Ye Xing also noticed that the soldiers behind him made no move. He immediately put on a stern face and turned around to roar.
"What do you think you're doing, openly defying my orders? Don't forget your identities. You are all mere foot soldiers, while I am a member of the Executive Council. You must obey my commands.
Anyone who disobeys my orders, I have the right to expel them from the Executive team! If you don't believe me, try me and see if I truly have that authority!"
The faces of these soldiers were expressionless, as if carved from millennia-old ice.
"I'll say it again!"
"Raise your guns immediately and kill Ye Longlin for me, or face the consequences!"
Ye Xing glared at the people behind him, his eyes wide as if trying to project more power.
A gentle breeze swept past, carrying the chill of deep winter.
But still, no one moved.
"Do you think power truly allows you to do as you please?"
"Do you know why many people who want me dead dare not make a move?"
"Do you know why my prestige within the military is so high?"
Ye Longlin smiled and reached out to pat Ye Xing's face. Although it didn't hurt and the touch was light, the sense of humiliation was unprecedented!
For Ye Xing, this was a completely new experience.
In front of the Executive Guard, he, as a member of the Executive Council, was being slapped in the face like this.
"Slap!"
Ye Xing slapped Ye Longlin's hand away and looked at him coldly, "Don't think I can't deal with you just because they aren't moving."
With a crack, he pulled out a copy of the arrest warrant and placed it directly in front of Ye Longlin, saying coldly, "Ye Longlin, by order of the Supreme Department, you are hereby arrested. The Hall of Honor remains silent on this matter, but it bears the seals of three departments.
I declare that from this moment on, Ye Longlin is stripped of his identity as the Master of the Dragon Pavilion. Regarding the matter of his title as the Grand Xia Heavenly King, all powers are temporarily revoked. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say will be used as evidence in court!"
As his words fell, Ye Longlin slapped him across the face.
"Slap!"
A powerful slap sent him crashing to the ground.
"Even without these two identities, it's easy for me to kill you!"
He stomped on Ye Longlin's face, pressing half of his face into the blood-stained earth.
"Heavenly King Ye, the Supreme Department has ordered that you be taken back. However, the Hall of Honor has intervened and directly suppressed the Supreme Department, declaring: Ye Longlin has made great contributions to Grand Xia and is a hero of Grand Xia. We must not let the frontline combat personnel be disheartened. This matter is merely an unilateral order from the Supreme Department, and the Hall of Honor was unaware. Furthermore, the signatures and seals of the three departments of the Hall of Honor were obtained without approval and are considered invalid.
Additionally, for the meritorious capture of Honglian Yaonu, one of the Eight Divine Heavens of the Dark Hall, all Dragon Pavilion members involved in this incident are awarded a collective first-class merit. The reward system will be issued as a document to the Dragon Pavilion after a meeting."
The Executive Chief looked at Ye Longlin with a complex expression.
He truly hadn't expected that he, who was ordered to arrest Ye Longlin, would resolve the situation in such a manner, and even earn a first-class merit!
This fellow, truly...
"Take this back with you as well."
Ye Longlin pulled out an envelope from his pocket and slapped it onto the Executive Chief's chest, saying, "This is..."
"A resignation letter."
The Executive Chief trembled all over, looking at Ye Longlin in disbelief!
Too many unexpected things had happened during this trip to Nan Province, everything he had anticipated and everything he hadn't. But he had never imagined that he would one day hear Ye Longlin voluntarily submit a resignation!
"I recall you once pounded your fist on the table in the Hall of Honor and said that as long as you were alive, you would guard the seas, and as long as you were there, no one would dare to enter our Grand Xia's territorial waters."
The Executive Chief's voice trembled slightly. He couldn't imagine what consequences would arise if the person before him truly left. At least in his imagination, the consequences and losses would be immeasurable.
The most critical point was that after his departure, no one in power could replace Ye Longlin, and no one could suppress the leaderless Dragon Pavilion, not even the Hall of Honor!
Unless top martial artists were called upon to exert force!
But listening to orders yet not obeying them would be even more troublesome!
Ye Longlin clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes profound. "That was in the past. I don't want to anymore."
"I already have status and position, and I have honor. I want to rest. I have no worries now, and I don't want to risk my life anymore. I'm tired."
"Fighting my way through the Blood Sea back then, battling in the Blood Sea for so many years, I am truly tired. Many times I faced certain death, many times I teetered on the brink of life and death, but in the end, I couldn't overcome the phrase 'excessive merit invites jealousy'."
"Go back, tell them I'm tired. The Dragon Pavilion... if they can win over people's hearts, they can still be used. If they can't, the Dragon Pavilion soldiers should retire. Anyway, for those in power, our life and death have never been considered."
As his words ended, Ye Longlin kicked Ye Xing's head into the ground, making it level with the surface.
The Executive Chief helplessly pointed at Ye Xing, "He is my subordinate."
Ye Longlin still clasped his hands behind his back, "I know."
Executive Chief: "..."
"After all these years, your character has never changed. You still don't give face to anyone."
He sighed, inexplicably feeling a sense of empathy for a hero at the end of his road.
If he were in Ye Longlin's shoes today, he might also feel disheartened. After all, the Hall of Honor had already signed off before the decision to issue the arrest warrant was made.
No matter how complex the power struggles were among them, this incident had happened and could not be undone.
It was like a shattered mirror; even if it were pieced back together, the cracks would still be visible.
After a long silence, the Executive Chief tentatively asked, "I want to know, are you... disheartened?"
Ye Longlin said nothing, but the Executive Chief already knew his answer. He asked again.
"Did you... have this outcome predicted long ago?"
He remained silent.
"I understand. I will personally submit the resignation letter to the Hall of Honor, ensuring that the Supreme Department has no access to it. This is my promise to you, and a promise from a soldier of the military to you!"
"Salute!"
"Swish, swish, swish—"
Figures saluted, holding their gun muzzles, showing the highest respect to all the Dragon Pavilion personnel present!
Ye Longlin kicked Ye Xing in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Take this piece of trash back. The best treatment window is within seventy-two hours."
After speaking, Ye Longlin left directly, without lingering at the scene.
And after this incident, only the Zhang family remained among the ten great families of Nan Province.
As for the follow-up to this matter, personnel from the Dragon Pavilion would specifically handle it.
"Boss, is the resignation letter thing true?"
"Are Miss Mu, Madam Zhao, and your sister truly alright?"