Everyone was still in a daze.

In the next instant—

A silver dragon’s long tail flicked.

Crack!

The candle on the eastern coiled dragon pillar was also lit by a bolt of lightning.

Everyone: !!!

It’s real!

This time, no one doubted it. No one dared to doubt it.

The tens of thousands of nearby commoners all fell to their knees, placing their hands over their hearts. With deep reverence and fervor, they gazed upward and loudly proclaimed:
“Blessings upon the National Preceptor, blessings upon Daxia! Blessings upon the National Preceptor! Blessings upon Daxia!”

The officials, too, slightly bowed their heads toward Yuan Ruan in sincere admiration.

The emperor and the crown prince smiled faintly.

The people of Daxia were so awestruck by the scene before them that they were almost dazed.

No one noticed the fearful and panicked expressions of a few men wearing headscarves, scattered among the kneeling crowd.

Two of these headscarf-wearing men standing close to each other couldn’t help but grab the wrist of the person next to them and whisper nervously.
“Boss, isn’t that the baby your third brother threw away as bait? Boss, if she had this kind of ability, why throw her away in the first place?”

The rebel leader glared at him. “If I had known, would I need you to remind me now?”

The man persisted. “Boss, everyone else is kneeling. We’re too conspicuous. Should we…”

“Shut up! I’d rather kneel to my own wife at home than to this tyrant!” The rebel leader, noticing hesitation among his subordinates, raised his dagger high. “Charge with me!”

At the same time, a sharp inner voice seemed to pierce everyone’s eardrums:

“Be careful! Big Brother! Nephew!”

The emperor and the crown prince were startled. As they turned around, they saw dozens of men wearing headscarves, daggers raised high, charging toward them.

The palace guards quickly moved to intercept them, forming human shields. The rear guards drew their bows, while the front guards raised their spears high.

Crack!

With a sharp clap of thunder, Yuan Ruan’s inner voice echoed again:

“Ah, the guards’ reaction is too fast! Don’t hold your weapons so high! I might accidentally hurt you by mistake!”

The emperor, the crown prince, and the officials: !!!

They didn’t know how Yuan Ruan planned to intervene, but after witnessing her earlier miracles, almost everyone was filled with awe and instinctively chose to trust her.

The emperor immediately ordered, “Lower your weapons!”

The crown prince added, “Put down the shields.”

High-ranking officials also shouted, “Lower your weapons! Put down the shields!”

The guards were stunned.

The nearby commoners were equally confused.

Even the charging rebels hesitated for a second. But the rebel leader, along with his second and fourth lieutenants, rushed forward without hesitation, breaching the guards’ defensive line.

“Die, you tyrant!” the rebel leader roared.

The emperor stood impassively, watching the approaching rebels. He could clearly see the bloodshot eyes and feral expressions of the enemy, but he remained unmoved.

The head of the palace guards, unable to hold back, drew his sword.

Other officials instinctively moved closer to shield the emperor.

All these actions happened within a single second.

In the next second, a purple bolt of lightning, as thick as a thumb, descended from the sky, striking the dagger raised by the rebel leader.

“Ahhh!”

This wasn’t the rebel leader screaming—it was the fourth lieutenant beside him, startled out of his wits.

The rebel leader, struck by the lightning, froze in place with his dagger still raised. Silver-blue electric arcs danced across his hair and clothing.

In the blink of an eye, he collapsed straight to the ground, lifeless.

After the rebel leader fell, his second-in-command silently raised his dagger and charged at the emperor.

Crack!

Another bolt of silver lightning struck him without hesitation.

History repeated itself.

The man froze and collapsed.

Everyone: !!!

If the lightning igniting the candles inspired awe and reverence, the lightning striking down enemies invoked a mix of fear and respect.

Even the officials couldn’t help but inch closer to the emperor, worried that they might be accidentally struck while Yuan Ruan unleashed her divine power against the rebels.

The crown prince, after recovering from his shock, couldn’t help but laugh. “Father, you used to tell me how to protect the little princess so she could grow up safely. Now it seems you’ve been worrying too much.”

“Hahaha! Her strength is her own, but Daxia must still show the proper attitude.” The emperor, in high spirits, strode past the charred bodies without a second glance. “She is not only Daxia’s National Fortune but also my little princess.”

The crown prince and the officials were momentarily stunned by his words before nodding in agreement.

While the Daxia officials maintained their composure, the rebels were in complete disarray.

“They are… they are dead!” one of the smarter rebels shouted, raising his arm. “Run! The National Preceptor is using lightning to strike people! Everyone, charge toward the National Preceptor to stay safe!”

As he shouted, other rebels followed suit, screaming and urging the crowd forward.

The officials’ expressions changed.

Such a sinister plot! With tens of thousands of people rushing forward, even unarmed commoners could cause devastating chaos!

“Protect His Majesty!”

The Minister of War charged forward.

At that moment, the dark clouds above began to churn violently. Several bolts of lightning danced like white dragons across the sky, illuminating the heavens with alternating flashes of blue and white.

A deafening roar of thunder echoed.

Simultaneously, silver lightning poured down like a torrential rainstorm.

One by one, the rebels collapsed under the relentless strikes of lightning.

Nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear.

Apart from the emperor, the crown prince, and the three grand ministers who stood firm, everyone else—officials included—instinctively crouched down with their hands covering their heads.

The commoners, who had briefly been riled up by the rebels, quickly fell back to their knees, bowing deeply and not daring to move a muscle.

Moments later, the storm subsided, and rays of sunlight broke through the dissipating clouds.

Everyone slowly looked up, their faces still dazed from the spectacle.

The Minister of Rites suddenly knelt and proclaimed loudly, “The National Preceptor commands the Thunder God with great divine power. We are in awe and submission!”

The officials, awakened by his words, immediately followed suit. “The National Preceptor is mighty! Daxia is mighty!”

The commoners quickly joined in, their voices rising in waves: “The National Preceptor is mighty! Daxia is mighty!”

The emperor and the crown prince exchanged smiles.

At that moment, a soft voice rang out:

“My ears are about to go deaf! Look at everyone’s reactions! The effect is amazing!”

The system replied, “Indeed! Host, who knew you were this good at physics? Manipulating electromagnetic forces to summon and redirect lightning—it’s impressive! And you even used it to punish the bad guys! Haha, you’re the brightest star here. Now you can finish the grand finale!”

Yuan Ruan hesitated. “The clouds are clearing. Is there still time for…”

The system urged her, “Of course! Finish what you started. Give everyone one final spectacle!”

The officials, who had just calmed down: …

No! What we’ve already seen is more than enough! System, stop encouraging her!

The officials gestured frantically at the Grand Ritualist’s assistants to intervene. The assistants, in turn, pushed the Bureau officials forward. Both sides urged each other to step in.

Before anyone could act, a sharp clap of thunder resounded again.

This time, the sound was crisp and less intimidating.

Everyone looked up instinctively.

In the sky, several bolts of lightning arced in curves, tracing a massive, heart-shaped pattern about three meters high and five meters wide.

On the platform, Yuan Ruan blinked her large, round eyes and gave a sweet smile. With her chubby fingers, she formed a heart gesture:

“Hehe, sending you all a heart!”

The ministers: !!!

Although they didn’t understand what “sending a heart” meant, hearing Yuan Ruan’s cheerful thoughts filled them with warmth.

One by one, they raised their right hands and awkwardly mimicked her heart gesture in response.