This guy is truly furious… Guan Ya, holding her rifle in hand, swiftly notices the change in Ling Jun’s expression. Among the Four Princes, the "Flower Prince" is especially tender toward beauty and delicate things. Since his youth, he has read *The Story of the Stone*, idolizing Jia’s average man—Jia Baoyu—and vowed to become a man like him. He even practices the speech of an ordinary man, constantly quoting the lines: “Women are made of water; men are made of clay,” as his personal mantra. Not only that, when young he visited Fu family in person with the elder patriarch of Bǎi Huā Association—his maternal grandfather—who was a great admirer of Guan Ya at first sight. He exclaimed enthusiastically: “My little Lin sister has arrived!” But then, he ended up with one of his front teeth knocked out after being pummeled by Guan Ya. In fact, Ling Jun himself is nothing but a plain old nursemaid—once she had to be saved from falling off the cliff and now she has turned her back on the dark side. When she sees small witch again, she says with surprise: “Then my beloved sister is actually here!” And another tooth is lost. From that moment on, Ling Jun harbors a deep grudge against all women at the Fu family. In short, in this contemporary Jia Baoyu’s eyes, Chì Yuè An's various acts have seriously challenged his core values and breached his personal boundaries. While Ling Jun and his two companions are deeply angered by Chì Yuè An’s misconducts, the semi-conscious, half-drowsy Kou Beiyue can only hear one phrase echoing in her mind: Are you Yuan Shi Tian Zun? He is not Yuan Ting—he is Yuan Shi Tian Zun, the very one who killed Li Xianzong, the rising star from Songhai Branch—the very one whose brilliance has been like a comet! And now, the official Realm Walker that Xiao Yuan had just met—turns out to be him! Kou Beiyue is deeply astonished yet finds it entirely reasonable. Xiao Yuan, with her lofty stature and gentle disposition, may earn only goodwill from ordinary people, but she rarely becomes a true friend. Wait—he used to boast so much about Yuan Shi Tian Zun! So it makes sense that he keeps emphasizing Yuan Shi Tian Zun—how could Xiao Yuan possibly be friends with such an ungrateful person? Chaotic and fragmented thoughts flash through Kou Beiyue’s mind. She can only speculate wildly as the punches from Chì Yuè An have injured her internal organs—and she may even be bleeding heavily. The body of the Enchantment Demon is not easily perishable, though it lacks the extraordinary self-healing capabilities of a Night Wandering Deity. In the face of one after another accusation, Chì Yuè An stands proudly and laughs coldly: “Yuan Shi Tian Zun—yet you are still just an official attendant. Do you know what constitutes a charge against an official attendant? Don’t think that merely earning A-level commendations will allow you to act as you please. Ordinary official attendants hold up your image, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. In the eyes of those with deep roots and enduring strength, such commendations are nothing at all.” Zhang Yuanqing spits out a mouthful of blood and sends her a cold gaze: “At least here, in your hands, an A-level commendation is quite useful. Ling Jun—the man you’ve been grooming as a tool—is actually the one who holds evidence proving Chì Yuè An’s bribery of various officials.” He turns his eyes to Wu Yi, lying down at the wall and unconscious. “Excellent!” Ling Jun nods gravely, then steps forward toward Wu Yi. Chì Yuè An's pupils narrow slightly. A faint red glow drifts across her white suit surface, gathering momentum. Her crimson gloves emit a high temperature that distorts the air—her flames ready to burst forth. As if sensing the imminent clash between them, footsteps grow urgent outside the hall. Ling Jun pauses and turns his head toward the sound. Chì Yuè An’s red glow recedes, her glove heat gradually dissipates. Three members of the Second Organization arrive at the sound of footsteps—entering through the open hall doors with full armor: uniformed police officers holding shields and guns, equipped with bulletproof vests and helmets. Only one man among them holds no shield—a middle-aged man who is slightly overweight, with gentle sagging on both cheeks but strong in build, clearly having been a sturdy man even in his younger years. “Everyone, kneel down and cover your heads,” the middle-aged man commands forcefully. Upon seeing the well-armed police