fists in unison.

"Your Excellency."

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Lin Changqing nodded, then turned to look at Xiao Qianjun and Su Wanqing.

"I forgot to tell you earlier, they are all ninth-rank Martial Saints. No need to be surprised, let's begin the operation."

After speaking.

He reached out and put his arm around Su Wanqing's waist, gently lifting her onto Jin Yao's back.

Su Wanqing hadn't recovered from her shock before Lin Changqing lifted her onto the Qilin.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but more than that, she felt admiration for Lin Changqing.

Three Martial Saints as subordinates.

This kind of prestige... you couldn't find a second one in the entire Heavenly Martial Continent!

Xiao Qianjun, after all, was someone who had seen great storms. He was the first to suppress the shock in his heart and saluted, accepting the order.

"This subordinate obeys!"

He took a deep breath and turned to mobilize his men.

He secretly marveled.

Besides Prince Wu'an himself, there were now three more ninth-rank Martial Saints plus a pure-blooded Qilin.

With this lineup, let alone clearing out a few demon cult dens, they could probably even attack the Holy Demon God Sect's main altar!

It seemed.

The demon cult dens within Great Yu would soon be purged!

With Xiao Qianjun's command, the entire headquarters of the Demon Suppressing Division operated like a precise war machine at high speed.

Each team of Demon Suppression Guards departed in batches according to their pre-assigned areas.

Xiao Qianjun personally led a team of elites, starting from the outskirts of the Capital City and investigating county by county towards the outer regions of Si Province.

At the same time, Lin Changqing was not idle.

He called Lin Hu, Lin Que, and Lin Wu to his side and gave each of them a token representing their identity.

"Each of you will lead a group and act separately."

He pointed to several areas on the map with the densest markings.

"Lin Hu, go to Xu Province. Lin Que, go to Yan Province. Lin Wu, go to Green Province."

"Upon arrival, directly find the local Demon Suppressing Division branch and the provincial governor, reveal your identities, and have them cooperate fully."

"If you encounter any tough opponents you can't handle, send me a message, and I will personally come to resolve it. I was just looking for a suitable person to practice the Great Wilderness Demon-Subduing Fist on."

The three took their tokens and clasped their fists in unison.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Three spatial rifts tore open simultaneously, and the three figures stepped into them, vanishing from the front courtyard of the General Administration.

Lin Changqing then mounted Jin Yao, with Su Wanqing sitting in front of him.

"Let's go, we're departing too."

Jin Yao threw its head back and let out a clear whistle. Its four hooves, crackling with golden lightning, soared into the sky and flew towards Yu Province.

Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace.

The Crown Prince's Palace.

Inside the grand hall, Crown Prince Su Mingyuan sat behind his desk, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

He held a secret report in his hand.

The report detailed everything that had transpired in the imperial court that day, along with the significant news that Prince Wu'an was also preparing to get involved.

The Emperor had ordered a full-scale purge of the Holy Demon God Sect throughout the realm, with the Demon Suppressing Division taking the lead and the garrisons of each province cooperating.

Xiao Qianjun, who was already in charge of this matter, was difficult enough to deal with, and now Prince Wu'an had been added to the mix.

Furthermore, Xiao Qianjun was known for his meticulous planning and ruthless methods, while Prince Wu'an was a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak, capable of killing the Red Python Martial Saint with a single sword strike.

With these two working together, how long could the demon cult's strongholds within Great Yu last?

An elder standing beside him, who resembled a strategist, also finished reading the secret report, his face equally grim.

This man's surname was Han, and his given name was Yongnian. Nominally, he was the Crown Prince's Tutor, but in reality, he was the Crown Prince's most trusted confidant and strategist.

"Your Highness... this is indeed troublesome."

Han Yongnian put down the secret report, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Prince Wu'an's strength is evident to all; he killed the Red Python Sect Leader with a single sword strike. Now, with the full cooperation of the Demon Suppressing Division and the provincial garrisons, it's only a matter of time before those branch sect hideouts are overrun."

"What if, during the purge, they uncover any unsent secret letters or account books from those branch sects and follow the clues back to us... that would be extremely dangerous."

Su Mingyuan remained silent, but the fingers holding the secret report tightened.

Yes, the Holy Demon God Sect was able to establish a branch sect in the Capital City not only because of the big fish, Qian Youde, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the small fry apprehended this morning... but also thanks to his own efforts as the current Crown Prince.

It was he who had used his authority to secretly help the demon cult forge identity documents, allowing them to operate in the Capital City with legal status.

It was also he who had tipped them off in advance, enabling the demon cult to evade the Demon Suppressing Division's checks on several occasions.

The reason for doing so back then was that the conditions offered by the demon cult were too tempting.

They promised that after the Demon Realm descended and the world changed hands, they would not only spare the Fourteen Provinces of Great Yu but also support him in becoming the new Emperor of Great Yu!

Now, with the branch sect destroyed and Qian Youde being sliced into a thousand pieces, he, the big fish, had luckily evaded the Demon Suppressing Division's suspicion.

It wasn't that Xiao Qianjun couldn't find him, but rather that all clues that could have pointed to him were severed at Qian Youde.

Qian Youde had endured the torture of the Ministry of Justice and had not confessed him even unto death.

Now, with the new purge operation about to sweep across the entire realm, this was both a crisis and an opportunity.

As long as those branch sects that might hold evidence against him were dealt with promptly, he would be completely safe.

Su Mingyuan took a deep breath, a flicker of determination flashing in his eyes.

"Immediately send word to the leaders of those few branch sects and inform them of the court's purge plan."

"Tell them to destroy all documents that might involve this Prince as soon as possible, then transfer immediately and disappear without a trace before the people from the Demon Suppressing Division arrive."

"After completing this task, sever all contact related to this Prince and do not contact me for the time being."

Han Yongnian bowed and accepted the order.

"This old servant will attend to it immediately."

He turned and strode out of the East Palace, his figure disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Su Mingyuan sat alone in the hall, his gaze as dark as water.

"Prince Wu'an, Lin Changqing, a Martial Saint Peak at twenty years old, killed the Red Python with a single sword..."

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with both apprehension and murderous intent.

"You had better not find any evidence pointing to me, otherwise, even if you are a Martial Saint Peak, I have ways to ruin your reputation."

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