"Send them all," he commanded, "to the Duravia Trade Prefecture."
"No!" Consort Shu shrieked in horror. "You can't send us to that monster! He'll kill us! He has no humanity!"
But it was no use. The assassins paid no mind to her cries. To them, an order from Li Xinghuo was more absolute than an imperial edict.
One of the assassins bowed to Li Xinghuo.
"Commander," he reported, "all nine thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two members of the Asura Army are now stationed outside the Imperial City, and we have requisitioned the Imperial Dynasty's spirit airships. A message has arrived from the Grand Tutor. He says that if you require any assistance on this mission to the Duravia Trade Prefecture, you may seek aid from the Grand Commander."
The Grand Commander—the true master of the entire hundred-thousand-strong Asura Army—was also one of Min Youguo's adopted sons.
Upon hearing this, Li Xinghuo's expression darkened.
"Draft a letter," he commanded. "Thank my Adoptive Father on my behalf, but tell him that the Li family handles its own affairs. I am going away for a while. I should be back on the battlefield in about three months."
"Yes, Commander."
As his subordinate departed, Li Xinghuo narrowed his eyes.
A Grand Commander at the Void Refining realm would be an immense asset, but Li Xinghuo knew that letting his Asura Army into the conflict between the Eternal Sun Prefecture and the Duravia Trade Prefecture might be tantamount to letting a wolf into the house.
...
Meanwhile, in the Ancestor Space.
The members of the Li family were gathered, looking at the case file that Li Xinghuo was projecting via his spirit soul.
"This contains the complete records of the Emberwing Guard under Min Youguo's command," Li Xinghuo explained. "They monitored Prince Qian for many years."
As the Minister of State, Min Youguo presided over the political affairs of the Azure Dynasty; nothing within the capital city could escape his notice.
Seeing Li Xinghuo's seemingly nonchalant expression, Li Dalong chided him. "Xinghuo, didn't I tell you not to take such a risk? That's the headquarters of the Emberwing Guard!"
"Rest assured, Great-Grandfather."
Li Xinghuo's tone was calm. "In truth, for me to enter the Imperial Capital and capture a high-ranking consort like Shu is such a major event that it would be impossible to hide from Min Youguo's eyes. The fact that he did not interfere is proof enough that he had decided to turn a blind eye. Killing a few people, taking a few case files—he wouldn't dare do anything to me over it."
Seeing Li Xinghuo's composed demeanor, the Li family elders nodded slightly. The hot-headed young brat who once ran wild all over the world had truly grown up.
Immediately, everyone turned their attention to Prince Qian's case file.
"At the age of nine, he killed a maid, forcing Consort Shu to constantly clean up his messes."
"At the age of twelve, he plotted to make the Nineteenth Prince's meridians reverse flow during cultivation... then deliberately went to great lengths to heal the Nineteenth Prince, earning his gratitude."
"At the age of thirteen... he extorted Spirit Stones from Consort Shu's in-law family and used his status as a prince to cultivate subordinates..."
"At the age of twenty-eight, he was already like a venomous snake. He used every means at his disposal to secretly build a force called 'Skynet,' and recruited the Nascent Soul 'Leaving the Body' demonic cultivator, Baili Xi, from the Imperial Capital's death-row prison."
"At the age of thirty-six, he conspired to kill the Nineteenth Prince to seize the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from his maternal family. He was thrown into the death-row prison... but his life was spared after the Eldest Prince pleaded on his behalf."
"...."
In the case file, a few words were particularly striking.
[The Death-Row Prison]
The faces of the Li family members were all grave. They finally understood what that secret force in the Duravia Trade Prefecture truly was!
Prince Qian had entered the death-row prison, but he was not bound by its rules.
He could move about freely; the Human Emperor had only intended to teach him a lesson. He had never imagined that for a person like Qian, the death-row prison would be like a fish in water.
From that day forward, whenever a prisoner was to be taken to the market square for public execution, a substitute would be sent from the death-row prison. The ones who were truly meant to be beheaded would, for the most part, vanish without a trace.
"Damn that Min Youguo to hell!" Li Yaotie roared. "In all his years as Minister of State, just how many vicious dogs has he unleashed upon the world?!!"
Li Wei's face was also black with fury.
That old bastard was like some kind of terrorist organization, cultivating new recruits.
Whether it was Tian Xing or Prince Qian, if it hadn't been for that scoundrel Min Youguo, they would have been dealt with and killed long ago!
Just then.
The figures of Li Changyao and Li Changsheng flickered into view for a moment.
The other Li family members narrowed their eyes. The young woman in the white dress surveyed the elders gathered in the Ancestor Space, gave a slight bow, and then vanished without saying a word.
...
Meanwhile, in a distant sea region.
Li Xingchen was still telling Fan Feixuan stories about his family.
"My Eldest Uncle's name is Li Changsheng, and my aunt is Li Changyao," he said. "They're always together. Everyone in the Azure Cloud Region says my uncle is a coward, and my aunt is that coward's little tagalong."
"Later, I came to understand that my uncle was never a coward. From the day he was born, he was coveted by certain powerful individuals. He alone knew that if he were to make even the slightest mistake, he would be doomed beyond redemption."
"And my aunt was never a tagalong. My uncle protected her from the time they were children; back then, the clan elders raised her like a little princess. She defeated many geniuses. Later, she no longer needed his protection. But she knew that her brother was very fragile, and so she began to protect him."
"The clan elders say that back when the Wu Clan first came, my aunt carried my uncle on her back as they fled. No one knows the hardships they faced."
"Together," he said, his voice filled with awe, "they can stand against the entire world."
---
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