Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

Above the Prime Minister's residence, golden light rained down, scattering across every corner of Chang'an City.

In the shadows of the restaurant, the deputy commander of the Bad Guys stretched out his hand blankly, letting a point of golden light fall into his palm. The light melted upon touching his skin, turning into a warm current that instantly dispelled the cold and old wounds that had accumulated in his body for many years.

He trembled violently, his eyes filled with nothing but horror and awe.

"He...he didn't swallow up the nation's destiny..."

"He...returned them to Chang'an..."

A captain muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

Those who steal a country shall be executed.

What they stole will be returned to Heaven and Earth.

At this moment, they truly understood the meaning of Yuan Tiangang's words, "the sword of heavenly way."

This real person seems to seek neither power nor authority.

He was just... sweeping up trash.

……

Zichen Palace.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Auspicious omens! Auspicious omens have descended from the heavens!"

The chief eunuch Gao Lishi scrambled into the hall, his face a mixture of wild joy and extreme fear, his voice shrill and distorted.

"A golden rain fell from the sky above the Right Prime Minister's residence, showering Chang'an upon it! The people... the people all say it was a blue-robed immortal slaying demons and monsters, a reward from Heaven!"

"Shut up!"

Li Longji, who was on the dragon throne, suddenly stood up, his face ashen.

He stared intently at the sky outside the palace, illuminated by golden rain, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Auspicious omen?

That was clearly the national fortune that Yang Guozhong, that giant parasite, stole from the national treasury and the people's hard-earned money, and that "evil spirit" devoured it!

Now, Shen Mo has killed Yang Guozhong and destroyed the "evil spirit," but he has not taken this enormous power for himself. Instead, he has returned it to this land!

What's in it for?

A person who doesn't crave wealth, power, or fame, and even discards this readily available immense fortune like trash... what is he after?!

The unknown is the most terrifying.

Li Longji suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold.

He discovered that his prized imperial strategies were a joke in front of this man.

All his assets—power, status, and wealth—were meaningless to that person.

But that person could easily do what he couldn't.

For example, it caused a "golden rain" to fall in Chang'an, with thousands of people kneeling in worship.

"His Majesty."

A hoarse voice rang out at the palace entrance, and Yuan Tiangang's figure appeared silently.

"You saw it?" Li Longji's voice was hoarse.

"Your Majesty, I have seen it." Yuan Tiangang bowed slightly. "Heaven's mandate is with the Tang Dynasty, and evil spirits are warded off. That immortal has cleared away a huge hidden danger for our Great Tang."

"The Mandate of Heaven?" Li Longji seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Yuan Tiangang. "Is the Mandate of Heaven with the Tang Dynasty, or with him?!"

"Yuan Tiangang! Tell me!"

"The people of Chang'an today only know of the immortal in blue robes; do they even know that I, the Son of Heaven, exist?!"

"If he can make Chang'an rain gold today, can he also make my head fall from the dragon throne tomorrow?!"

The emperor's roar echoed in the empty hall.

Yuan Tiangang simply watched him quietly, his one cloudy eye as still as a deep well.

"Your Majesty, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

"The will of the people is also a kind of destiny."

"That sage has restored the people's hearts to you."

"As for how to win over the hearts of the people, that is Your Majesty's business, not mine, nor that of the True Man."

After saying this, he bowed deeply again, turned and retreated into the darkness.

Li Longji was left alone, his chest heaving violently, his eyes churning with fear, rage, and a hint of... humiliation at being completely seen through.

He slammed his fist hard on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"puff--"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the imperial desk in front of him red.

……

Xinghuafang, a small courtyard.

The hustle and bustle of the outside world is kept out by this small courtyard wall.

When Shen Mo pushed open the door, he saw Yang Yuhuan sitting on the stone steps, hugging her knees, like a kitten waiting for its owner to return home.

Hearing the door open, she looked up sharply and saw Shen Mo's figure; her eyes instantly lit up.

She ran over quickly, without asking who he had killed or whether things had gone smoothly. She simply looked up at him with her clean-cut face, carefully examining him in the moonlight.

"Taoist Master, are you... alright?" she asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Shen Mo shook his head.

He looked into the worry in the girl's eyes, and her heart, which had become cold from killing, seemed to be warmed by a current of warmth.

He raised his hand, as if to say something, but in the end he only gently brushed away a fallen leaf that was stuck to the end of her hair.

Yang Yuhuan's cheeks instantly turned bright red.

Shen Mo withdrew his hand and walked to the stone table to sit down.

【trouble.】

The thought flashed through his mind again, but this time, he didn't even realize it himself, and he didn't sigh after the thought.

He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his thoughts.

That ancient mirror was radiating an unprecedented light.

[Slayed the 'Evil Spirit' level target 'The Jade Thief of National Fortune', rating: Perfect.]

[Gained Good/Evil Points: 30000.]

[The host has been detected to have voluntarily relinquished the absorption of "unclaimed fortune," an act deemed "extremely benevolent."]

[Additional Reward: 20000 Good/Evil Points]

[Current total good/evil points: 50000.]

50,000 good and evil points.

This is a huge sum of money.

But Shen Mo's attention was not on the points.

On the mirror, a new line of golden text slowly emerged.

[Note: The overflowing torrent of national destiny, like a celestial river flowing backward, is purifying the Tang Dynasty's earth veins. Some 'earth vein nodes' deeply contaminated by 'otherworld' energy are passively manifesting.]

Om-!

A flash of light appeared on the mirror, and a huge, incredibly detailed map unfolded in his mind.

That's a complete map of the Tang Dynasty!

Mountains, rivers, cities, passes, all are depicted in meticulous detail.

At this moment, most of the map was gray, except for Chang'an City, where he was, which was as bright as day.

From the point of light in Chang'an, countless pale golden threads spread out in all directions like a spider web.

In the northeast of the map, a deep, inky black dot is emitting an ominous red light, like a beating demonic heart filled with greed and destructive desires.

The golden threads there are swallowed up and corrupted as soon as you get close.

The cold words reappeared on the mirror.

[New mission module unlocked: 'Tang Dynasty Cleaner']

[The highest priority pollution source has been marked:]

[Fanyang, An Lushan.]

Shen Mo's pupils suddenly contracted.

An Lushan!

That warlord who would ignite decades of war in the Tang Dynasty, turning the Central Plains into a fiery inferno... a hero of a chaotic era!

Was he also "contaminated"?

【I'd like to see,】

[It's because you, the future warlord of this chaotic era, have such a strong fate.]

My sword is still the fastest!