Chapter 557: Chapter 468 Search and Confiscation

When this question was raised, it immediately drew an unpleasant expression from the Emperor.

Having learned the truth, he had developed a deep hatred for the Daoist Sect, wishing he could literally eat their flesh and sleep on their hides. Naturally, he was greatly displeased by the Guard Commander’s inquiry.

Fortunately, with the consolation of Golden Light Master, the Emperor was able to maintain at least a shred of rationality amidst his agitation at the moment.

He was also well aware that the cause of this was due to the Daoist Sect’s control over Ning Country’s faith for so many years, to the extent that many of the common people were followers of the sect. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

And as the leading figure of the Daoist Sect, Qingning Temple had been the origin of all State Preceptors since the founding of Great Ning, already regarded as a sacred place in everyone’s heart.

Now that he had ordered a raid on Qingning Temple, it was only natural for some to be utterly perplexed.

However, the old Emperor did not bother to explain much. At this moment, he had already made up his mind. If the Guard Commander had any objections, he could not blame him for being ruthless.

Fortunately, the Guard Commander did not press for the reasons. Though he was greatly shocked, years of experience had instilled in him a habit of obedience, and since it was the Emperor’s decree, it was to be carried out without question.

At his command, countless Imperial guards began to move, all the soldiers donned their armors and wielded sharp weapons, marching in unison toward Qingning Temple.

This commotion naturally drew the attention of all the citizens of the Capital city. Ordinarily, these well-equipped Imperial guards were meant to safeguard the Imperial City, acting as the Emperor’s last line of defense, and were rarely deployed; deployment signified the onset of significant events.

Yet, as ordinary citizens, upon seeing the soldiers emanating a murderous aura, they would choose to stay away, but still, they whispered to each other afterward, speculating where the troops might be headed.

It wasn’t long before people realized something was amiss, as the target of the Imperial guards turned out to be none other than Qingning Temple, which left countless people in shock.

What place was Qingning Temple? A holy site of the Daoist Sect, the birthplace of numerous State Preceptors, its status in the Capital city was paramount, regarded as inviolable by the followers of Daoism, yet today, it faced the calamity of war.

For some, this was like a bolt from the blue. Soon, fervent believers of the Daoist Sect rushed frantically toward Qingning Temple.

At that very moment, the commanding General, Wang Chao, had already begun knocking on the temple’s gates with his drawn blade in hand.

"Who’s there? Don’t you know what place this is?" asked a sleepy Daoist boy, cracking open the gate with a somewhat unfriendly tone.

Wang Chao unsheathed his sword from his waist, calling out sternly, "By the Emperor’s decree, Qingning Temple is to be sealed. Where is the Temple Master? Present yourself and return with me to the Imperial Palace to see the Emperor!"

His voice boomed, echoing through Qingning Temple, awakening numerous Taoists from their slumber.

They hurriedly dressed and gathered at the temple’s entrance to see what had happened.

From a distance, they heard the noisy clamor of the soldiers, mixed with the clanging of weapons.

"This is a sacred site of the Daoist Sect. Who dares to wield weapons here?" a Taoist shouted in rage.

But before he could make out who was approaching, he was met with a slash. A flash of cold light passed, and the Taoist’s head soared into the air, blood gushing forth.

These Taoists were the most peripheral personnel, who had not learned any spells and knew only simple practices like chanting, divination, and fortune-telling. Against the ferocious Imperial guards, they had no chance to fight back and quickly fell into pools of blood.

Once the slaughter began, it became difficult to stop. Although Wang Chao was merely a martial artist, he was very clear about the Emperor still residing in the depths of the Imperial Palace.

Since he was allowed to come to Qingning Temple, it was to carry out a massacre. He would not stop until countless heads had rolled.

The bright red color gradually stained the ancient Daoist temple of three hundred years, screams rose and fell one after another, but even at this time, those highly skilled Daoists were nowhere to be seen to put a stop to it.

The Daoists who were left instantly understood that they were the expendable ones, for with their different cultivation methods, they were never truly considered disciples of Qingning Temple.

In the eyes of countless people, a look of utter misery emerged; their fates could no longer be changed. In the past, just by claiming the name of Qingning Temple, they garnered respect from common folk and officials alike, not to mention wealth and luxury.

Many who joined Qingning Temple soon found themselves immensely wealthy, and had there not been a rule mandating the simple Daoist Robe, these people would likely have adorned themselves in silk and satin.

But today, the once proud identity had become a death warrant, and no one wearing the Daoist Robe could escape the pursuit of the soldiers.

Countless lay in pools of blood, those still alive were terrified out of their wits, trembling on the ground, but even so, they could not stop the slaughter by the Imperial guards.

In no time at all, the Daoists within Qingning Temple were slaughtered to the last.

A tremendous fire began to burn, the ancient Daoist temple, centuries old, blazed fiercely in the flames.

Wang Chao frowned at the sight of the flames and asked, "Who the hell set the fire?"

None of the soldiers present would admit to it; no one knew where the fire came from.

"Damn it, just my luck, nothing but useless idiots. The real Daoists of Qingning Temple have long since fled without a trace." Wang Chao cursed under his breath.

He knew that those who had been killed were merely ordinary Daoists, and were not the true members of Qingning Temple; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been treated as expendable. But now, he could not fulfill the task assigned to him by the Emperor.

Especially now, with everything reduced to ashes beneath the great fire, the traces of the escaped Daoists had vanished completely, making it even more difficult to track them.

However, Wang Chao had not been regretting for long when he was distracted by a noisy commotion outside.

"What’s going on?" Wang Chao asked irritably, his failure to complete the Emperor’s task enraging the usually hot-tempered general.

"General, it’s not good, a group of civilians has surrounded us outside," one of the soldiers said, his eyes still holding a trace of fear.

"What? They’ve got some nerve, a bunch of troublemakers. Killing a couple of them should quiet the rest," Wang Chao said with disdain.

A bunch of unarmed commoners had nothing to be feared, at least that was what Wang Chao believed. He always looked down on the common people, convinced that they could not threaten him in any way.

"General, you should still go out and have a look!"

"Idiots, move aside! I want to see for myself who has the guts to trouble our Imperial guards," Wang Chao said as he pushed the soldier out of the way and strode toward the gate.

But when he reached the doorway, the scene in front of him was shocking.

He saw a dense crowd of people completely surrounding the Imperial guards.