Chapter 533: Seizing Power (Two-in-One)

Mu Tian looked indifferent. "What do you intend to do?"

"To protect your safety and afford you more time to rest, I have decided to temporarily take over the Great Prison."

Yan Jing smiled faintly.

To Yan Jing's surprise, Mu Tian didn't fly into a rage, nor did he show any sorrow over having his power usurped. His gaze remained calm as he pulled a key from his coat and tossed it to Yan Jing. "This is the key to the prison's administrative sectors."

Clatter.

The key hit the floor. Yan Jing hadn't moved to catch it.

Mu Tian looked at him, speechless. "It's just a key."

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes, a smile on his face. "I'm only taking over temporarily. I don't need a key."

Mu Tian remained expressionless. "Drop the act. I know exactly what you're trying to do."

"Issue a statement right now. Tell them I'm taking over the Great Prison," Yan Jing interrupted.

Mu Tian stared at him.

His gaze was as calm as ever.

In truth, however, he couldn't fathom what Yan Jing was plotting.

Was it caution?

No.

Though he couldn't see through Yan Jing, he sensed they were cut from the same cloth.

Most of the time, they were indeed cautious. But if a massive enough prize lay before them, they would reveal their underlying madness.

So what was the reason?

Unable to figure it out, he simply stopped guessing.

"Just a simple statement?"

He looked at Yan Jing.

"Just that simple."

Yan Jing smiled.

Mu Tian said nothing more. With a nod, he brought out the master communication device reserved for the warden.

Soon, a message broadcast across the entire working sector of the Great Prison.

The communication device Yan Jing had kept handy beeped as it received the same broadcast.

He picked it up and glanced at the screen. His smile froze.

"Due to necessary matters, I am temporarily handing over control of the Great Prison to Commissioner Yan. Furthermore, should any accident befall me, Commissioner Yan will succeed me as the next warden of the Great Prison."

Yan Jing looked up at Mu Tian and sighed. "I don't recall asking you to add that last part."

The corners of Mu Tian's mouth ticked up. "But you didn't say I couldn't."

He had been played.

Yan Jing's mouth twitched.

The Great Prison was a massive headache, one he had little desire to take on.

Especially at a time like this.

But the situation was clearly far worse than he had anticipated.

Mu Tian picked up the coffee beside him and took a sip. "In the two days you were gone, Weng Lingxiao essentially seized control of eighty percent of the higher-ups. He's knocked on my door several times; it seems he's growing impatient."

"As for Song Huien, I don't know what she's doing or why she allowed Weng Lingxiao to gain such an overwhelming upper hand. But one thing is certain: her ambitions are no smaller than his."

Yan Jing's expression darkened. "I should have just fought you from the start."

"Maybe then things wouldn't be so complicated."

"You wouldn't have. That isn't your style." Mu Tian took another sip of coffee and smiled. "Besides, I know what you want, and I have enough bargaining chips to give it to you."

Yan Jing didn't take the bait to ask further.

He had no interest in bickering with a dying man.

"Alright. I'll take my leave, then, before they come to blockade the door."

Yan Jing offered a slight bow. "Rest well, boss."

Click.

The door swung shut.

Mu Tian stared at the key resting on the floor, its metal shimmering with a faint, dark-green glow. His gaze was profound.

A few seconds later, a violent fit of coughing seized him. The rattle in his throat was unnaturally hoarse, sounding like a broken gong.

Time ticked by. The coughing didn't ease; instead, the spasms only grew more severe.

Finally, as if sensing something, he hurriedly grabbed a tissue and pressed it to his mouth.

With a violent retch, he spat a pitch-black tentacle into the tissue.

Sizzle.

Weird Energy instantly surged over the tentacle, incinerating it.

Only then did Mu Tian's condition improve. He cast his gaze back toward the key on the floor, lost in thought.

Yan Jing had just stepped into the corridor outside Mu Tian's office. Before he even reached the corner, he spotted a group of figures stepping out of the elevator.

Two neat rows of men in sharp suits fanned out from the elevator doors, hands clasped before them, waiting for the person inside to emerge.

Moments later, Weng Lingxiao slowly stepped out.

He wore a tailored gray suit today, and the monocle over his right eye had traded its silver frame for a golden one. He still held the Codex in his hand.

Upon seeing Yan Jing, he offered a faint smile. "Commissioner Yan. What a coincidence. I was just looking for you."

"Is that so? Was Deputy Warden Weng looking to discuss work with me?"

Yan Jing smiled.

"No."

Weng Lingxiao's expression turned frigid. "I came to see just where Commissioner Yan got the gall to publicly usurp power!"

"His Excellency has sacrificed so much for the Great Prison. And now, simply because his health is failing, you force his hand and make him step down!"

"You are merely a human, Yan Jing. I advise you to recognize your place and surrender peacefully."

"Otherwise, I will be forced to act impartially and deal with you according to the law."

