152: Chapter 149 Declaration of War!

Just how many unknown secrets were still hidden within Chen Zhiwen?

This thought grew wildly in the hearts of the father and son, yet neither dared to voice it.

Amidst this stifling silence, Chen Zhiwen finally moved.

He slowly lifted his eyelids, his indifferent eyes sweeping over Leng Feng kneeling before him. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable will.

"Dark Web, hear my command."

"Your subordinates are here!" Leng Feng and the hundreds behind him responded in unison. Their voices were low, yet they merged into a single force, ringing like metal striking stone and shaking the heart.

"Pass down my decree: all Dark Net Members scattered across the Desolate State are to set out immediately and assemble at the Heavenly Spirit Sect." Chen Zhiwen's voice lacked any emotional fluctuation, as if he were speaking of the most mundane matter.

"Within three days, I want the Heavenly Spirit Sect's mountain gate to be surrounded so tightly that not even a drop of water can pass. Seal the heavens and earth, sever their Spiritual Vein; not even an ant is allowed to leave."

"We obey... the Master's command!"

Leng Feng's voice carried a hint of uncontrollable excitement and fanaticism.

This sharp blade that had been hanging over the entire Desolate State, dormant for many days, was finally going to reveal its edge for the first time... under its Master's will!

Chen Chaochu's heart suddenly constricted.

Sealing the heavens and earth, severing the Spiritual Vein!

This was the prelude to uprooting a top-tier Sect with a Legacy of thousands of years and completely erasing it from the world!

He had originally thought Chen Zhiwen's revenge would be a world-shaking battle, but he hadn't expected it to be so... overbearing, so merciless!

However, before he could recover from the shock of this command, Chen Zhiwen's second order was already issued.

His gaze remained on Leng Feng, but his tone was three degrees colder than before.

"Furthermore, send word to the Northern Border."

"Have the Dark Net Members there pay a visit to the Second Prince's residence."

Chen Zhiwen's voice paused. The night wind blew, lifting a strand of his black hair and obscuring the expression in his eyes, leaving only those cold words, like ice from the Nine Netherworld, drifting slowly across the square.

"Tell him that Second Prince Chen Zhiling's crimes of colluding with an outside Sect, murdering his own kin, and attempting to seize imperial power are unforgivable."

"...There is no need for him to return."

Boom!

These last few words were like a bolt of thunder from the Nine Heavens, striking hard into Chen Chaochu's mind, causing his entire body to shudder violently as his face instantly turned as pale as paper!

Chen Zhiling... that was his son!

"Zhiwen..." Chen Chaochu's lips trembled as he instinctively wanted to speak up and stop him.

Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; this was, after all, imperial Bloodline, his own flesh and blood!

However, the words had barely reached his lips when Chen Heng, standing nearby, suppressed them with a single look.

Chen Heng's expression was equally solemn, but the gaze he directed at Chen Chaochu held a hint of resolve and warning.

Chen Chaochu and Chen Heng's eyes met. Finally, the reluctance and struggle in the Great Xuan Emperor's eyes slowly faded, transforming into a bottomless sorrow and... acquiescence.

He slowly closed his eyes, his hunched silhouette stretching long under the moonlight, appearing incredibly desolate.

Chen Zhiwen seemed completely oblivious to the shift in Chen Chaochu's emotions behind him, or perhaps he simply didn't care.

He just looked at Leng Feng quietly.

Leng Feng didn't hesitate for a moment, kowtowing heavily. "Your subordinate will relay the command immediately!"

"Go."

Chen Zhiwen waved his hand dismissively.

Leng Feng's figure, like ink blending into water, vanished silently from the spot.

Immediately after, the hundreds of Dark Net Members kneeling on the ground seemed to receive a silent command. One by one, their forms turned into phantoms, vanishing without a trace as they eerily merged into the surrounding shadows without causing the slightest ripple in spiritual energy.

They came like specters and left like a dream.

Within a dozen breaths, the entire Chengtian Gate Square returned to its previous emptiness and dead silence, as if those hundreds of terrifying existences capable of toppling an Imperial Dynasty had never appeared at all.

Only the cold moonlight and the lingering dark red bloodstains of Consort De on the ground remained to prove that everything that had happened tonight was not an illusion.

"Father, Old Ancestor."

Chen Zhiwen turned around to look at the two men with complex expressions. His tone remained flat. "This matter began with me, so it shall end with me. The Imperial Family need not intervene."

His words were both a notification and an unquestionable declaration.

Having spoken, he lingered no longer and took a step forward.

Before him, space rippled like water, and a pitch-black rift quietly emerged, emitting a deep and vast aura.

Chen Zhiwen's figure didn't pause for a second; with just that one step, he entered the rift.

The rift slowly closed, completely swallowing his lonely and resolute back.

Only Chen Chaochu and Chen Heng remained in the square, standing in the cold moonlight, speechless for a long time.

After a long while, Chen Heng let out a long sigh, his voice filled with shock, relief, and a hint of... fear that even he hadn't noticed.

"Chaochu... we all underestimated him."

"He is no hidden Dragon, but a... true Dragon that has long since awakened."

Chen Chaochu didn't answer. He simply opened his eyes slowly and looked toward the lights of the Wan Family in the capital, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination.

...

The next morning.

As the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, draping the ancient capital in a golden veil, an imperial decree capable of shaking the entire Desolate State spread from the depths of the palace to every corner of the capital!

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"The Heavenly Spirit Sect has acted perversely and disregarded the Heavenly Dao. Its Disciple, Zhao Wuji, is even more heinous, having committed monstrous crimes! I, in the name of the Great Xuan Dynasty, now declare these sins to the heavens!"

"From this day forth, the Great Xuan Dynasty officially declares war on the Heavenly Spirit Sect!"

"This war shall be to the death!"

There were no elaborate words, no long list of crimes—only those final four words: "To the death."

Like four heavenly swords carrying endless killing intent, they struck hard into the hearts of everyone who heard the decree!

The entire capital instantly fell into a dead silence.

Immediately after, a sky-shaking uproar erupted!

"What? The Imperial Family is going to war with the Heavenly Spirit Sect? And it's to the death?"

"Insane! This must be madness! The Heavenly Spirit Sect is one of the Ten Great Sects, with deep foundations and clouds of powerful experts. How does the Imperial Family dare..."

"It's said that a massive upheaval occurred in the Sky Prison last night. Consort De... has passed away! And the Fifth Highness has walked out of the Sky Prison!"

"*Hiss!* Could it be... this is related to the Fifth Highness?"

Countless speculations and discussions swept through the capital like a tide.

And this imperial decree spread across the Desolate State through various channels at a speed faster than a storm.

The Great Yan Dynasty, Great Chu Dynasty, Great Yu Dynasty...

Every titan standing at the peak of the Desolate State was shaken the moment they received the news!