Play It Safe, Can't Kill Them All

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Heaven Dou Emperor Memorial Square.

Upon a high platform forged of gold and iron, the Emperor Armor encased his form, its dark gold patterns pulsing faintly amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

Qian Xunji leaned lazily against the throne, chin resting on one hand, his gaze lowered as he looked indifferently at the chaotic crowd below.

The heavy armor lent his presence the depth of an abyss; without a word, an invisible pressure rippled outward. To him, those dragged here by the imperial guards were nothing more than the dead.

The female commander of the imperial guards looked up at Qian Xunji, fear surging in her eyes.

The strength and tyrannical conduct of this Title Douluo before her were comparable to one of the two pillars of the soul master world, Clear Sky Sect Master Tang Chen.

That icy command—"I speak, you act; no questions, no doubts, just execute the orders"—simply did not treat them like human beings.

Perhaps in the eyes of a powerhouse like a Title Douluo, middle-tier soul masters and civilians without soul power were no different.

Although they obeyed his orders to arrest criminals in Heaven Dou City, every guard with a functioning brain knew that those who could commit crimes in the city without being arrested and remain at large were people with connections.

If the guards dared to touch these people, never mind the retaliation, half of them were likely their own relatives or friends.

The empire collected taxes, and the nobles collected protection money.

Living on a meager salary, did they expect to feast on fine meat and wine every day?

Keep dreaming.

As for arresting the innocent to fill quotas, that was a traditional skill passed down through generations of the female imperial guards.

Regardless, Qian Xunji's requirement was to arrest criminals; resisting arrest or insulting them was also a crime.

"Your Excellency, the criminals have been brought," the female commander said, approaching Qian Xunji and bowing respectfully, her trembling voice laced with fear.

The man before her was a Title Douluo who didn't even care for the Emperor and could wipe out a squad of guards with a flick of his finger.

If she displeased him...

The female commander: I fear I might lose my head.

Qian Xunji did not speak, nor did he cast his gaze toward the female commander.

His eyes were fixed on the group of men in coarse hemp clothing brought to the square.

He watched their nervous, uneasy expressions and their hunched postures.

Though one cannot judge a book by its cover, criminals were well-versed in playing the victim to beg for mercy.

Killing them all isn't impossible, but would slaughtering the innocent cause my Asura Third Trial to be judged a failure? Qian Xunji weighed the pros and cons.

Guessing the preferences of the Asura God was meaningless.

If it was a trial, then he would provide the standard answer.

The content of the Asura Third Trial was to judge criminals, so he would judge only the true criminals.

He could not consider efficiency alone; it was better to let a thousand go than to kill one innocent.

He retrieved the lie detector from the system space and interrogated the group of so-called "criminals" brought by the female commander one by one.

Theft, kidnapping and extortion, vandalism and protection racketeering, rape, human trafficking, adultery, slander, murder...

"My lord, I truly have not done any of the things you mentioned," a laborer stammered.

The green light on the lie detector lit up, proving he was not lying.

What to do if the wrong person was caught? Naturally, let them fill their stomachs before letting them go.

The staple Dalieba Bread would be provided by the Heaven Dou Emperor, and Qian Xunji would contribute some Soft Bone Rabbit meat, boiled with a bit of salt into a soup; a bowl of meat soup would serve as compensation.

He couldn't let them leave hungry after a day of terror, having missed their work.

That would be too inhumane.

As for those who were petty thieves or ate Dalieba without paying, a few lashes would suffice before releasing them.

"Withholding worker wages, twisting facts, refusing to pay for labor, and demanding compensation."

"Death penalty, carry it out immediately." Qian Xunji's tone was cold. After delivering the verdict, he flicked a golden flame from his fingertip.

"Ah!!!"

The flames burned until the black-hearted beast was reduced to ash before extinguishing.

Seeing this, some of those brought to the square were so terrified they wet themselves, while others felt fortunate that they had followed the law and committed no evil.

It seemed this soul master in armor, whose face remained hidden, was a man of reason who only targeted those who did evil.

He was not like those noble soul master lords who exploited, oppressed, and humiliated the poor indiscriminately.

At the very least, they hadn't heard a single "lowly commoner" or "filthy wretch" from him.

Moreover, as long as one wasn't a criminal, there was meat soup to drink—a good man indeed.

Compared to those brought in, the female commander felt the world go dark.

She knew she was finished.

She never imagined that Qian Xunji's purpose in coming to Heaven Dou City was truly to "sweep away evil" and judge those criminals.

She did not know the specific identity of Qian Xunji, but such behavior was reminiscent of the Angel Clan from Spirit Hall.

A Title Douluo, the Angel Clan, and golden flames—could it be him?

The female commander of the Imperial Guard made a bold guess in her heart: the Title Douluo powerhouse before her was the newly appointed Pope of Spirit Hall, who had left Spirit City shortly after taking office.

It was said that the Pope had left Spirit City nearly a year ago, vanishing without a trace.

His sudden appearance in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace to issue an order to apprehend the scapegoats was, therefore, quite logical.

"Arresting the innocent to fill quotas, breaking the law while knowing the law—your crimes are compounded."

"Death penalty, execute immediately!"

As Qian Xunji finished speaking, he used his spiritual power combined with soul power to condense dozens of golden short swords out of thin air, executing the Imperial Guards present who had participated in the arrests.

A group of noble vermin, greedy beneficiaries—killing them was no loss.

Grabbing a group of innocent civilians off the street to fulfill a quota and trying to fool him?

They were treating him like a brainless, self-funded puppet.

The female commander of the Imperial Guard fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she wailed, "Your Excellency, spare me! I will never dare to do it again!"

"You only know that you are about to die, not that you have done something wrong." Qian Xunji spoke a rare sentence that was not related to his work.

But this single sentence shattered all the female commander's hopes.

It also made her realize that the Title Douluo before her was not the aged emperor on the throne, who would tolerate her perfunctory work and refrain from punishing her for the sake of her family background.

The golden short swords pierced through her chest, leaving golden flames to incinerate the corpse.

You bring nothing into this world, and you take nothing with you; only ashes scatter with the wind to nourish the crops.

The actions of the Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Guard made Qian Xunji realize that it was unrealistic to expect this group of beneficiaries to work effectively against their own kind and subordinates.

The noble class was, after all, the noble class.

They might fight tooth and nail or even take lives over the distribution of interests, but when facing other classes, they stood high and mighty, united against outsiders.

Qian Xunji knew that even if he threatened them with their lives, it was unlikely they would work diligently to destroy the chain of interest they had built for themselves.

Moreover, the nobles and their relatives were already among his targets for judgment.

Forget it, he would play the role of Pope Qian Xunji for a while.

As long as he could complete the Asura God Trial faster and inherit the Asura God Position, Qian Xunji did not mind acting as a Pope he personally disliked.