Xiao Yunqi saw the situation and hurriedly dragged his severely injured body to catch up, but Chen Mo was a step ahead and seized it in his hands.

"Heaven-Burning Furnace?! Not very powerful, but quite a grand name..." Chen Mo looked at the Heaven-Burning Furnace, inspecting it. It was quite ordinary, even rusty, with cracks on it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Otherwise, hearing the name, one would think it was some kind of Divine Artifact.

"Lord An’yang, I will gladly take this Heaven-Burning Furnace." Chen Mo pocketed the Heaven-Burning Furnace.

Xiao Yunqi’s body trembled with rage, yearning to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

"Oh, I almost forgot. If I remember correctly, each Magical Artifact comes with a corresponding Mantra, otherwise, even if you acquire the artifact, you cannot unleash its full power."

Chen Mo suddenly recalled what Hu Mei’Er had told him before.

Xiao Yunqi’s face turned stern, clearly unwilling to talk more.

Chen Mo smiled: "No rush, take your time."

Once Xiao Yunqi is captured, everything else will be easy to resolve.

...

"Your Majesty, the national traitor Xiao Yunqi has been captured by this humble servant, Your Majesty can rest assured now."

Chen Mo respectfully saluted Zhao Chong, who was hiding under the long table, his body curled up and trembling.

Wu Lu also said, "Your Majesty, the treacherous ministers in the court have all been removed, Minister Chen’s contribution is invaluable, and deserves the highest merit..."

"Not at all, it was all due to Minister Wu’s excellent planning."

"..."

The two began to flatter one another.

But Zhao Chong, hearing these words, couldn’t feel even a bit of joy.

Xiao Yunqi had fallen, but was replaced by an even more ruthless person.

They slaughtered ministers in the courtyard, right in front of him, disregarding the law.

Chen Mo was even more fierce, a dignified First Grade Martial Artist could not withstand five rounds before being killed, with blood splattering onto Zhao Chong’s face.

To him, it was merely switching one form of control for another.

He was still just a puppet.

...

Elsewhere.

Li Yang, although escaping the Witch Mansion, quickly found himself surrounded by the army, and with the arrival of Old He, Li Yang was captured alive.

...

Upon learning that Xiao Yunqi was captured by Chen Mo, Shi Si promptly led the Personal Guard Department, cooperating with Huangfu Hao’s army and a force led by Chu Ang, to suppress the twenty-thousand Imperial Guards in the West and East Camps.

The reason for such quick suppression.

Was primarily because the armies of these two camps were leaderless, unable to receive orders from the Xiao Family, and disrupted by interference, they chose to surrender under the encirclement of the three armies.

Although they followed Xiao Yunqi’s orders, not all of the over twenty-thousand were loyal to him, only a portion of the generals were truly devoted.

Now, it was clear to the wise that the situation was unfavorable and not worth risking their lives for.

...

The chaotic Capital Camp Imperial Guards crowded the city streets, while spies from various factions dared not approach and could only stand by anxiously.

Or they would try to find someone they knew in the Imperial Guards to inquire about the events.

However, the incident originated in the Witch Mansion, and except for a few informed high-ranking generals, no one knew the specifics of what had happened.

The soldiers below only knew what Chu Ang had said earlier and immediately recounted: "Wu Lu conspired to rebel, and Lord An’yang specifically ordered us to surround the Witch Mansion."

A spy asked, "If you were ordered to surround the Witch Mansion, then why did you fight among yourselves?"

"It seems someone from above was a spy from the Witch Mansion..." the soldier answered.

The spy had no choice but to report back what information they had gathered, leaving those behind even more confused and puzzled.

...

As time passed, the night’s events finally surfaced, and some well-informed individuals finally discovered the truth.

It turned out that the banquet held at the Witch Mansion tonight was ostensibly to discuss matters between Chen Mo and Wu Xin’Er, but was in fact a military coup against Xiao Yunqi.

The moment Xiao Yunqi set foot into the Witch Mansion, the plan was set into motion.

First, music and beauties were used to distract and lower vigilance.

Then, Xiao Yunqi’s army was targeted, with the generals of the army swiftly controlled, rendering the army inoperative.

