"What’s the point of you two arguing back and forth? Why don’t you ask her where she wants to go first?" Ye Fan interjected.

At that, both men turned their intense gazes upon Le Yi.

Le Yi was startled. She hadn’t expected that someone would care for her so well in these chaotic times.

She immediately replied, "As long as Young Master Wu Fa doesn’t find me lacking, I am willing to follow you and take care of you for the rest of my life, because you are the one who saved me!"

"See? Now that’s what I’m talking about!" Wu Fa laughed heartily.

My chance to be the hero is gone, and Wu Fa gets all the credit for free! Of course, as long as Ye Fan doesn’t benefit, I can live with it. All the top beauties in the Divine Domain are already involved with Ye Fan. If this keeps up, where does that leave the rest of us?! Mu Chen Dong fumed internally.

At this point, Wu Fa said, "Don’t worry, I will definitely not let you suffer again."

Then, Ye Fan spoke up, "Now that you’ve stopped arguing, how should we clean up this mess?"

After all, the impulsive Wu Fa had just killed a prince. To act so brazenly right under the emperor’s nose... Wu Fa has some of my style from back in the day. In this regard, Ye Fan found himself admiring Wu Fa a little.

Just then, Mu Chen Dong spoke up. "Boss, don’t worry. I’ll take care of this. I think we should go to the Imperial Palace and explain!"

"Aren’t you afraid of your father?" Ye Fan asked.

I’m terrified... Mu Chen Dong thought, but he felt it was better to explain the situation.

So, he declared, "I’m not afraid!" even though his legs went weak the moment the words left his mouth.

Under the night sky, the Imperial Palace was bustling with activity. The princes, princesses, and the beauties of the Emperor’s harem were all conversing in hushed whispers. After all, this was the Imperial Palace; not many dared to speak loudly here.

Emperor Mu Jiang and the Red Sand Main God were sitting together, drinking and singing, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

At that moment, the Emperor said to the Red Sand Main God, "Brother, ever since you became the ruler of Sha State, our dynasty has been expanding and peace reigns across the land—all thanks to your efforts!"

The Red Sand Main God replied calmly, "It is your governance that is effective. However, the dynasty may be vast, but in this era, you must never expand its territory into the domain of the Evil God!"

"I will strictly follow your instructions, Brother!"

Although he was the Emperor who ruled over the people of Shazhou, he did not dare assume an air of supremacy in front of the Red Sand Main God.

As they were enjoying their conversation, an unwelcome piece of news arrived. The Emperor’s expression changed instantly, and his face twisted with anger.

The Red Sand Main God asked, "What happened?"

"Brother, one of my princes has been murdered!" the Emperor said. "He was killed within the Imperial City! The murderer acted brazenly, with no regard for the Red Sand Dynasty!"

So it’s that prince, the Red Sand Main God thought. He was a notorious evildoer who preyed on the common people. A man like that deserved to die.

"What do you plan to do?" the Red Sand Main God asked.

"Catch the murderer and bring him to justice!" the Emperor said, enraged. "To challenge the Red Sand Dynasty is to challenge the Red Sand Immortal Mountain! It is a challenge to your rule, Brother!"

The Red Sand Main God said nothing. Even if the killer must be punished, we first need to see who it is.

The mother of Prince Bei, a lady of regal grace, was kneeling below, crying incessantly. The Emperor rebuked her, "What dignity is there in all this wailing? I have already sent men to catch the culprit!"

Needless to say, the incident had soured an otherwise fine festival. No one in the palace dared to make a sound. They all stood silently along the sides of the vast rear courtyard, and any discussions that did take place were conducted in cautious whispers.

Just then, a eunuch hurried over, knelt hastily, and announced, "Your Majesty, the murderers have entered the palace!"

"Then seize them at once!" the Emperor bellowed.

"We... we dare not!"

"Useless fools!" The Emperor shot to his feet. "So brazen! I must see for myself who these murderers are."

Not long after, three people arrived. Ye Fan wasn’t swaggering like the other two; he and Le Yi simply followed behind them.

