The patriarch who had empowered the Shengtian Sect, Yuan Wuji, now lay discarded like a piece of cargo before Zhao Wei, left entirely at his disposal.
Following closely, Lin Qian shifted his attention to Zhang Dingyun, the current Sect Master of Shengtian Sect. After only a few glances, he waved his hand and said, "Take Zhang Dingyun away and behead him."
Lin Qian’s words left everyone stunned, including Zhang Dingyun himself.
"Wait, don’t you want to ask me about the treasures of Shengtian Sect, or perhaps other matters?" Zhang Dingyun hurriedly spoke up.
"I’m not interested."
"Don’t you want to know what secrets lie within the ancient ruins?"
"I know." Lin Qian spoke with an evident impatience while looking at Zhang Dingyun, "Could you stop blathering? It’s annoying. You’re about to die; can’t you just quietly bid farewell to this world? I’m being nice to you by not torturing you, and you still can’t take a hint."
After speaking, Lin Qian quickly gestured for two company commanders to drag Zhang Dingyun away.
Upon hearing Lin Qian’s order, two company commanders, soldiers of some rank, stepped forward to grab Zhang Dingyun, cover his mouth, restrain his struggles, and forcibly escort him out.
Then, Lin Qian singled out eight individuals from the twelve present Supreme Elders and ordered their beheadings.
Given Zhang Dingyun’s incident, Lin Qian had those soldiers silence them by covering their mouths, denying them any opportunity to speak.
As for Yuan Wuji, his cultivation had been stripped away, reducing him to a mere invalid.
Lin Qian also agreed to Zhao Wei’s request, taking Yuan Wuji to Origin State for a public execution.
The onlookers around were all staring at Lin Qian with surprised expressions.
Lin Qian’s manner of handling matters was too clean and decisive.
There was no interrogation following their capture, no attempts to extract any value from them – he simply ordered their executions without wasting words.
The reason Lin Qian bothered to capture them alive was to confirm the death of their true selves rather than falling for any swap or decoy ruse.
Among the eight executed Supreme Elders, their conduct had been despicable and repulsive.
As for the remaining four, their conduct was comparatively much better, and they could be recruited.
"Who... who exactly are you?" At this moment, the bound Yuan Wuji stared at Lin Qian and slowly spoke.
His mental state could truly be described as shattered.
Yuan Wuji had once been a glorious figure, his fame echoing throughout the Coastal State, but now he had fallen to such a miserable end.
Lin Qian glanced at the sorry old man covered in blood and said, "Lin Qian, you should know me."
Having said this, Lin Qian turned and walked away, leaving Yuan Wuji with nothing but his retreating figure.
From now on, the Coastal State had completely become territory of the Huaxia Empire, one of its domains.
Yuan Wuji, once hailed as the strongest in the Coastal State, was sadly taken to Origin State and cruelly tortured to death by the furious Human Clan.
By comparison, his disciple Zhang Dingyun was quite fortunate to have died a peaceful death.
Moreover, Lin Qian, acting out of a kind heart, had specially erected a burial site for Yuan Wuji and Zhang Dingyun.
A stele was also placed next to their graves, engraving their past actions for all to see.
However, it seemed that people were quite disrespectful as they spat, urinated on their gravestones, and even danced on their graves.
This was the gift Lin Qian had left for the two after their death: an eternal foul reputation.
According to the initial agreement, Lin Qian gifted the territory of the Shengtian Sect’s Spirit Mountain Range to the Wanxiang Sect, for their new sect grounds.
At the same time, he returned the conquered territory of the Divine Sword Sect to Mei Yuexia.
As for the remaining territories of the Great Spear Sect, Medical Sect, Quenching Fire Sect, the coastal gates, Beast Taming Sect, and the old territories of the Wanxiang Sect, all became new territories of the Huaxia Empire.
After assuming complete control, Lin Qian announced the existence of the Coastal State within the Huaxia Empire and promulgated imperial decrees.
Those who had formerly been known for their bad conduct were all dealt with, and he built many prisons while abolishing the previous prison islands of the Coastal State.
Those who surrendered became citizens of the Huaxia Empire, managed jointly by scholars dispatched by Lin Qian and the surrendered people, with Imperial Army troops stationed for protection.
Meanwhile, the once known mountain range of the Wanxiang Sect, now the Origin Gate, had been thoroughly transformed.
The humans from Origin State came to Coastal State for sightseeing through the gate.
Just as curious, the people of Coastal State, who were now citizens of the Huaxia Empire, went to Origin State to see something new.
As the days went by, two and a half months had passed, and the day Lin Qian had agreed upon with the Eight-Armed Sea Clan was almost upon them.
At the center of the Origin Gate, a Huaxia Palace was constructed, which was where Lin Qian now resided.
The Huaxia Palace covered a vast area; not only did Lin Qian live there, but Wei Wushuang was also a resident, as was Gao Benli, who lived in the palace too.
Lei Qian and his grandfather Lei Heng, the Ye family, the Bai family, and many others who were close to Lin Qian, all resided in the Huaxia Palace.
Naturally, this included Ye Xin.
"Xinxin, aren’t you going?" In the courtyard behind the Huaxia Palace, Lin Qian sat by the pond with Ye Xin, gazing at the bright moon above.
Ye Xin gently shook her head and said to Lin Qian, "The Coastal State has just settled down, and there are still many matters to deal with. After you leave, someone must stay to command and direct the actions of all in the Empire."
"It might sound arrogant to say so, but I believe that apart from me, there is no one else suitable right now."
Hearing Ye Xin say this, Lin Qian could only nod helplessly, "This trip is also a good opportunity to gain experience. It’s a pity that you won’t be going, Xinxin."
"There’s nothing to regret; I’m happy as long as Little Qian can leave without concerns," Ye Xin said softly, leaning her head against Lin Qian’s shoulder.
After hearing Ye Xin’s words, Lin Qian sighed softly, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and both of them stayed together in silence for a while.
After staying for another three days, Lin Qian bid farewell to Ye Xin. Although they were somewhat reluctant to part, they did not overdo it.
After all, with the Tactical Mirror, they could still see and chat with each other through the mirror.
Boarding a warship, Lin Qian returned to the sea bottom with Zhang Qi, on a journey to a branch of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan’s Saint City.
Not long after, a specially constructed warship broke through the surface of the water and sped toward the distant western sea.
Within the array of the customized warship, filled with seawater, the people of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan swam about.
However, there was a special area within it that contained no seawater, which was the space where Lin Qian moved around.
Standing there, Lin Qian looked out at the increasingly distant land, filled with emotion.
In this life, Coastal State was his homeland, the place where he had grown up, and now he felt some sentimentality as he left it far behind.
"I hope my departure from Coastal State won’t take too long," Lin Qian murmured to himself as he watched Coastal State disappear from view and then entered his room.