Chapter 589: Forced Execution

The legendary Grand Elder—that was what they called Lin Xuan, and now he was standing right before their very eyes.

He was so young. That was their first impression. A true prodigy. How could they not be shocked that someone could become the Grand Elder at such a young age?

“G-Grand Elder…”

The two Stewards looked aghast. They never expected to run into the Grand Elder. No wonder he had spoken with such authority. In retrospect, his words were incredibly ironic. He truly had the power to enforce his will. The Elders would undoubtedly agree with Lin Xuan without a second thought, ensuring the two of them could never show their faces in the Soaring Dragon Empire again.

“Running rampant, twisting right and wrong, and harming the innocent! And you dare tell me they have no value? Such arrogance. Who here didn’t start as an ordinary person and climb their way up? You have a tiny bit more talent, and you think you’re all that? What a joke. In a Super Race, you wouldn’t even qualify as trash!”

“No matter a person’s talent or Cultivation, as long as they have done no wrong, there is no reason for them to be harmed!” Lin Xuan sneered. “Here and now, I will uphold justice and properly punish you scum who have no respect for anyone. I never imagined such tyranny could exist! I’ll make a promise right here: if you have been a victim of anyone who runs rampant around here, speak up, and I will see that justice is done for you. If anyone dares to touch you in the future, I will personally cripple them!”

Lin Xuan looked to the surrounding townsfolk, hoping to hear more names from them.

The surrounding townsfolk exchanged glances. Having received the legendary Grand Elder’s assurance, they seemed to gather their courage. Soon, someone stepped forward and said, “I must speak, even if it costs me my life! My son was injured by a disciple named Wang Qiming. To this day, he’s still in bed, unable to move…”

He broke into tears. His own son had been crippled. He ground his teeth in hatred, but he was powerless to get revenge.

“I have one, too!” another person sobbed. “My daughter was… was violated… She threw herself into the river and committed suicide afterward… Grand Elder, you have to get justice for me!”

“My wife…”

“My husband…”

One by one, they bravely stepped forward, pouring out the grief and fury they had held inside. They were resigned to facing retaliation; as long as these perpetrators were punished today, they were willing to endure any revenge that came their way.

As Lin Xuan listened, his expression turned grim. A chill ran down the spines of the surrounding Stewards. Some even grew furious alongside him. They never imagined that some of the Core Hall’s disciples would commit such atrocious acts that defied all morality; it was a stain on their reputation. Many of them normally paid no mind to what happened below, focusing solely on their Cultivation. Unless something major occurred, they wouldn’t get involved.

Finally, after more than a dozen Core Disciples had been named, the townsfolk fell silent. Those who had only suffered minor injuries did not speak up. The cases that had been brought forward were all severe—some even involved deaths.

“Good. Very good!” Lin Xuan’s voice was ice-cold. “I didn’t expect so many of the Core Hall’s disciples to be such trash! I will give you all a resolution right here. The most serious offenders will have their Cultivation crippled and be thrown out of the Soaring Dragon Empire to let them ‘enjoy’ this kind of life. As for the lesser offenders, I will have them come here personally to give you an explanation, apologize, and compensate you! As for the Stewards who turned a blind eye, I won’t do anything to you, but you are not welcome in the Soaring Dragon Empire. You can get the hell out.”

“Grand Elder, by that count, over a dozen Core Disciples will have to be dealt with…” a Steward hastily interjected, trying to dissuade him.

There weren’t that many Core Hall disciples to begin with. Purging this many would mean losing a significant portion of them.

“I don’t want to repeat myself!” Lin Xuan said coldly. “Those who run rampant like this, thinking they can ignore everything just because they have a bit of a background, will only bring disaster to Qingcheng Mansion in the future! Forget a dozen or so. Even if all the Core Disciples were like this, I would purge every last one of them. Qingcheng Mansion has no need for such trash!”

Authoritative. Such was the authority of the Grand Elder.

“Report this immediately. Have the Elders of the Core Hall handle it personally. If they don’t, then I will handle it personally, and the outcome won’t be so simple.” Lin Xuan’s voice was frigid; he was truly furious.

‘Looking at it from another angle, what if I wasn’t the Grand Elder, but a Young Master from a Super Race? Some of these Young Masters, with nothing better to do, might just want to wander around here. If they were harmed, the result goes without saying: the entire Empire would be destroyed.’

‘Most importantly, if they continue to be so arrogant after leaving here, they will bring harm not only to others but to themselves.’

“U-Understood…” The Steward nodded, then quickly hurried toward the Core Hall. He didn’t dare to delay for a second.

“Everyone, rest assured. I swear on my title as Grand Elder that I will see justice done for all of you. It is time to completely reform the culture of Qingcheng Mansion!”

Lin Xuan turned to look at Zhang Qingdan and his group, then said coldly to the Stewards, “We’ll start with them. I shouldn’t need to elaborate. Punish them according to the severity of their offenses. Execute it immediately!”

The surrounding Stewards nodded and immediately began to punish Zhang Qingdan and Li Yong. Their crimes were severe—they were habitual tyrants who had even killed several innocent people, which was an extremely serious offense.

Had it only been assault, Lin Xuan would not have sentenced them so harshly; he was quite fair in that regard.

The faces of Zhang Qingdan and his group were ashen. They could do nothing but accept their punishment, left to regret their accustomed tyranny and the way they ran rampant just because they had some backing.

After handling the matter, Phoenix Wings sprouted from Lin Xuan’s back, and under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he flew toward the Imperial City, which had been converted into the Core Hall.

By the time he arrived, the Stewards were already in discussion with the Elders inside. Having had to deal with the other matters first, they were naturally a bit behind him.

“Lin Xuan, you’re back.” Qing Piaoyun hurried over to greet him upon seeing him arrive.

“Master!” Lin Xuan said, bowing respectfully as he approached.

“It’s good that you’re back…” Qing Piaoyun said with a frown. “I didn’t expect such a thing to happen in the Core Hall. We’ll proceed according to the punishments you laid out. I am usually busy with Cultivation and never thought about these things. Consider it your master’s negligence.”

“Master, they must be taught a harsh lesson! If they want to be domineering, they can. If they have the strength, let them be domineering in other Empires. What’s the point of being a tyrant in your own Empire?” Lin Xuan said in a low voice. “Once they get used to this arrogance, if they really provoke some powerful expert in the future, we will be the ones to suffer!”

“I completely agree… If I had known earlier, I would have done so long ago!” Qing Piaoyun looked at the Stewards beside him and said in a grave tone, “Did you hear the Grand Elder’s words earlier? Do as he said!”

A chill ran down the Stewards’ spines. The order was truly being executed. The Core Hall was about to face a major upheaval—a truly sad story for those involved. The Grand Elder had begun cleaning house the moment he returned. He was truly formidable.

However, regarding Lin Xuan’s actions, some people felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill, while others were endlessly grateful. But the overall result was that his reputation soared, especially among the common people!