officers, Chì Yuè An is momentarily surprised. He had expected them to be members of the official Realm Walker unit under his command. After receiving notice, he had sent messages to all his team leaders and personally arrived on site—he thought they should have reached by now. Instead, it is the colleagues from the Sandou District Police Bureau who arrive first. “Director Lu—what brings you here?” Chì Yuè An asks calmly. Director Lu? The deputy director responsible for fabricating evidence to protect Chì Yuè An? Zhang Yuanqing raises an eyebrow. Kou Beiyue, already injured and breathing rapidly, is now more agitated. “I received a citizen report,” says Director Lu—wearing bulletproof suit and helmet—“of unlawful intruders breaking into private residences and committing violent killings.” Chì Yuè An nods, pointing at Ling Jun and the others: “They are the very people! Unfamiliar in origin, their actions are both aggressive and dangerous. Director Lu—you must take special care of them.” Director Lu understands the implication—maintaining composure, he commands firmly: “You four—kneel down and cover your heads, this is a first warning.” Then, without pause or mercy, he continues: “Second warning. Third warning. Now, fire!” The police officers obey without hesitation, lifting their guns at once—fifteen or so individuals with fifteen or more weapons, simultaneously opening fire on the four of them with an intense rain of bullets. Zhang Yuanqing feels a sharp alert—the concentrated barrage now threatens to reach him directly. Worst of all, Chì Yuè An has united with the Sandou District Police Bureau—clearly intending to use these ordinary officers as tools to generate trouble and crisis for her own purposes. Now it’s not just an act of violence—it becomes a violation of ethics, requiring deduction in moral standing. “Crack!” A brick beneath Ling Jun’s feet breaks—and from within, a vine with green leaves emerges, coiling into a circular shield three meters across. Pounding! The bullets strike the solid wooden shield either bouncing off or embedding themselves. Ling Jun gives one sharp tap—alongside the sound of that tap, cracks spread beneath each officer’s feet. From there, thick, dragon-like vines surge upward and grow rapidly. The well-armed police officers tumble over, losing their balance. Thick vines sweep and strike with powerful force—cracks and thumps echo continuously—and within a moment, they’ve knocked several of them to the ground, stunned. Director Lu retreats step by step. Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through his lower back—he turns and looks down in horror to see one vine piercing from his abdomen, now stained with blood. He cries out in agony. The rest of the officers are no better—many suffer broken bones and torn muscles, unable even to scream. “Do you dare to injure police officers or even the Director?” Ling Jun says calmly, raising an eyebrow, smiling faintly. “Young people’s impatience does have a price.” “The moment I’m displeased with someone,” he continues, advancing steadily toward Chì Yuè An in a cold tone, “whether it's a police officer or the Director—I’ll see to them personally.” “I’ve seen many people more cruel and ruthless than you—yet few of them truly irritate me.” As he speaks, Ling Jun’s body suddenly swells—his loose sleeves tear open. Thick, dark-and-yellow hair grows over his arms and cheeks; his hands grow broader and thicker, with sharp black claws extending from the palms. His slippers burst apart—and now his feet have transformed into a tiger's hind legs. His nose widens; his brown eyes constrict to become amber ones—fierce and imposing. A "King" shape forms on his forehead in black hair. In just three or four strides, he has turned into a towering giant tiger standing upright at two meters tall. The great tiger slowly charges forward, its forelimbs making contact with the ground, emitting a deep, majestic roar as it moves toward Chì Yuè An. “Is this a King of Beasts?” Chì Yuè An remains calm. After all, both are Sages—the difference in strength might not be so vast. With her crimson gloves, she emits flames that condense into a long yellow whip. “Crack!” She swings her arm and sends the whip striking toward the charging tiger. The fast-moving tiger veers left—missing the impact—and leaves a deep crack on the ground. “Crack! Crack! Crack!” Chì Yuè An continues swinging with force, delivering one after another sharp blows. Yet, the