Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Ironclad Proof, a City-wide Sweep

Afterward, Lü Yang and Empress Xiao spoke at length, discussing the Dao.

After all, the two were in an unholy alliance and needed such exchanges to better understand one another, so Empress Xiao did not refuse.

Both parties benefited greatly from the exchange, and it could be said that both host and guest were pleased.

An hour later, Lü Yang finally emerged from the Four Treasures Daoist Canon and left the Imperial Palace under Eunuch An’s guidance. Empress Xiao watched his retreating figure.

"Your Majesty..."

A palace maid stepped forward and spoke softly, "That True Dragon is no ordinary being. He won’t be easy to deal with. Your Majesty, your actions... I fear you may be rearing a tiger that will bring future calamity."

Empress Xiao glanced at the palace maid. This was a servant she had brought from her own family, one who had always been loyal, so she paid no mind to the slightly presumptuous remark. She said lightly, "Do not worry. Although His Majesty left in a hurry without leaving a single word, he was not entirely without a contingency plan."

With that, she opened her palm.

On her fair, jade-like palm, a brilliant light floated, causing the profound fragrance of Sandalwood Incense to drift through the air.

Seven Luminaries Heaven!

"Before His Majesty left, he left this item in the rear palace. With it, the Incense Fire Gods of the Imperial City Department are no cause for concern. Their Cultivation is mine to control with a single thought."

"So, that Du Huan is no cause for concern."

At this, a look of longing surfaced in Empress Xiao’s eyes. ’With time, if I can use this opportunity to bring this Fruit Position Prototype to Perfection... perhaps I, too, can hope to become a Perfected Lord!’

For this reason, Empress Xiao secretly wished for the Imperial City Department’s power to grow as large as possible. After all, the larger the Department, the more Incense it would gather, and the closer her Seven Luminaries Heaven would be to Perfection.

As long as she could become a Perfected Lord, Empress Xiao couldn’t care less about positions of power in the Dao Court. If Du Huan wanted them, if Crown Prince Longxing wanted them, she would let them have them.

’What a pity... it isn’t at Perfection yet.’

At this thought, Empress Xiao sighed inwardly. If only it were a Perfected Outer Dao Fruit Position instead of a mere prototype, it would save her a great deal of effort.

........

After leaving the Celestial Wu Hall, Lü Yang immediately returned to the Imperial City Department’s government office. He then made his way down into the underground interrogation rooms.

Both Chen Yuanli, the Deputy Commander of the All Heaven Department who assassinated Emperor Jia You, and Ning Haohai, the Commander of the All Heaven Department whom Lü Yang had captured as a rebel, were imprisoned here. They were covered in wounds, clearly having been tortured countless times, and were now barely breathing.

"Sir!"

The moment Lü Yang stepped into the interrogation room, the Imperial City Department Cultivators who had been resting all shot to their feet, bowing to him with solemn expressions.

"How is it going?"

Lü Yang pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Chen Yuanli and Ning Haohai. "Have they remembered how they assassinated Emperor Jia You and who their accomplices were?"

"Well... they’re tight-lipped."

Several Imperial City Department Cultivators lowered their heads in shame. "Especially that Ning Haohai. He refuses to confess, no matter what. Please punish us, Sir!"

After speaking, they all fell to their knees, prostrating themselves to ask for punishment. They had received so many benefits from Lü Yang that, frankly, if they weren’t at least scolded or beaten a little for their failure, they would feel too guilty to have accepted his generosity.

The next second, however, Lü Yang shook his head.

"Punish you for what? Their inability to remember and their refusal to confess are their problems, not yours. You’ve all worked hard. Go and get some rest."

As he finished speaking, Lü Yang took out a thick stack of red envelopes.

"You’ve all been here interrogating the prisoners for a long time and haven’t had a chance to cultivate. Consider this a bonus for your troubles. Take them. There’s one for everyone."

At that moment, only a single thought remained in everyone’s mind: ’We’ll never be able to repay Lord Du Huan’s kindness!’

After sending the group of Imperial City Department Cultivators away, Lü Yang turned to the nearly dead Chen Yuanli and Ning Haohai. The latter opened his eyes.

"Treacherous villain... Vile fiend..."

"Keep cursing."

Lü Yang smiled faintly, completely unconcerned. "Cursing before death is the last consolation for the defeated... Besides, you won’t have another chance."

As he finished speaking, he gripped Ning Haohai’s head.

