Prime Minister Yuan was shocked to hear that, and he trembled as he said, "Y-your Majesty—"

Zhou Fan interrupted, "Do as I say."

With that, she turned around and left.

Prime Minister Yuan stood there in silence for a while before taking a deep breath and leaving.

Soon, another ten thousand people were executed across the Great Zhou Empire, and nearly a hundred clans were wiped out. The two rounds of ruthless crackdowns brought an eerie calm to the entire Great Zhou Empire.

From then on, there were no more voices of dissent within its borders.

The massacre carried out by Zhou Fan struck terror in the hearts of everyone in the empire.

***

Ye An strolled leisurely down the bustling streets of the Great Zhou Imperial Capital alongside Ye Guan and Zang Gang. The city was thriving, no less lively than Guanxuan City, with streams of carriages and throngs of people moving about.

Zang Gang, following closely beside Ye Guan, would occasionally glance at Ye An.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The three of them soon arrived at the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. As they approached its entrance, an elderly man in a black robe hurried out to greet them with utmost respect. Bowing deeply, he said, "Greetings, Miss."

As the Manager of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion here, the old man was already aware of what had happened at the city gates.

Moreover, Ye An could be said to be the eldest lady of the pavilion.

"I'm here to pick up some items," said Ye An. Then, she handed the old man a list of items.

The old man accepted the list respectfully, but upon seeing the items written on it, his expression immediately became troubled. Everything listed was immensely valuable, and each of them was worth a fortune.

Ye An's tone remained calm as she asked, "Is there a problem?"

The old man hesitated for a moment before replying, "Of course, anything Miss wants is no problem at all. However, my authority… is insufficient..."

Ye An replied indifferently, "Just go get them. Put them on the Academy Master's tab."

Ye Guan was speechless.

The old man dared not delay any further. Bowing again, he said, "I'll arrange it immediately."

Strictly speaking, Ye An didn't have the authority to take items from the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. However, the old man wasn't foolish, as he knew that this wasn't the time to argue over such matters.

After all, they were family!

The Academy Master could settle the bill.

Ye Guan curiously asked, "Sister, what do you need those items for?"

Ye An replied, "I'm helping a little friend gather them."

Ye Guan asked again, "What little friend?"

Ye An answered, "Little White's friend, Ling'er. She's researching something, and she needs a lot of materials."

Ling'er!

Ye Guan still wanted to ask more, but Prime Minister Yuan suddenly appeared in front of them. He bowed slightly toward Ye An and said, "Miss An, Her Majesty has invited you over."

Ye An asked, "To have dinner?"

Prime Minister Yuan smiled slightly. "Yes, the banquet is ready."

Ye An nodded. "The Manager at Immortal Treasures Pavilion is preparing my materials. I'll wait for him."

Prime Minister Yuan reassured her, "Miss An, rest assured. I will personally deliver them to you later."

Ye An nodded at that and replied, "Alright then, let's go."

Under Prime Minister Yuan's guidance, the group arrived at the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. The palace had undergone significant expansion, making it even grander.

Following Prime Minister Yuan, Ye Guan and the others entered a grand hall. The first thing that caught their eye was the ornate ceiling and the magnificent chandelier. However, this was no ordinary chandelier—it was made of luminous gemstones that emitted a soft glow, bathing the hall in opulence.

There were exquisite murals on the walls, and each mural emanated faint waves of spiritual energy, indicating that they weren't mere decorations.

The entire hall embodied unparalleled grandeur.

Ye An looked around and smiled. "Impressive."

Ye Guan remained silent.

Zang Gang curiously surveyed her surroundings.

After passing through a corridor, they found themselves in a smaller hall. Compared to the previous grand hall, this one was much simpler, with only a row of bookshelves filled with ancient books, a desk, and a modest spread of eight dishes.

Zhou Fan stood by the desk, dressed not in her imperial robes but in a simple white gown. She no longer exuded the imposing majesty of an empress. Instead, she appeared more refined and elegant.

Zhou Fan smiled warmly. "This is a family meal, so we're keeping it simple."

Ye An nodded. "That's just how I like it."

Zhou Fan gestured. "Please, have a seat."

Ye An, Ye Guan, and Zang Gang sat down. The food on the table wasn't extravagant delicacies but ordinary home-cooked dishes.

Zhou Fan began, "As for the Abandoned Continent, I've already sent people to take over. That place is no longer a suitable place to live. I've arranged for a new continent, and the Academy will assist them in relocating to their new home."

Ye Guan suddenly said, "Such issues likely aren't uncommon across the entire Guanxuan Universe."

Zhou Fan looked at him and nodded slightly. "Indeed. Such situations arise largely because the Guanxuan Laws aren't being adequately enforced. Many still cling to a gambler's mentality…"

Ye Guan shook his head. "That's only part of the problem. Another reason is that the academy's penalties are far too lenient."