splendid tiger weaves in and out skillfully, avoiding each strike, then suddenly charges forward and plunges into Chì Yuè An’s chest. Tapping, tapping, tapping—Chì Yuè An steps back several times, then pulls back her whip to convert it into a straight sword. Immediately afterward, a surge of heat spreads across Chì Yuè An’s body—the rhythm of her breath intensifies. As the “Fury of the Angry” peaks, she stops retreating, her leg muscles expand and propel her like a cannonball—hitting full force against the charging tiger. She knows that the opponent is a King of Beasts with strong recovery capabilities—but she does not fear a mutual destruction. In terms of healing power, the Ganlin Inner Armor can match the King of Beasts; yet the flame-attacking weapon attributes from the Chì Yán God Weapon can counteract the Beast’s self-recovery ability. By choosing to suffer in exchange for his own, he doesn’t lose. Suddenly, the magnificent tiger appears as if made of bonesless fish—light and fluidly shifting—and continuously lengthening. The next moment, it transforms into a massive black-scaled serpent with a diameter of an entire water barrel. Sizzling—the sword meant to pierce the tiger’s heart glides past its scales, creating scorched wounds. Then the head of the serpent lifts and opens, teeth sharp—biting down firmly on Chì Yuè An's neck. Oh no—Chì Yuè An has never seen a transformation so swift among Beasts of this kind. Caught off guard, she immediately feels the urge to burst—and attempts to push back the serpent. But suddenly, an overwhelming fatigue floods through her—her hands that could tear through tigers and leopards now feel weak; her knees buckle—she collapses to the ground. She is poisoned. The sharp teeth of the serpent carry a powerful toxin injected into her bloodstream during the bite, paralyzing her body. “Hhmm… Hhh…” Chì Yuè An’s eyes widen in disbelief—her throat emits a resigned groan. The serpent releases its hold and stands upright—the scales retracting inward, growing two new legs. Now human again, with thick hair covering her private areas. “The difference between Sages is significant,” Ling Jun says beneath her breath, then turns to Li Dongze and states: “Take that troublesome official—and retrieve the evidence.” Li Dongze nods, lifting Wu Yi—who has lost consciousness—up in his arms. Then Ling Jun looks at Zhang Yuanqing, narrowing his eyes: “I’ll take your case from here. But you must think carefully about how you explain your association with the Evil Organization to the Elder.” This person is truly strong… Zhang Yuanqing remains stunned. Before him—a 4th-level, fully-experienced Sage—has now proven weakly inadequate. And clearly, Ling Jun hasn’t used his full strength yet. At that very moment, urgent footsteps grow louder again—seven or eight official Realm Walkers enter the hall with their guns in hand. They pause upon seeing the chaotic scene and the fallen Chì Yuè An, exchanging glances. Chì Yuè An makes a great effort to raise her head. When no one notices her, she speaks using lip movements: “Save me—otherwise, I’ll expose everything you’ve done.” …… At dawn, at the pet shop. Mao-tai Tiedi leaps onto the wooden table—the potted plant stretches out its young green tendrils and quietly opens the notebook computer on the table, turning it on, entering a password, logging into the voice conference software. Mao-tai Tiedi silently waits for over ten minutes until the meeting time begins. The four heads appear one by one in the video room. Director Lu—the dog elder—coughs calmly and delivers an opening statement: “Have you all reviewed the video evidence? Old Fire, Chì Yuè An is your subordinate. How shall we proceed with his disposition—you decide.” The head resembling a flame god speaks slowly: “According to our rules and alliance regulations—he must be executed on-site. If you're uncomfortable handling it personally, simply return him to me—I will carry out the execution myself.” Numerous video recordings—containing acts of sexual assault, repeated rape, and prolonged abuse—are presented. Even excluding other criminal evidence, these alone are sufficient to condemn Chì Yuè An to death. “Just a death sentence is enough?” The head representing the river—the female elder—snorts: “I’ve reviewed Chì Yuè An’s large health check-up reports—he has a strong aversion toward women and a clear tendency for violence. How could you overlook such an assessment? You should have