Next, Chen Mo’s twenty-thousand soldiers surrounded the Xiao Mansion, preventing any orders from reaching the troops, stripping them of direction, and robbing them of fighting spirit.

Finally, once the people of the Witch Mansion had Xiao Yunqi under control, the operation was completed successfully.

By the time the soldiers below realized what had happened, it was already too late.

...

Xiao Mansion.

Upon hearing of his father’s capture by Chen Mo, Xiao Teng’s face twisted in disbelief, his eyes wide open.

All along, Chen Mo had been subservient to the Xiao Family like a retainer, yet tonight he had betrayed his master.

How could he dare?

Hadn’t he cultivated the Feather Nirvana Heart Scripture of Child Fire?

How could he dare to rebel? Was he not afraid of Heart Fire igniting and burning him to ashes?

In his towering rage and incredulity, Xiao Teng launched into a tirade against Dai Xishan, naturally directing his fury towards Chen Mo.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Dai Xishan no longer tolerated Xiao Teng’s antics.

After subduing Xiao Teng, he gave him a few loud slaps.

If it weren’t for Chen Mo’s order not to harm the people of Xiao Mansion, Dai Xishan would have shed Xiao Teng’s blood.

...

Weiyang Palace.

When the news reached Xiao Yunxi, her face changed, and she collapsed to the ground as if drained of strength.

Although she disapproved of her father’s actions and had even asked Chen Mo to stop him.

Yet it happened so suddenly, and on this very night, leaving her completely unprepared.

Fortunately, Xiao Qing’Er reassured her that the master, madam, and all in Xiao Mansion were unharmed, allowing Xiao Yunxi to breathe a sigh of relief.

At least this conclusion allowed her to convince herself to confront and accept it.

...

Yong’an Palace.

Hu Mei’Er had not slept all night; she sat in front of a chessboard, where the positions of the black and white pieces had shifted once again.

She picked up a white piece, and just as she was about to place it, the lights in the hall flickered, and a tall figure appeared before her, kneeling on one knee:

"Your Highness, Chen Mo... he has won."

"Clack..." The white piece slipped from Hu Mei’Er’s hand, landing on the chessboard with a clear sound, her face immediately darkened slightly, obviously not the outcome she desired.

"What’s the casualty count?"

"Casualties were minimal, Lord Shi Si, upon learning of Xiao Yunqi’s capture, promptly led the troops with Huangfu Hao and Chen Mo’s people to suppress the opposition, with casualties not exceeding three thousand."

"Casualties under three thousand..." Hu Mei’Er furrowed her fox brows; without suffering any major loss, and with casualties under three thousand, it was almost insignificant, akin to a mere scratch.

Thus, there was no way to force Chen Mo and his people to extract the maximum benefit from the situation.

"Damn!" Hu Mei’Er’s jade hand clenched tightly, the tension of her imposing frame straining her palace dress, with buttons almost at the brink of popping.

Die Wu glanced up briefly, feeling a sense of envy from her heart, but quickly lowered her head so as not to let Hu Mei’Er notice.

"Understood, you may leave first." Hu Mei’Er waved her hand, intending to bathe and calm herself.

"Yes."

...

With Xiao Yunqi under control, the next steps became easy to handle.

Chen Mo ordered the takeover of Xiao Yunqi’s army.

The most important of which was the Tiger Strike Army.

This army, Xiao Yunqi’s most formidable force, numbered only fifty thousand.

Regarding the Tiger Strike Army’s former leaders, all except for Chu Ang from the Chu Family, Chen Mo replaced with his own men.

If tonight’s endeavor had failed, these people would all face death.

In such matters where lives were at stake, if not rewarded with high positions and wealth after success, it would spell disaster.

After dealing with these matters, dawn broke.

Chen Mo ordered that Xiao Yunqi be temporarily detained in the Celestial Prison, with the people outside Xiao Mansion not withdrawn, but rather sending an additional army.

Then, accompanied by Li Weiqiu, Zhang Lie, Dai Xishan, and others, he was thronged with excitement around Zhao Chong as they returned to the palace for the morning court.