In the Hall of Glory.
It was already eleven o'clock.
Yet, despite the late hour, the atmosphere within the Hall of Glory had not subsided. The military and the inner court were both awaiting the night's outcome. The military was preparing to clean up the aftermath, while the inner court was anticipating news to issue decrees and soothe public sentiment.
The crucial point was… the little girl, free from her parents' supervision, was in exceptionally high spirits, which exhausted the Grand Elder.
With his advanced age, the Grand Elder could no longer tolerate such strenuous activities. In a moment of helplessness, he summoned Qin Hanlie to take care of the child. The Grand Elder, meanwhile, lay contentedly on a lounge chair, enjoying the autumn evening.
"It's been so many years since I last took care of a child. Now I have to babysit Ye Longlin's child. What kind of bad karma is this?"
Qin Hanlie sighed deeply. His military uniform was already in tatters thanks to Ye Churan. His left shoulder epaulet remained intact, but his right epaulet was reduced to a few stars, a patch of cloth, each with its own story. The service medals on his chest had also been ruined, and the arm patch had been buried in the dirt.
The Grand Elder chuckled, "Ye Longlin is the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armed Forces. What you're doing is called 'sharing the burden with your superior.'"
Qin Hanlie rolled his eyes. He certainly didn't want to share the burden this way. He had hardly spent any time with his own daughter, and now he was babysitting Ye Longlin's child.
"Grand Elder, I want to retire," Qin Hanlie said, looking down as he watched the little girl playing happily in the courtyard. The sight of the child reminded him of his own daughter.
Since her birth, he had never stayed by her side for long, only a few days at a time, always just a few days.
Later, due to certain events, he had sent her to Jinling. The last time he visited, she had said that she felt like a bird in a cage, no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape the confines of that estate.
To her, the estate was equivalent to a prison.
"Old Qin, I know, I understand all of this. But you also know that Ye Longlin cannot stay in this position peacefully. Entrusting the military matters to Old Lin is also not feasible. How about this, Old Qin? Three years. Give me three more years. After three years, you can retire, what do you say?"
The Grand Elder murmured, gazing at the sky.
The current situation was truly awkward. The younger generation had not yet reached their level of prominence, making them prone to errors in many matters. Ye Longlin, on the other hand, had no interest in power and was even less capable of handling these affairs.
As for the older generation, they were all aging and should have stepped down. However, if they were to retire, there would be no successors. In short, this was a period of transition. The past two years had been stable, and a group of individuals had been cultivated. These individuals could only reduce their workload, allowing them more time to spend with their wives and children, but that was all.
"Since you've said it, what else can I say?"
Qin Hanlie smiled and then said, "Half an hour ago, we received news that the Hall of Glory has appeared. Within another half hour, the results should be out. The Hongmen is involved, and the Ye family's foundation has also made a move. The Hall of Glory has three Eight Divine Heavens. They should be able to stay."
The Grand Elder shook his head. "They won't be able to stay. The Ye family's pawn is already wasted. If the three Eight Divine Heavens are captured, the Hall of Glory will be able to follow the clues and uncover many things. Therefore, they cannot be captured."
Qin Hanlie smiled, remaining silent. He did not agree with this notion. The Ye family's foundation had already made a move; what was impossible?
Meanwhile, the scene had long since turned into a river of blood. Five Saint realm experts had already died. The entire sky was filled with colliding beams of light, dazzling attacks, and awe-inspiring strikes falling from above.
The thirteen members of the Ye family were incredibly formidable, and the Saint realm experts fighting them were in great distress. Their attack styles were too sharp, too overbearing.
The attacks of the three Saint realm experts from the Hongmen were equally fierce, each of them tying down a Saint realm expert.
However, overall, Ye Longlin's side had more Saint realm experts than the Dark Hall.
And there was the Wu family.
In just over half an hour, the Dark Hall had been routed, with only a few people remaining.
Ye Longlin watched this scene unfold, a playful smile appearing on his lips. "Red Lotus Demoness, you have lost. Come back with me obediently and avoid a beating."
Currently, only over twenty people remained in the Dark Hall, and these were all among the top twenty SSS-class criminals. Only their cultivation levels were still somewhat high; everyone else had already perished.
"You really think you can capture us? How naive!"
Fist Demon snorted coldly. Even in this situation, he showed no panic, seemingly confident. The Red Lotus Demoness also wore a smile, which vexed Ye Longlin immensely.
Could they possibly have any other trump cards?
They had nearly twenty Saint realm experts on their side. Unless over ten more Saint realm experts appeared, they could not be matched.
"Since that's the case, let's give it a try."
As the words fell, Ye Qingtian waved his hand, and everyone from the Ye family surrounded them. Some formed hand seals, some waved their palms, and some, with a single thought, unleashed the Mountain River Seals one after another!
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and thirteen vortices appeared, resembling the end of the world. The scene was incredibly grand!
"I had only ever seen one Mountain River Seal before. Under that single strike, the Luo family lost half its territory. Now, thirteen Mountain River Seals appearing simultaneously is truly terrifying!"
An elder from the Wu family exclaimed, his eyes filled with profound shock.
The thirteen Mountain River Seals descended fiercely from the sky, their powerful suppression filling the entire area. Some individuals with lower cultivation levels were already forced to their knees.
The faces of the Dark Hall members turned ashen. A look of fear appeared in their eyes. As the powerful suppression descended, they felt as if mountains were pressing down on their bodies, rendering them unable to move even with their cultivation.
"With this one strike, these people will essentially all die."
The Hongmen Seal Protector shook his head slightly, remaining silent about their fate.
The Ye family's foundation was so formidable that their Mountain River Seals alone could instill fear in countless individuals!
"Today, our Dark Hall has lost. Esteemed sirs, there will be a day for reckoning."
It was at this moment that a voice echoed throughout the capital city's skies. The speaker's voice was slow, but the inherent authority within it was undeniable.
Following that, a colossal hand extended from the clouds and gently closed. Accompanied by cracking sounds, the Mountain River Seals were shattered layer by layer, turning into fragments!
The hand continued to descend. Ye Qingtian roared, "Retreat!"
Everyone rapidly retreated. By the time the hand landed, the three individuals from the Dark Hall had vanished, leaving behind only the twenty SSS-class criminals.
"The Dark Hall Master has made a move. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to rescue people from us!"