investigated him earlier as a leader of your own.” “Are you teaching me how to perform my duties?” the Elder from the Fire Clan demands. For the Flame Master, gender bias and violent tendencies are considered normal—provided his mindset has not completely deteriorated. “Perhaps,” says the Water Shrine female elder in a low tone, “I can teach you how to behave.” The Mid-Court Elder intervenes to mediate: “The video evidence will be submitted to the Capital City. We’ll see how the involved officials in Sandou District will handle it.” The Fire Clan Elder scoffs: “Those without background—will be struck down by Sun Wukong’s iron staff; those with influence—only reclaim their horses and retreat. Matters of politics are beyond our scope. Let us instead discuss the Copper Roar Case.” Then, Director Lu speaks: “The first matter is that Chì Yuè Ān has been consolidating power through corrupt and powerful local forces over the past several years, accumulating assets exceeding twenty billion, yet we have not traced where these funds have gone.” “Do you mean there’s someone behind Chì Yuè Ān?” asked a senior elder of the White Tiger Army. “It's only a conjecture,” said the Dog Elder with a chuckle. “He used to be an adopted son of the Zhu family.” “We should kill and interrogate Wen Ling immediately,” said the elder from the Chì Huǒ Clan directly. “Stupid,” scoffed the water deity’s female elder. “To dismiss a senior officer requires approval from headquarters; the review and investigation process takes time.” The two elders were at odds—each meeting turned into a heated argument, each encounter ended with a clash. The Dog Elder then said: “The second matter: several small teams of Pilgrims in Sha Kou District have accused Chì Yuè Ān of colluding with Yuan Shi Tian Zun and harming fellow colleagues. Both Ling Jun and the second team from Kangyang Place confirm that one Enchantment Demon was present at the scene.” The elder from the Chì Huǒ Clan said solemnly: “I’ve reviewed the footage from Copper Rooster Tower—the situation is accurate. What explanation does he have?” “The Yuan Shi Tian Zun offered only this: to uphold justice and promote virtue,” replied the Dog Elder. “Upholding justice and promoting virtue…” repeated the water deity’s female elder quietly. The Chì Huǒ Clan elder coldly remarked: “It's merely evasive! Regardless of his motives, associating with a notoriously bloodthirsty Enchantment Demon remains an indelible stain. According to the Five Elements Alliance regulations, private dealings with Evil Organizations—minor cases result in expulsion from the Alliance; serious ones lead to imprisonment or even execution. “Considering he uncovered Chì Yuè Ān’s wrongdoing and contributed significantly, holding a Class A merit already, I propose a demotion with severe reprimand and six months’ imprisonment.” The elder of the White Tiger Army immediately responded: “I oppose!” A reprimand would hinder Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s career advancement. As an official representative of the White Tiger Army, he could not accept it. Then the Dog Elder explained: “Let me clarify: the sister of this Enchantment Demon was one of the victims at Copper Rooster Tower—killed by Chì Yuè Ān two years ago. She became an Enchantment Demon as a result. She has now been detained and interrogated by Fu Qingyang, and it’s confirmed that she did not commit any acts of violence against ordinary individuals.” Hearing this, the previously hesitant water deity elder immediately added: “I also oppose.” The elders from the Chì Huǒ Clan and the Central Hall remained silent—unwilling to concede. The Five Elements Alliance has always been strict in dealing with members who have allied themselves with external forces—the Dark Night Rose, in particular, acts swiftly when it comes to enforcement. The reprimand and imprisonment are already quite lenient. At that moment, an elder from the White Tiger Army said: “Fu Qingyang has reached out to me—he would like to connect directly.” A brief silence followed; then the Dog Elder said: “Let him enter.” The other three elders did not object. Shortly after, Fu Qingyang’s image appeared on the conference screen—unlike the others, whose avatars were symbolic of their professions, Fu Qingyang's digital avatars across all his platforms always showed himself. “Respected Elders,” Fu Qingyang began, his voice composed and measured, clear and well-intoned. “Yuan Shi Tian