Yan Jing chuckled. "I don't think there's any need for you to pretend to be so furious, Deputy Warden Weng."

"You ought to be thanking me."

"Without me, how would you have ever found such a perfect opportunity to fulfill your lifelong dream?"

Weng Lingxiao's face turned icy. "Nonsense."

"Take him."

He waved a hand, and several Eighth Tier experts drifted out from the flanks, lunging straight for Yan Jing.

Yan Jing remained rooted to the spot. Two figures suddenly darted out from his sides. Flashes of dark blue and blood-red light intertwined, intercepting the Eighth Tier experts a few meters away.

Ning Wei, having just rushed to the scene, glared coldly at Weng Lingxiao. "Deputy Warden, don't you think it's inappropriate to attack the current supreme authority of our Great Prison?"

"Young Master, you have been bewitched—"

Weng Lingxiao let out a soft sigh, then directed a venomous glare at Yan Jing. "I never imagined you would be so bold. To strike against Warden Mu is one thing, but you have also bewitched the Young Master!"

"Go fuck yourself!" Ning Wei roared. "Do you think we're fucking idiots, Weng Lingxiao? You came out here to crush Commissioner Yan so you can test the waters and see if the warden intervenes!"

"If the warden acts, you get to check his condition. If he doesn't, you get to pocket the Great Prison for yourself! Did you really think your little scheme was that brilliant? Fuck you!"

Weng Lingxiao's expression soured. It wasn't just because Ning Wei's words were crass, but because every single sentence hit the nail right on the head.

He quickly masked his grimace, replacing it with another long sigh. "Young Master, you truly have been bewitched."

"Take them down! Escort the Young Master away for treatment!"

Facing the surging crowd, Cen Ji stepped forward. The chained sabre in her hands danced, unleashing a torrential wave of blood that crashed toward their enemies from all sides.

The wave of blood had no physical form, materializing out of thin air. While several of the Eighth Tier experts managed to summon defenses, many more were struck directly, their bodies erupting into mists of blood.

They had only been apart for two days. Yan Jing hadn't expected Cen Ji to have already broken through to the Eighth Tier.

"Is this what you're relying on?"

Weng Lingxiao looked at the swath of wounded men and simply laughed. "You killed Ai Qing and Tan Yan. You ruined Tian Che and Wei Qiao. And now you've reeled in Cen Ji. Did you really think that would be enough to secure your foothold in the Great Prison?"

"It's a pity. The one thing you absolutely should never have done was meddle with Song Huien behind the scenes."

"I no longer have any shackles holding me back."

Meddle with Song Huien?

Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

He didn't recall taking any action against Song Huien.

But Weng Lingxiao wasn't about to give him time to think.

He took a heavy step forward. Several arrays blossomed in a cross shape beneath his feet, gleaming with golden light. A sudden gale whipped across the smooth floor, and countless runes drifted around his body like a descending god.

The Codex in his right hand fluttered wildly, despite there being no wind.

Weng Lingxiao reached out. Spectral chains danced from his palm and sank into the Codex. From the ends of the chains, a page of the decree was violently ripped out, floating before the crowd.

"Yunxiao Decree, Article Seventeen: Those who deceive their superiors and oppress their subordinates must be bound by shackles weighing several tons, as punishment for their wicked hearts."

The moment he spoke, pitch-black shackles materialized around the wrists of Cen Ji, Ning Wei, and Yan Jing.

Cen Ji managed to withstand it; after all, her path relied heavily on physical strength.

Ning Wei fared much worse. The sudden weight yanked his wrists down, causing him to stagger violently. He nearly face-planted straight into the floor.

Weng Lingxiao offered a faint smile. "Get them!"

His forces charged forward once more. Cen Ji tried to swing her sabre, but the heavy shackles severely crippled her speed. The wave of blood, previously impossible to evade, was now effortlessly sidestepped as the mob swarmed toward them.

Just as a myriad of Weird Energy blasts were about to strike Cen Ji and Ning Wei, a crisp, shattering sound rang out. The crowd's eyes snapped toward the source. Yan Jing was snapping the final piece of broken shackle off his wrist. He looked up at them with a slight smile. "The Yunxiao Decree... good. Very good. Enforcing the laws of Weng Lingxiao inside Warden Mu's prison... Deputy Warden Weng, your crimes are unpardonable."

The moment he spoke those words, Yan Jing's tone dropped to absolute zero.

In the very next instant, Weng Lingxiao seemed to sense a threat. His pupils shrank, and he frantically threw his body to the side to dodge an invisible assault.

His efforts were completely in vain. Almost instantly, several pitch-black Thorns materialized directly inside his right arm. The sheer momentum violently yanked his entire body down, slamming him into the floor.

Inside the fresh crater, blood bloomed like a summer flower.

The crowd froze in horror.

Even Ning Wei and Cen Ji were stunned.

