Yan Qinyu dragged the manager and opened a spatial rift to step inside. To the onlookers, it was a matter of mere seconds before Yan Qinyu emerged once more, dragging the manager along.
The manager who reappeared could only be described as completely wretched. Yuan Ruoshen had told Yan Qinyu to leave him with a single breath of life, and he truly left him with only a single breath. There was no concept of time within that space, and Yan Qinyu had employed every method of torture he could think of, completely returning every tactic that had been used on Yuan Ruoshen back onto him. The manager was already entirely numb, and he now begged only for death.
However, neither Yan Qinyu nor Yuan Ruoshen intended to let him off easily.
Yuan Ruoshen weakened and modified his True Fire of the Sun, pulled the manager’s soul out, bound it securely, and then threw him directly into the True Fire of the Sun. The agony of a burning soul was something no one could endure, and the piercing, miserable shrieks echoed in everyone’s ears, making their hair stand on end.
Beside them, Yan Lan finally snapped out of his daze, his expression changing instantly as he cried out, “Yuan Ruoshen!”
They were personnel of the official bureau. No matter what crimes a criminal had committed, they could not resort to vigilante justice or extrajudicial punishment. Their official identities dictated their actions, so they had to exercise restraint. Even if he himself wanted to strike, he could not. If they behaved like this, how would they be any different from these beasts?
Yuan Ruoshen turned his head toward Yan Lan, offering an indifferent, cool smile that was both noble and detached. Yan Lan suddenly realized that this person was no longer the Yuan Ruoshen he used to know. The Yuan Ruoshen he knew would never do such a thing. The Yuan Ruoshen he knew was already dead.
Yuan Ruoshen’s soft voice reached everyone’s ears, causing them to shudder involuntarily.
“The Ranye Organization, is it?” Yuan Ruoshen’s playful yet smiling tone carried an absolute chill. “Very soon, it will cease to exist.”
Watching the manager’s soul burn away bit by bit until it completely vanished from this world, Yuan Ruoshen curled his lips, appearing rather disappointed. “What a pity. He could not even last for a single hour.”
Yan Lan instantly felt half of his body go cold. He looked at the familiar yet strange person before his eyes, his heart filled with bewilderment. A closest friend of ten years had suddenly become unrecognizable in a single instant.
His Majesty the Eastern Emperor had never been a soft-hearted individual. His twenty years of life in the modern world was nothing more than a single drop of water in his vast existence of millions of years, unable to create any ripples. The so-called rules of the modern world completely lost their effect on him the moment he awakened. He was the Eastern Emperor Sovereign of the Linxu Realm and did not belong to this world.
Yet in this world, he still possessed a lifetime of familial bonds and a lifetime of karma. The past life and the present life belonged to two individuals who were identical, yet entirely different. Even if he possessed the memories of both, integrating the memories of “another person” made him a completely brand-new entity. He had already changed.
The True Fire of the Sun rose from Yuan Ruoshen’s hand, and all the surrounding people began to burn, including Feng Chun who was still in the water. It was a bizarre yet magnificent sight.
Seeing this scene, Gu Yun shuddered violently, feeling both vindicated and terrified. As a cultivator, one still had to abide by the laws and regulations within the borders of Daxia. Daxia was entirely different from the nonsensical freedom found abroad. The Ranye Organization ran rampant internationally, yet they dared not act too flagrantly within the borders of Daxia. This was the dignity and capability of Daxia. However, since they had touched someone they should never have touched, the Ranye Organization could only await its total demise.
The surrounding people turned into ashes one after another, and the miserable shrieks grew weaker and weaker.
Yan Lan’s expression was complicated.
The Eastern Emperor walked up to Yan Lan, pointed at those people, and said, “Yan Lan, today I shall teach you a lesson. Not everyone deserves to be called human.”
Gazing at his former close friend from this lifetime, Yuan Ruoshen spoke slowly, “The law might be able to sanction them, but that would be a mercy to them, rendering it far too easy on them. Perhaps you are well aware that this is unfair, but there has never been any inherent fairness in this world to begin with. The victims fail to receive the closure they deserve, while the victimizers continue to remain at large in this world. Therefore, where does fairness come from? The law of the world is the survival of the fittest. Even with the constraints of the law, it remains the same for everyone else.”
He continued, “I can do the things that you want to do but cannot do. Your rules cannot bind me. Likewise, I will not actively destroy your rules, at least not within certain parameters. The Ranye Organization will no longer appear in Daxia, nor will it appear in this world. I can resolve this trouble for you.”
Although the Eastern Emperor spoke sharply, his words were entirely accurate. Where was there any true fairness in the world? Moreover, the Eastern Emperor was truly gentle; toward his friends, he had always maintained courtesy and respect.
Yan Lan understood the profound meaning within Yuan Ruoshen’s words. He could not help but feel his eyes redden as he asked, “Are you still the person I know?”
Yuan Ruoshen replied, “I am him, but I am not entirely him.”
Yan Lan took a deep breath, nodded in relief, and said, “I understand.”
Yuan Ruoshen patted Yan Lan on the shoulder, “Alright, do not overthink things.”
Having dealt with all the obstructive people, only Gu Yun and Yan Lan were left on the scene, staring blankly at each other. Yuan Ruoshen and Yan Qinyu worked in perfect tandem to extract all kinds of criminal evidence regarding this branch of the Ranye Organization, as well as the locations of several other hidden branches.
“I will go handle this,” Yuan Ruoshen said, looking toward Yan Qinyu.
Yan Qinyu nodded.
Aside from Gu Yun, who had been prepared beforehand, and under Yan Lan’s horrified, stunned gaze, Yuan Ruoshen tore through space and vanished from sight.
Yuan Ruoshen sought out the other hidden branches of the Ranye Organization directly. Wherever he passed, the True Fire of the Sun ignited, burning all wickedness to cinders. Yuan Ruoshen also rescued some children who had been human-trafficked and kidnapped inside, bundling them up and dropping them off at the local government offices. As for other administrative matters, they were none of his concern. Within moments, the headquarters along with several branches inside the borders of Daxia were entirely wiped clean by him.
Yuan Ruoshen tore through space once more to return to the original spot. Looking at Yan Qinyu, the two smiled at each other, everything understood without a word.
As for Yan Lan, watching this scene unfold gave him a completely brand-new understanding of their strength.
Yuan Ruoshen did not forget to compile the criminal evidence of those branches. They could not manage the aftermath at the headquarters abroad, but the subsequent matters within the borders of Daxia had to be handed over to the official authorities for processing. It was not as simple as merely destroying the branch strongholds, as it still involved various other members. Since Yuan Ruoshen had already helped them destroy the strongholds, the remaining tasks naturally fell to the officials. He was not a babysitter who had to finish every single detail for them. A Bureau of Management of this scale did not exist just to sit idly by.
Yuan Ruoshen casually tossed the documents to Yan Lan. Yan Lan caught them in a flurry, his mouth twitching with a highly complicated expression.
“Back to the capital.” Now that everything was settled, Yuan Ruoshen did not intend to remain here any longer.
“Ah, what?” Yan Lan was still somewhat dazed, only to see that Yuan Ruoshen had already torn open a spatial rift, grabbing both Yan Lan and Gu Yun to throw them into the spatial channel.
Following that, he looked toward Yan Qinyu, “Qinyu, let us leave as well.”
Yan Qinyu smiled elegantly, interlocking his fingers with Yuan Ruoshen’s, “Mhm.”