Zun is one of my people. Regarding his treatment, I have some matters to share.” “Would you be advocating on his behalf?” asked the elder from Central Hall. “I do not advocate for anyone—I only present facts,” said Fu Qingyang with calm assurance. Fu Qingyang’s respectful demeanor toward the elders had always been superficial—after all, in his eyes, every female general was merely ordinary, and these seated elders were no different. “First, I’d like to report on Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s psychological profile—he is a person of strong idealism; at this stage, it would not be advisable to assign him particularly significant responsibilities. “Understanding someone’s mindset allows us to see rationality in his actions. The Enchantment Demon is named Kou Beiyue—two years ago, his sister vanished without warning and was later murdered. This event led him to become a Realm Walker. “This man has a decent character—he does not indiscriminately kill the innocent, and in fact, he is more disciplined than many members of the Orderly Profession. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Yuan Shi Tian Zun had an opportunity to interact with him. It was precisely this connection that led Yuan Shi Tian Zun to intervene during tonight's incident at Copper Rooster Tower. “According to the rules, he has committed a procedural error; yet in terms of personal conduct and justice, I believe he has done nothing wrong.” The Central Hall elder sighed: “For enforcers, idealism is not always an advantage.” Fu Qingyang replied calmly: “Whether it's good or bad, at this point, he is fundamentally a good person. Isn’t that acceptable to all of you?” No one responded—thus signaling acceptance. Fu Qingyang continued: “Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s character has no issue. Now let me address how we’ve handled this matter—the situation has escalated so far that concealment or suppression is now impossible. We must publish an official statement, explaining the developments to all regional branches and headquarters. “The actions of Chì Yuè Ān have damaged the Five Elements Alliance’s reputation—both internally and externally. Therefore, we need to be cautious in our messaging—we aim to establish a precedent while minimizing blame. After all, wouldn’t you want to avoid being held accountable by headquarters as well?” The water deity elder smiled: “Please continue.” Fu Qingyang then said: “We can designate Chì Yuè Ān as an active member of the Dark Night Rose, operating covertly within the Five Elements Alliance and engaging in misconduct such as extortion. All these actions are the responsibility of the Dark Night Rose—not ours of the Place branch. We are also among the victims. “The Large Health Checkup has just concluded—internal awareness of the Dark Night Rose’s encroachment is already well-established, so this narrative will be readily accepted. However, alone in this account, it still won’t fully convince everyone; criticism regarding oversight will surely follow. “Therefore, we must guide public perception.” The Dog Elder pondered: “Guiding public perception—excellent idea. Please share your vision.” “Following the Large Health Checkup, our Place branch has launched a decisive campaign. We assigned Yuan Shi Tian Zun to investigate various senior officers and discovered one member of the Dark Night Rose. Alone and exposed, Yuan Shi Tian Zun collected evidence through perilous circumstances before ultimately joining forces with the Kangyang District’s small team of Pilgrims to dismantle the hidden network and arrest the traitor,” Fu Qingyang delivered this in a steady, formal tone. “Thus, what was once a failure has now become a triumph. What do you think, Elders?” As for Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s treatment—punishing a hero seems like undermining his own face. At that moment, the conference room fell into silence. After a short pause, the Dog Elder shook her head slightly: “Not quite satisfactory!” Fu Qingyang raised an eyebrow. “Where exactly is it falling short?” The Dog Elder: “The title is too long.” The other elders remained silent. Fu Qingyang immediately grasped the point: “I’ll have my team revise the title right away. By dawn, we will post it on the Forum.” … At 8 a.m., The Place Branch posted an announcement on the Forum: #Dark Night Rose is too demanding—Yuan Shi Tian Zun single-handedly dismantles the traitor’s stronghold#