They stared at Yan Jing in sheer disbelief, utterly failing to comprehend what had just happened in that split second.

But regardless of what had happened, Weng Lingxiao was now wounded.

In a single clash, Weng Lingxiao was left lying in a crater on the ground, his face contorted in agony. Pitch-black Thorns had completely impaled his right arm, nailing him directly to the steel floor plates.

How could he be this strong?!

Before anyone could react, a massive pair of scissors materialized out of thin air, plunging straight toward Weng Lingxiao's neck.

Cold sweat erupted across Weng Lingxiao's forehead. The Codex in his hand snapped open on its own.

Several pages of decrees flew out, barely managing to block the lethal snip.

Yan Jing laughed. "Deputy Warden Weng, didn't you want to arrest me? Come on, then."

Weng Lingxiao swayed as he forced himself to his feet. He stared daggers at Yan Jing, the veins on his forehead bulging.

He opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately swallowed his words.

Instead, he waved his hand. "Today was a misunderstanding. We are leaving."

Watching Weng Lingxiao swallow his pride and retreat, the crowd quickly turned around, their faces pale with terror as they scrambled to follow him.

But just then, Yan Jing's voice rang out again. "Wait."

Weng Lingxiao clenched his injured right hand, his fingertips turning stark white. He slowly turned around, gritting his teeth. "Does Commissioner Yan have further instructions?"

"Or do you genuinely intend to drag this out until the fish die and the net breaks?"

Yan Jing smiled. "I wasn't telling you to wait."

Thinking Yan Jing was simply mocking him, Weng Lingxiao choked back his rage and turned to leave. But Yan Jing continued, "I was telling everyone else to wait."

"This—" The crowd froze.

Then, as if finally realizing the implications, cold sweat broke out across their foreheads.

Yan Jing's expression turned frigid. "The vast majority of the Great Prison's higher-ups are nothing but leeches occupying space. You contribute absolutely nothing to the prison's development. Effective immediately, as the temporary manager of the Great Prison, I am ordering a full review of everyone's conduct and work history. Anyone who fails to meet our requirements will be stripped of their status and demoted to a prisoner."

The crowd stared at him, their eyes wide with shock.

Beside him, Ning Wei's jaw went stiff.

He slowly turned to stare at Yan Jing. He never expected the man to escalate things to this extreme.

"Are you joking with me?"

Weng Lingxiao froze for a second before snapping his gaze back to Yan Jing.

"I won't repeat myself."

Yan Jing's gaze was indifferent as he turned to Cen Ji. "Cen Ji, you're in charge of the review. Complete a thorough investigation within two hours. Everyone else is to remain exactly where they are. If anyone attempts to interfere with the investigation, execute them on the spot."

The moment the words left his mouth, a miserable shriek ripped through the air.

One of the officials collapsed to the floor, howling in agony. His arm, still clutching a communication device, lay severed on the ground.

He had just attempted to use his device to notify his subordinates and family, only for Yan Jing to cleanly sever his arm.

His terrified screams echoed down the corridor, piercing the crowd's frail nerves like a jagged needle.

An Old Man in his eighties or nineties staggered out from the crowd. He pointed a trembling finger at Yan Jing. "You! You! What the hell do you think you are?!"

"For years, the Great Prison has prospered! We are only a single step away from becoming a First Level Domain, and it is all thanks to the higher-ups! You are just a human, how dare you—! You will die a dog's death! You—" Before the Old Man could finish, both of his arms plummeted to the floor. Blood sprayed relentlessly, drenching the surrounding officials.

The Old Man stood frozen, failing to process the pain for a second or two before he finally collapsed. He writhed on the floor, shrieking in agony. "The Great Prison is ruined! Ruined! Handed over to a human! Brothers! Fight back! Fight him! Are you really going to just stand there and watch a human destroy the Great Prison?!"

The crowd wavered, clearly moved by the Old Man's desperate plea. But Yan Jing merely let out a cold laugh. "Say one more word, and I will execute a member of your family. For every ten of your relatives who die, I will spare one of the officials standing here today. Since you're so eager to sacrifice yourself for the Great Prison, please, keep talking."

The Old Man's mouth snapped shut instantly. Despite the excruciating pain bringing rivers of cold sweat down his face, he didn't dare utter another sound.

However, the people beside him had other ideas. A few officials actually lunged out of the crowd and began viciously kicking and beating the Old Man, desperately trying to force him to speak again.

The scene descended into utter chaos.

Weng Lingxiao stood on the sidelines, observing Yan Jing with a cold, mocking gaze.

He sneered internally. Yan Jing was nothing but an arrogant brat.

He might have strength, but he knew absolutely nothing about power.

Yes, these higher-ups were just a pack of useless old dogs occupying space. But without them, the Great Prison's operations would be crippled, and their surface-level combat strength would be slashed by at least half.

He couldn't wait to see how Yan Jing planned to clean up this mess.