333: Chapter 334 Resolving the Issue with the Canglan Royal Family

Looking at the noble ministers and palace elites within the grand hall, who once swaggered arrogantly but now lay prostrate on the ground trembling like sieves, Lin Muyang's eyes held little ripple.

He was not a bloodthirsty person, nor was his purpose here to slaughter the entire Canglan Empire from top to bottom. What he aimed to sever was the root of that poisonous vine that had been coiled around the necks of the Elf Race and the empire's ordinary commoners for centuries—the royal family of the Canglan Empire, and the core martial class that supported its atrocities.

As for these aristocratic families and ministers of various departments kneeling on the ground now, they had other uses in Lin Muyang's future plans. If the Sunlight Elf Clan were to take over and govern this human empire territory, a thousand times vaster than the Azureblue Forest, relying solely on Elandir, Laigong, his son, and their limited clansmen would be far from enough.

The Elf Race excelled at coexisting with nature and were skilled in magic and arts. But faced with a complex human society of tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of people, how to handle the tedious management of daily administration, taxation, public security, construction, and judiciary? They lacked experience and, more importantly, a sufficient number of executors familiar with human affairs.

Even Lin Muyang could not, by his own strength, constantly monitor the entire empire and protect every possibly dispersed elf from potential revenge or the impact of grassroots unrest. Concentrating power, solidifying the core, and then implementing his will through a reliable and efficient management system was the way for lasting stability.

The middle and lower levels of this management system would inevitably need to be filled by human officials familiar with local conditions and possessing certain administrative capabilities. The noble ministers before him, though not lacking in cunning, greed, and those who aided and abetted tyranny, were also the very gears that had kept this empire running for years.

As long as the topmost, most harmful driving axle could be replaced, and new, absolutely unbreakable rules embedded into this system, these gears could still drive the colossal machine that was the empire.

Of course, the prerequisite was to ensure these people's absolute loyalty and obedience, eliminating any possibility of feigned compliance, secret collusion, or even waiting for an opportunity to restore the old regime. This might be difficult for ordinary people, but for Lin Muyang, it was merely a matter of thought.

"As the saying goes, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,'" Lin Muyang contemplated inwardly. He could not remain in this world forever, acting as the Sunlight Elf Clan's guardian deity.

Even if Lilia was willing, she yearned more to follow him to explore more unknown worlds than to be confined to one place for long. The best method was to lay a sufficiently solid foundation for the Sunlight Elf Clan before leaving, endowing them with power enough to protect themselves, even deter surrounding forces, and establish a relatively stable ruling framework capable of sustained operation.

This way, even after his departure, Lilia would only need to appear as a stabilizing pillar during critical moments, without having to attend to every matter personally.

"Find all members of the Canglan royal family, whether direct or collateral, and gather them together," Lin Muyang's voice rang out in the grand hall, calm yet carrying an indisputable decisiveness, like an icy decree carved into the depths of every soul present. "Today, the empire changes hands. Canglan shall change its surname."

He never claimed to be a moral saint. When it concerned the safety of himself and those close to him, when it was necessary to eradicate hidden dangers, he would never have a side of mercy. The royal family of the Canglan Empire, as the chief culprit and greatest beneficiary of enslaving and oppressing elves for centuries, had hands stained with elven blood and tears, and never treated the commoners within the empire as human.

Even if some inconsequential descendants were left, perhaps causing no waves in the short term, who could guarantee that decades or centuries later, these seeds bearing national and familial hatred would not take root and sprout in some corner, once again extending a poisonous hand towards the Elf Race?

Lin Muyang did not frequent this world and could not keep watch at all times. Mercy towards enemies was cruelty towards one's own. This principle, he had experienced and deeply believed. Since he decided to act, he would do it thoroughly, leaving no loose ends.

Under his command, the noble ministers in the hall, who had just recovered some strength from the Aura suppression, acted almost without hesitation. Under the silent influence of the [Absolute Command] Aura, they could not even generate the thought of hesitation. Suppressing the fear and complex emotions in their hearts, they mobilized the forces and intelligence networks under their control, beginning to issue urgent orders throughout the city and even to various regions via magical communication.

The efficiency was astonishingly high. The vast royal genealogy and personnel movements, which might have taken days or even months to sort out under normal circumstances, were compiled into several detailed lists within just a few hours under the divine will and the forced drive of the Aura, presented before Lin Muyang.

The remaining royal family members within the palace were first found one by one, brought out from hidden chambers, concealed walls, and even from beneath artificial hills and lakes. Princely mansions and villas within the city were swiftly secured, with relevant personnel detained.

"Lord Lin Muyang, the royal family members on the list who are in the imperial capital have basically been brought under control. However, there are still some with considerable strength, either serving in border military posts or stationed in their territories, whom we are temporarily unable to mobilize or apprehend," reported an old-school noble responsible for compiling the list, once the head of the empire's intelligence system, now trembling with fear as he presented another list marked with special symbols. "There are also those with uncertain whereabouts, traveling or conducting business in other empires..."

"Additionally, this is the most complete possible genealogy of the royal direct and collateral lines, along with a roster of known members, compiled based on secret imperial archives and records from various departments, including some who may have changed their appearance or gone into hiding..." added another old minister in charge of imperial clan affairs, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Lin Muyang took the lists, his gaze sweeping over them calmly. He did not need to know what these people had specifically done. As long as the blood of the Canglan royal family flowed in their veins, in this world where lineage inheritance was core and hatred perpetuated through bloodlines, their very existence was a potential threat to the future.