The Emperor, along with Prince Bei’s mother, had been filled with imposing fury. That rage vanished, however, the moment they saw Mu Chen Dong and Wu Fa among the three. The Emperor knew at once that this was revenge he could not seek.

When the Red Sand Main God saw it was Mu Chen Dong and Wu Fa who had caused the trouble, he felt a strong urge to give Mu Chen Dong a harsh beating, but he held his tongue for the moment.

"Greetings, Uncle. Greetings, Father!" Mu Chen Dong and Wu Fa bowed. Ye Fan, however, only offered a slight cupped-fist salute, as his relationship with the Red Sand Main God was one of martial brothers. Le Yi knelt to the ground.

Just as the Emperor was about to speak, the Red Sand Main God asked, "What are you doing here?"

Mu Chen Dong quickly replied, "Father, we’ve caused trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" the Red Sand Main God asked.

Mu Chen Dong explained, "Prince Bei was committing evil deeds, killing people on the street and abducting a young woman. Wu Fa and I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen and even threatened to kill us! So, in a fit of rage, we fought back. He was accidentally killed in the process."

Wu Fa gave Mu Chen Dong a thumbs-up for taking the blame like that. It couldn’t be helped; they were the best of brothers, so how could Mu Chen Dong let Wu Fa take the fall?

The Red Sand Main God’s face turned cold.

Prince Bei’s mother, however, immediately wailed, "Your Majesty, I beg you to have them torn to pieces! Avenge my son!"

The Emperor was already in an awkward position, and upon hearing this, he nearly collapsed. I’ve seen people sabotage others before, but never this suicidally!

"Someone, take this vile woman to the Cold Palace!"

"Yes!"

Two guards rushed forward and dragged the woman away as she cried and pleaded her innocence, but the Emperor’s mind was made up. He knew what was truly important.

The Red Sand Main God then asked, "Isn’t that a bit too harsh?"

The Emperor replied, "Her poor guidance is what allowed that worthless creature to wreak havoc in the Imperial City. I have been too busy with matters of state to deal with him. It’s a good thing he’s dead! The Imperial City is rid of a menace!"

Though Prince Bei indeed deserved to die, he was still the Emperor’s son. If it weren’t for the influential backgrounds of these two, he would have had them killed long ago. But in this situation, he knew that one wrong move could offend both the Red Sand Main God and the Evil Punishment Main God, neither of whom he could afford to provoke. Although the Red Sand Dynasty controlled a territory of one hundred thousand li, it was nothing compared to those two.

The Red Sand Main God nodded.

The Emperor immediately said, "You did well. To dispense justice for heaven is the duty of us Martial Artists. Come, come! Since you are here on this grand occasion, you must stay as my guests!"

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Mu Chen Dong and Wu Fa exchanged a look. The matter was resolved just like that, but the Red Sand Main God’s expression remained grim.

Le Yi nearly fainted. To her, the Emperor was an unreachable, supreme existence. She never imagined that the person who saved her was someone even the Emperor had to treat with such deference. Just what kind of background did they have? It was far too immense!

Ye Fan, however, remained calm. The Emperor of Shazhou is a wise man. He only lost a useless son but avoided offending two Main God Level powerhouses. Sweeping the matter under the rug like this is probably for the best. If he had insisted on making trouble, his Red Sand Dynasty wouldn’t have stood a chance. Although he and the Red Sand Main God are brothers, fratricide isn’t uncommon in this chaotic era. As the Controller of a Dynasty, he would naturally understand this principle. If he had truly tried to execute Mu Chen Dong, the Red Sand Main God would have struck him down without hesitation, even if it meant killing his own brother. And the Evil Punishment Main God would have become completely irrational.

The Emperor knew he couldn’t touch that woman or Ye Fan, either. In the end, his loss was only a worthless son, and he had plenty of other princes and princesses.

At this moment, the many members of the Royal Family were shocked. These people killed Prince Bei, swaggered right into the palace, and the Emperor didn’t dare say a word. Is this still the same awe-inspiring Emperor who rules Shazhou?