Chapter 628: You Are Not Convinced

Ce Tian descended, flying directly in front of Qin Ya.

His tone held a hint of warmth as he said, “Qin Tianjue, what happened?”

‘Gentle? And he called him Qin Tianjue?’

Upon hearing Ce Tian speak, the crowd felt a wave of dizziness wash over them, as if they might faint. ‘Is this man *really* the Commander of the Divine Guard Army?’

After all, Ce Tian’s reputation in the Divine Capital was hardly stellar.

To put it nicely, he was known for being iron-willed and impartial. To put it bluntly, he was simply cold and heartless!

When had anyone ever seen him be so affable? And that form of address… Qin Tianjue. It proved this young man was truly a Celestial Duke.

In that moment, the crowd felt their entire worldview being rocked to its core, threatening to shatter. Bai Lintian and his men, meanwhile, looked horrified.

‘He… he couldn’t possibly be acquainted with Commander Ce, could he?!’

“Greetings, Commander Ce,” Qin Ya said with a faint smile, then proceeded to give a rough account of what happened. “I hadn’t expected to trouble you, Commander.”

“It’s no trouble,” Ce Tian said coolly.

His gaze then shifted to the Capital Guards. “Hmph. You can’t even tell right from wrong while on duty. Take Lin He and Bai Lintian to the Supervision Mansion to be dealt with. Afterward, go to the Chaotic Blade Prison and receive your own punishment. If any of you disobey, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“Yes, yes.”

The Capital Guards were terrified. How could they possibly dare to refuse?

An immense bitterness welled up inside them.

‘This is just great. Not only did we offend a Celestial Duke, but now we’ve been sentenced to the Chaotic Blade Prison. Is that a place one can just stroll into? For people of our level, we’d be lucky to escape with only a layer of our skin peeled off. We’ll be fortunate not to die in there.’

Instantly, they began to seethe with resentment toward Bai Lintian and Lin He.

‘Hmph, it’s all because of these two. Why the hell did they have to go and steal some Spiritual Artifact? With their status, what kind of artifact couldn’t they obtain? No, they just *had* to go and provoke a Celestial Duke.’

‘And now, look what’s happened. We Capital Guards have been dragged down with them.’

As this thought crossed their minds, their gazes toward Bai Lintian and his companion turned unfriendly.

“Move it.”

“Stealing a Spiritual Artifact in broad daylight! Is there no law anymore?”

“Hmph. Did you think your noble status meant you could do whatever you please? You really don’t know your own limits. The actual Celestial Duke isn’t even as arrogant as you are.”

“Let’s go. You’re coming with us to the Supervision Mansion.”

With stone-cold expressions, the Capital Guards hauled Bai Lintian and his companion away.

The pair felt utterly wronged, but they were helpless in the face of a Celestial Duke. All they could do was glare at Qin Ya with venomous eyes, but their stares were completely useless.

After the Capital Guards left with Bai Lintian and Lin He, the crowd took one last, long look at Qin Ya. They seemed to be burning the young Celestial Duke’s face into their memories, secretly vowing to avoid provoking him at all costs if they ever crossed his path.

‘My god. He’s clearly just a King, yet he slaughtered over a dozen Half-Venerables.’

‘He’s a King, yet he’s become the youngest Celestial Duke.’

‘They wished they could be a King like that, too.’

Just as they were about to leave, a question from Qin Ya stopped them in their tracks. He was heard asking, “Is Commander Ce on his way to suppress the Wu Family?”

‘Suppress the Wu Family?’

‘What’s going on? Which Wu Family? Could it be the Wu Family, one of the families of the Seventy-Two Celestial Dukes?’

Recalling how the Divine Guard Army had just taken Wu Ruidi away, everyone began to speculate. They couldn’t help but perk up their ears and listen intently to the conversation.

Ce Tian paid the crowd no mind. Suppressing the Wu Family was a foregone conclusion, and there was no harm in it being public knowledge. In fact, the more people who knew, the better. It was the perfect opportunity to use the Wu Family to showcase the Divine Lord’s authority.