"Good," Lin Muyang nodded, somewhat satisfied with the efficiency of these human officials before him. He could sense that, under the influence of the [Absolute Command] Aura, although these people might still have inner struggles, fear, or even resentment, their actions completely followed his instructions, leaving no room for feigned compliance or covert manipulation.

Perhaps some originally harbored thoughts of secretly letting one or two royal offspring escape, preserving a lineage. But under the absolute will of the Aura, such thoughts were extinguished by an invisible force the moment they surfaced, leaving only the instinct to execute orders.

"As for those remaining outside the capital, and these so-called experts on the list..." Lin Muyang's tone was indifferent, as if discussing a trivial matter, "leave them to more specialized individuals to handle."

Before his words faded, the air beside him rippled with a dark, subtle disturbance. A slender figure stepped out quietly—Jialiya, summoned by Lin Muyang. The Necromancer girl still wore her slightly oversized black robe, her pale little face showing a trace of travel weariness. But upon seeing Lin Muyang, her eyes immediately brightened, like a small animal seeing its master.

"Master, I'm here," Jialiya's voice was timid yet filled with complete trust.

"Mm, thank you for making the trip," Lin Muyang nodded gently to her, handing her the list marked with those outside the capital and the experts. "These people need to be cleaned up. Your children should be quite suited for this task."

Jialiya took the list, quickly scanning it, immediately understanding Lin Muyang's meaning. She nodded vigorously, a look of seriousness appearing on her pale little face. "Yes, Master. Leave it to me."

She felt genuinely happy to be able to share Lin Muyang's burdens. Often, the other sisters around Lin Muyang possessed greater combat strength and dealt with problems more directly. Tasks like this, requiring large-scale, long-distance, precise elimination of specific targets, were instead where she, the Necromancer, excelled.

Without another word, she took a few steps back, closed her eyes, and formed a complex, ancient seal with her hands before her chest. A vast, profound, and obscure surge of spiritual power and magical fluctuation, as if bridging the boundary between life and death, erupted from her petite frame!

"Dead arise, bones as wings, heed my call..."

She chanted ancient incantations in a low voice, ethereal and drifting. As she chanted, the ground around her suddenly turned pitch black, as if stained by ink. An intense, extreme Aura of death burst forth, yet was firmly restrained within a certain range by some force, not spreading wantonly, only causing the temperature in the hall to plummet. Several ministers standing close by couldn't help but shiver, their faces turning even paler.

The next moment, Jialiya suddenly spread her arms wide!

"Roar——!!!"

"Screech——!!!"

"Hiss——!!!"

Countless shrill, sharp shrieks and howls, filled with the meaning of death and destruction, erupted as if from the deepest depths of the underworld, converging into a terrifying wave of sound that froze souls!

Above the imperial capital, the sky originally tinged with the faint light of dawn suddenly darkened! No, it wasn't the sky darkening—it was being obscured!

Dense, countless massive shadows tore through space, swarming out like locusts from the gates of hell, blanketing the sky above Canglan City! They were skeletal Necro Dragons, with Dark Blueor ghastly green soul fires dancing in their eye sockets! Their sizes generally exceeded those of ordinary flying dragons on the Velos Continent. Their wings, connected by tattered bone membranes, emitted teeth-grating "crackling" frictionsounds during flight, their bodies wreathed in gray-black death Auras. Wherever they passed, even sunlight seemed to be devoured and distorted.

A full several thousand Necro Dragons! They circled in the air, forming a vast, oppressive vortex of death. Their terrifying draconic Intimidationcombined, plunging the entire imperial capital's millions of residents into unprecedented panic! People screamed, hiding back in their houses, kneeling in prayer, thinking the apocalypse had come. On the square outside the palace hall, the remnant guards who had just assembled were so terrified they collapsed to the ground, weapons clattering everywhere.

Jialiya opened her eyes, deep within her pupils as if Styxflowed. She raised her hand, pointing eastward, her voice clear and cold as it conveyed Lin Muyang's will:

"Those recorded on the list, bearing the bloodline of Canglan, show no mercy. Depart."

"Roar——!!!"

Several thousand Necro Dragons roared in unison, shaking the heavens. Then, like a death legion receiving its highest command, they rapidly divided into dozens of squadrons of varying sizes, shooting off like black arrows released from their strings towards every direction of the empire—the eastern border legion garrisons, the southern affluent territories, the hidden fortresses in the western rugged mountains, the northern commercial city-states...

They Howlingtowards every target location on the list! They ignored terrain, knew no fatigue, had a natural affinity for death and negative energy, capable of tracking the faintest target breath—they were the most efficient "cleaners," without a doubt.

One day, at most one day. Lin Muyang believed that all members of the Canglan royal family on this list still on the Velos Continent, no matter where they hid or how many guards they had, would meet their end. This once-glorious imperial family would face a complete end in terms of bloodline.

The empire's authority would completely fall into the hands of the Sunlight Elf Clan.

Of course, before its formal takeover and the establishment of effective rule, Lin Muyang still needed to prepare some aids for the Sunlight Elf Clan, sufficient to deter all sides and stabilize their rule.