Zhou Fan regarded him seriously. "If the penalties are too severe, they will be exploited by those with malicious intent, which will also cause another problem."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "You're right, but the Academy is still in its infancy. Without stricter measures, it's difficult to instill fear in people."

Zhou Fan pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps we should establish a special set of penalties. These penalties are part of the Guanxuan Laws but only enforceable by select individuals who are absolutely trustworthy."

Zhou Fan stared at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan suddenly reached out to ruffle Zang Gang's head, smiling faintly.

Zhou Fan's gaze also fell on Zang Gang.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Zang Gang glanced at them briefly before eating.

Since she started following Ye Guan, she had been enjoying delicious food every day. Life was good!

Ye Guan turned to Ye An and said, "I don't feel at ease letting her follow someone else…"

Ye An frowned slightly. "You want her to follow me?"

Ye Guan nodded.

Upon hearing that, Zang Gang put down her chopsticks and stared at Ye Guan.

Clearly, she wasn't interested in following Ye An.

Ye An spread her hands open and said, "See? She doesn't want to follow me, so you'd better keep her for yourself."

Seeing Zang Gang's icy gaze, Ye Guan thought about it for a moment before nodding. "All right, you'll stay with me then."

Zang Gang finally retracted her gaze, picked up her chopsticks, and ate once more.

Zhou Fan glanced at Ye Guan and said, "Harsh penalties may address symptoms, but they won't solve the root of the problem. The real solution lies in the Guanxuan Laws.

"Only when people genuinely respect it will we achieve lasting results."

Ye Guan nodded. "You're right, but expecting everyone to comply with the Guanxuan Laws is unrealistic. Harsh penalties should serve as the final line of defense."

After a brief moment of silence, he added, "We still need to be ruthless."

The recent incident had made it clear to him that the world was still one where the strong preyed on the weak. Without serious ramifications, the Guanxuan Laws couldn't possibly deter people from defying it.

Zhou Fan thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll draft a set of stricter penalties—"

Ye Guan interrupted. "No need to draft anything."

Zhou Fan looked at him, puzzled.

Ye Guan explained, "You don't need to handle this."

Zhou Fan was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly understood what he was trying to say.

These penalties would exist within the Guanxuan Laws, yet they would operate independently from the Guanxuan Committee.

Simply put, those enforcing those penalties wouldn't be bound by the Committee's authority. Moreover, without clearly defined guidelines, enforcers would have the freedom to act as they saw fit.

Zhou Fan's expression grew solemn.

If an enforcer were ruthless…

Zhou Fan turned to look at Zang Gang. Judging by her demeanor, she certainly didn't seem like a kind-hearted individual!

Ye An suddenly asked, "Isn't this a family dinner? Why are we discussing all this? Let's eat."

Zhou Fan withdrew her gaze and smiled lightly. "Let's eat."

Ye Guan nodded and picked up his chopsticks.

Just then, Zang Gang turned to Ye An. "Make me some noodles!"

Ye An glared at her, annoyed. "What kind of attitude is that?"

Zang Gang stared back at Ye An for a long moment before asking, "Could you please make me some noodles?"

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

Ye An stared at Zang Gang for a while. Then, she took out a small stove and a packet of instant noodles. He handed them to her and replied, "Make it yourself."

Zang Gang glanced at the stove, but she had no idea how to use it.

She turned to Ye Guan and said, "You make it for me."

Then, she realized something and added, "Could you please make me some noodles?"

Ye Guan was speechless.

Zhou Fan couldn't help but chuckle.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Ye Guan began cooking some noodles for her.

When the noodles were ready, Zang Gang's face lit up with a rare smile.

Ye Guan turned to Ye An and asked, "What are your plans moving forward?"

Ye An replied, "I'm working on something big."

"Something big?"

"What do you think I'm doing? Just idling around every day?"

Ye Guan chuckled. "I didn't mean that. I'm just curious."

"Do you know how vast this universe is?"

Ye Guan frowned slightly.

Ye An glanced at him. "Stop staying in your little circle. Go out and take a look outside. The outside world is fascinating, you know? I have a big reputation out there. In the future, feel free to use my name out there."

Ye Guan was immediately intrigued. "Where have you been making your mark?"

Ye An took a swig of the beer in her hand and replied, "In the Nine Continent Domain."

Zang Gang's brows furrowed. She looked at Ye An with a hint of confusion in her eyes, and then a flicker of killing intent appeared within them.

Ye Guan noticed Zang Gang's reaction and glanced at her before turning to Ye An, asking, "What kind of place is that?"

Ye An took another swig of her beer and said, "It's a place where countless prodigies gather—"

Bang!

Ye An slapped the table hard and cursed, "Damn it! I was so close to breaking into the top ten of the Great Dao Rankings!"

"The top ten?" Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "With your strength, shouldn't you be number one?"

Ye An smacked Ye Guan on the head. "Shut up."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Zhou Fan's jaw dropped.