“That’s right,” Ce Tian said with a nod. “Your contribution to exposing Wu Ruidi’s true nature was invaluable, Qin Tianjue. Why don’t you join me?”

Qin Ya thought for a moment. “I can do that.”

‘Perfect. Thanks to Bai Lintian and Lin He, I’ve already offended two Celestial Nobility Families, the Lin Family and the Bai Family. This is a good chance to see what a Celestial Nobility Family is really made of.’

“Then let’s be on our way.”

Qin Ya looked toward Mo Cang. “Brother Mo, would you like to come as well?”

“No, thank you. I should return to my family and report this as soon as possible.”

“Understood. Then we’ll part ways here.”

With that, Qin Ya departed with Ce Tian and the Divine Guard Army.

But the onlookers who had overheard the exchange were now buzzing with excitement and shock. The suppression of a Celestial Nobility Family? How could they possibly miss seeing that?

Instantly, a crowd began to form, following behind the Divine Guard Army.

Such a large commotion naturally drew the attention of many others throughout the Divine Capital.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many people?”

“That’s… the Divine Guard Army. They’re heading in the direction of the Wu Family. What on earth did the Wu Family do to make the Divine Guard Army visit them multiple times in one day?”

“Tch. If you ask me, the Wu Family has reached the end of the line.”

“The Divine Guard Army only mobilizes to capture traitors or wipe out rebels. To think the Wu Family, a Celestial Nobility Family personally invested by the Divine Lord, would meet such a fate.”

“Hmph, so what? Here in the Divine Capital, the Divine Lord’s word is absolute. How could the insignificant Celestial Nobility Wu Family possibly defy the Divine Lord?”

Along the way, the crowd grew larger and larger, gradually swelling into a massive human tide.

Countless people trailed behind the Divine Guard Army, surging toward the Wu Family’s domain.

Before long, Qin Ya and the others arrived at the Wu Family’s domain.

“People of the Wu Family, hear this decree!!”

Upon arriving, Ce Tian let out a great bellow. His voice was like rolling thunder, CRACKING through the air!

Within the domain, countless disciples of the Wu Family saw what was happening and fell to their knees, not daring to rise.

“‘The Wu Family has privately trafficked Bone Creation and Reshaping Powder, a most heinous crime for which the entire clan deserves execution! However, the Divine Lord is mindful of the Wu Family’s past meritorious service. Therefore, Wu Ruidi is stripped of his title as a Celestial Duke, all wealth of the Wu Family is to be confiscated by the state, and all disciples of the Wu Family are forbidden from setting foot in the Divine Capital for a hundred years…'” Ce Tian proclaimed, holding a Golden Scroll aloft as he read.

Upon hearing this, every member of the Wu Family turned pale with shock.

“What? Confiscate all our assets!”

“Damn it! Those are our cultivation resources! How can they do this? Besides, we knew nothing about the Ancestor selling Bone Creation and Reshaping Powder!”

“Damn it! I refuse to accept this!”

“That’s right! The Wu Family has spent ages accumulating its wealth! By what right do you take it all away on a whim? How are we supposed to continue our cultivation?!”

Instantly, many voices of protest rose from the crowd.

For them, losing the support of the Wu Family’s resources meant their cultivation speed would plummet. They were accustomed to making rapid progress, and this was no different from having their path in Martial Arts completely cut off. How could they ever accept such a fate?

Faced with the defiance of the Wu Family disciples, Ce Tian’s eyes narrowed, a chill glinting within them. His voice was like ice. “You… object? Hmph. The Divine Lord showed great mercy in not having the entire Wu Family annihilated. That alone is a monumental grace, and you dare to defy it?!”

A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from him, sweeping outward. It descended upon the hearts of the Wu Family disciples like a great mountain, causing their legs to tremble uncontrollably. Kneeling on the ground, their faces were etched with terror, too frightened to utter another word.