24: January

"Who is this person?"

Nangong Aotian asked, looking at the bloody figure on the ground, though he already had some guesses in his heart.

Qin Wuhui raised his head slightly, the killing intent in his eyes no longer suppressible. He said hatefully, "Your Majesty, this is Yao Jiawen!"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uncontrollable killing intent instantly flashed in Nangong Aotian's eyes.

His body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the murderous intent surging within him.

His fingers clenched tightly into fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh, and bright red blood flowed from between his fingers, yet he seemed unaware.

Nangong Aotian took a deep breath, sensing the faint aura emanating from Yao Jiawen. He said hatefully, "Men! Heal him! I want to slice him into a thousand pieces, extract his soul, strip his tendons, and use his Divine Soul to light the Heavenly Lantern for me!"

As soon as he said this, the bloody figure Yao Jiawen on the ground trembled slightly, wishing he could die immediately.

But he couldn't do it at all!

Nangong Wenxin and the others had already crippled his cultivation and sealed his Divine Soul, making suicide virtually impossible!

At this moment, two accompanying physicians quickly stepped forward and gave Yao Jiawen a healing Medicinal Pill.

Nangong Aotian's voice continued, "Take him away and guard him strictly. Don't let him die easily."

Hearing this, the two physicians nodded and left with the man, followed by the palace guards.

Nangong Aotian looked at Qin Wuhui, "What about the other eight people? Are they dead?"

Qin Wuhui lowered his head, "Your Majesty, the remaining eight were skinned alive by our brothers to vent their anger."

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian nodded slightly and said, "If This Emperor's prediction is correct, you are already purging those Families in the Northern Territory, right?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Qin Wuhui nodded quickly, "We could not suppress our rage upon learning the truth. We beg Your Majesty for punishment!"

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian shook his head instead. "How much did you spend to purchase that information?"

Qin Wuhui answered truthfully, "Ten Spirit Stones per person for the Zhenbei Army, plus fifty percent of the treasures we confiscated from the traitors!"

Nangong Aotian nodded slightly, harboring no suspicion.

He pondered for a moment and said, "You did well. I will have the Military Department give you 100,000 Spirit Stones as a reward for this merit."

"Furthermore, I will have someone tally the spoils confiscated from the Yao Family and give you fifty percent, along with an additional 50,000 Spirit Stones. You are to hand these over to the other party as This Emperor's thanks to him!"

Qin Wuhui immediately kowtowed, "Qin Wuhui thanks Your Majesty on behalf of the Zhenbei Army. May our Emperor live ten thousand years, sharing longevity with the heavens..."

Hearing his words, Nangong Aotian waved his hand and said, "Enough, stop with the pleasantries. Take your men to rest first. I will have someone prepare the items for you to take back to the Zhenbei Army!"

"This subordinate accepts the order!"

Qin Wuhui nodded in affirmation.

Nangong Aotian took a deep breath, turned, and returned to the Imperial Palace with his attendants.

However, he did not return to the Empress Dowager's side but went directly to Qianqing Hall.

The killing intent radiating from him was too strong; he was worried it might disturb Nangong Yu!

...Over at the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters, everyone naturally heard the execution order issued by Nangong Aotian.

Empress Dowager Ji Ziyu's expression shifted slightly. She was also curious how these nine people had provoked Nangong Aotian, so she sent people to investigate the matter.

Before long, the dispatched people returned, and they learned the reason.

Because of this, the three women fell silent.

Empress Dowager Ji Ziyu and Shangguan Yuexi were furious, their killing intent faintly visible. They both clearly wanted to avenge Nangong Aochen.

But for a moment, they didn't know who they should go kill.

Should they target those people from the Beichuan Empire? With their current abilities, going there would be suicide!

That blood feud could perhaps only be settled during a national war.

As for the few traitors within the Empire and their Families, they might already be purged before the women even arrived at the scene.

Just then, Ji Ziyu thought of something, turning to look at the personal Servant Girl beside her. "Cui Zhu, go inform the Emperor that when he punishes that traitor Yao Jiawen, notify This Dowager Empress so I can attend the execution!"

"This Servant Girl will go immediately!"

Cui Zhu agreed and quickly departed.

Seeing this, Shangguan Yuexi's eyes lit up slightly. "Mother Empress, may I join you?"

"You may!"

Ji Ziyu nodded, not declining.

But after this incident, the three women no longer felt like chatting.

Shangguan Yuexi bid farewell, holding Nangong Yu, and returned to the Prince of Zhenbeis Residence.

Naturally, Liu Mingyue, who understood Nangong Aotian's intentions, also returned with them.

Shangguan Yuexi took Nangong Yu to the ancestral hall, offered sacrifices to Nangong Aochen, and recounted the events of the day.

Afterward, she took Nangong Yu back to her bedroom. Nangong Yu was already asleep... Time flowed silently through their fingers, and nearly a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Nangong Yu lay in his mother Shangguan Yuexi's arms, but his attention was focused on the light screen in his mind.

[Name: Nangong Yu]

[Age: One Month]

[Race: Human Race]

[Realm: Spirit Absorption Realm Extreme Realm Perfection]

[Spiritual Root: Grand Void Spiritual Root]

[Physique: Divine Shadow Dao Body]

[Cultivation Technique: Grand Void Origin Returning Art]

[Spirit Technique: Hidden Abyss]

[Sub-Profession: Deduction Master · Special Grade]

[Weapons: void feather · Peak Grade Emperor Weapon, Flowing Moon Shield · High Grade Spiritual Artifact, White Jade Fan · Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact, Mother-Child Mysterious Spirit Needles · Low Grade Spiritual Artifact]

[Subordinates: Ying Mei, Tian Kui, Earth Leader, Earth Fiend, Divine Shadow Squad * 3]

[Items: None]

...During this period, Nangong Yu consumed five spirit nurturing pills daily, and after twenty-four days, he finally raised his cultivation to Spirit Absorption Realm Extreme Realm Perfection!

In total, he used 120 spirit nurturing pills during this time!

If it weren't for the fact that the Special Grade spirit nurturing pills had no Pill Toxin, coupled with the Grand Void Origin Returning Art providing a foundation, he wouldn't dare to cultivate like this!

Fortunately, the results were quite good!

However, he still had some confusion that he couldn't resolve immediately.

That was the appearance of the Extreme Realm within the Spirit Absorption Realm again!

Generally speaking, when the spiritual power in the Dantian and Meridians is abundant, one refines and compresses it using a Cultivation Technique until the spiritual power is condensed by half, allowing one to Break through to the Spirit Absorption Realm Middle Stage.

Then, once the spiritual power once again fills the Dantian and Meridians, and is again condensed and compressed by half, one can Break through to the Spirit Absorption Realm Late Stage.

Compressing and condensing the spiritual power by half for the third time, and allowing the spiritual power to once again fill the Dantian and Meridians, is considered Spirit Absorption Realm Peak Perfection.

At this point, the Dantian and Meridians would feel bloated and painful, and the spiritual power could no longer be condensed or compressed further, meaning one could Break through to the Grotto Heaven Realm at any time.

But Nangong Yu was an exception. He discovered that his situation was genuinely unusual.