Puppet!

Ning Haohai was only a Third-Grade Official, far from the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection. The Puppet skill took hold smoothly, instantly wiping all resentment from his face.

"I will speak, you will write."

"As you command!"

Soon, a testimony was produced, personally written by the "assassin" Chen Yuanli and his "accomplice" Ning Haohai, and even stamped with their Divine Sense Marks.

It implicated numerous high-ranking Dao Court officials in colluding with the Jiangbei Demon Sect. The list included the Commander of Five Armies of the Capital Camp, as well as various major and minor officials in key Dao Court positions. In effect, aside from the very top—the Young Protector, the Junior Tutor, and the Junior Master Lü Yang himself—he spared no one.

The confession’s content was perfectly authentic and would withstand any scrutiny.

Leaving the interrogation room, Lü Yang handed the testimony directly to Xiao Mountain, who was waiting outside. He then said flatly, "Make copies and deliver them to the residences of the Young Protector and the others."

"Now, gather everyone and arrest the people on this list."

"Move out!"

Before long, Celestial Wu City was thrown into chaos.

Under Lü Yang’s command, the Imperial City Department—its size and morale at an all-time high after absorbing the All Heaven Department—poured out in full force, sweeping across all of Celestial Wu City.

At first, many officials didn’t realize what was happening. Some even assumed the Imperial City Department was staging a rebellion, that the innately evil Demon Cultivators were trying to start a coup. They stepped forward to berate them, but without exception, they were immediately surrounded and beaten by the Imperial City Department Cultivators wielding imperial rods.

A single strike from the rod sent an official reeling, grimacing in pain.

Seeing this, the Imperial City Department Cultivators, eager to prove their loyalty to Lü Yang, became enraged. ’Damn it! You dare to grimace? This is no ordinary official!’

’We have to get tough!’

The first blow was to the mouth to stop them from begging for mercy. The second was to the legs to prevent them from running. The third was to the head—all so that Lord Du Huan would see their diligent efforts and great contributions!

"Aaaah! They’re killing people!"

"Stop! Stop hitting me... I support the Imperial City Department! I’m one of you!"

For a time, cries like these echoed throughout Celestial Wu City.

However, the officials were not entirely defenseless. Soon, a Second-Grade Official could no longer restrain himself and brazenly activated his Official Position:

Minister of the Imperial Army!

"Insolence! You Demon Cultivators are rebelling—"

BOOM!

Before he could finish his sentence, an even more tremendous boom drowned out his voice. At that moment, countless officials instinctively looked up at the sky.

All they saw was a single figure.

There stood Lü Yang, silent as a statue, his hands forming a Daoist Hand Seal. Billowing torrents of fire surged from his sleeves, blanketing the sky in an instant.

Within the sky-spanning fire, countless Banners unfurled, manifesting images of massing armies and the sound of neighing warhorses. It was the very picture of an Asura’s battlefield, a vision of mountains and rivers stained with blood. Casting a deep shadow from above, it descended with a terrifying aura of destruction, crashing down with a deafening roar!

Fenghou Suiyang Book!

Lü Yang had empowered this Daoist Skill with the Immortal Dao Law, allowing him to master it instantly. He had it lying in wait in the sky, secretly gathering power for some time, just waiting for someone to make the first move.

He naturally held nothing back now, unleashing his full power!

For a moment, the entire city trembled. Countless gazes, filled with terror, anger, or sheer shock, fixed on the torrent of fire pouring down from the heavens.

BANG!

The explosion was a deafening crescendo of shattering force and clashing metal.

The next second, the Minister of the Imperial Army who had made a move, along with his entire estate, was engulfed by the fiery torrent. Only a blackened crater remained where they had stood.

Having done all this, Lü Yang floated down gracefully.

"The assassin Chen Yuanli and his accomplice Ning Haohai have confessed. The evidence is irrefutable. The Imperial City Department, acting under the Crown Prince’s Decree and the Empress’s Decree, is to arrest all implicated officials."

"Faced with such ironclad evidence, the Minister of the Imperial Army still dared to interfere... Without a doubt, the treacherous official has exposed himself!"

With that, Lü Yang reached out and pulled the half-dead Minister of the Imperial Army from the crater—a result of him intentionally holding back.

Puppet!

After secretly controlling him with the skill, Lü Yang said coolly, "Take this man back for a thorough interrogation. Make him confess how many other accomplices he has!"