405: Chapter 399 Preparing to Take Action Against the Huang Family

He walked extremely slowly and lightly, fearing that the sound of stepping on a single fallen leaf would disturb that god of slaughter currently sitting in the jade pavilion sipping tea.

Until he reached a point exactly ten zhang away from the jade pavilion, Chen Zhengchu did not dare to cross the line by even half a step. His legs went weak, and with a 'thud,' he knelt down firmly on the cold, hard bluestone floor, burying his head deep and pressing his forehead tightly against the ground.

"Your subordinate, Internal Affairs Hall Elder Chen Zhengchu, kowtows to the Grand Elder! May the Grand Elder enjoy eternal immortal blessings and a lifespan equal to the heavens!"

Chen Zhengchu's voice was very loud, even carrying a slight crack due to excessive excitement and fear, echoing continuously through the silent valley.

Chen Zhiwen continued to quietly toy with the white jade teacup in his hand, his gaze falling upon the clear tea liquid as if he hadn't heard Chen Zhengchu's shout at all.

Time, at this moment, seemed to stretch out extremely long.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

A full half-stick of incense's time passed.

Kneeling on the ground, Chen Zhengchu felt his back completely drenched in cold sweat. That silent pressure was like an invisible mountain pressing down hard on his spine, making him not even dare to breathe heavily. He had no idea if he had done something wrong; he could only desperately recall every detail of cleaning up the battlefield just now in his mind, trying to find any oversight that might have angered this living ancestor.

Just as Chen Zhengchu was about to break under this terrifying mental pressure and nearly collapse...

"This tea was brewed a bit too long."

Chen Zhiwen's voice, laced with a hint of coldness amidst his laziness, finally drifted over slowly.

"Phew—"

Chen Zhengchu felt as if he had received a grand pardon; his nerves, tightened to the limit, suddenly relaxed, and he almost slumped directly to the ground. But he immediately gritted his teeth, forced his back straight, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying: "Your subordinate deserves death! I will immediately go to the warehouse to select the freshest, top-grade spiritual spring water for the Grand Elder, and then assign two of the most Tea-Savvy Courtesans to serve you!"

"No need."

Chen Zhiwen waved his hand casually and pushed the teacup aside.

"I find things touched by those common, vulgar women to be filthy. Speak, how has the mess outside been handled?"

Hearing this, Chen Zhengchu hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, forced his mind to steady, and extremely carefully took out a shimmering Jade Slip from his wide sleeve, holding it high above his head with both hands.

"Reporting to the Grand Elder! The battlefield has been initially cleared."

Chen Zhengchu's voice trembled slightly out of awe, but he still tried his best to maintain clarity and order.

"During this Demonic Path raid, the buffer zone outside our Heavenly Sword City suffered heavy losses. Of the original 8,600-plus Loose Cultivators stationed there, under the impact of the Demonic Path vanguard and... and Senior Sister Li Shuang's... 'clearing,' fewer than two thousand survived."

When mentioning the name 'Li Shuang,' a flash of extreme terror clearly crossed Chen Zhengchu's eyes. That woman in black, surrounded by black Devilish Qi and laughing wildly among the piles of corpses like a man-eating ghost, had completely become a nightmare in his heart and the hearts of all Cultivators in the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Chen Zhiwen's expression didn't change at all, as if he were listening to an insignificant number.

"Over six thousand dead?" Chen Zhiwen sneered, his finger lightly tapping on the table. "These wastes weren't even qualified to be meat shields. Still, it's good they're dead; it saves the city's food and Spiritual Qi. What about the two thousand survivors?"

"Reporting to the Grand Elder, your subordinate has already ordered Commander Commander Chen Jiao of the Law Enforcement Team to break up the organizational structure of those two thousand surviving Loose Cultivators and re-incorporate them. We have confiscated all their Storage Pouches and Magical Artifacts, and uniformly issued the lowest-grade black iron standard weapons," Chen Zhengchu reported hastily.

"Tell Commander Chen Jiao not to give these people any chance to breathe."

In Chen Zhiwen's cold and heartless eyes, a light of extremely cruel calculation flickered.

"Divide them into ten small teams to supervise each other. Implement the law of collective responsibility. If one person escapes, the entire team is beheaded; if one person hides spoils of war, the entire team is skinned and cramped. I want them to understand that in this Heavenly Sword City, they are no longer free Loose Cultivators, but the lowliest slaves of my Heavenly Sword Sect. Their lives, their everything, belong only to me."

"Give them the hardest and most exhausting work. Send them to repair the Formation foundations of the outer city walls and to mine Spirit Stones in the most dangerous undersea mineral veins. Issue them only half a low-quality Inedia Pill mixed with bran every day—enough to ensure they don't starve to death, but absolutely without any extra spiritual power to think about rebelling."

Chen Zhiwen's words were like the most piercing cold wind in the depths of winter, making Chen Zhengchu shudder.

To exploit living Cultivators as consumables worse than livestock was a method that, even in the survival-of-the-fittest world of cultivation, could be called appalling. But Chen Zhengchu did not dare to offer the slightest objection; he could only kowtow deeply.

"The Grand Elder is wise! Your subordinate will certainly convey your decree exactly as it is, and I will never let these lowly wretches develop even a hint of rebellion!"

"Mm," Chen Zhiwen responded noncommittally and continued asking, "What about the items left behind by the Demonic Path?"

At the mention of this, a flash of irrepressible ecstasy and greed finally appeared in Chen Zhengchu's eyes.

"The Grand Elder's Divine Might is peerless! This time, we have truly won a complete victory and made a fortune!" Chen Zhengchu looked up excitedly, his speaking speed increasing significantly. "The two thousand members of the vanguard camp under Blood Nether Old Ancestor were drained of their essence blood by Senior Sister Li Shuang, but most of their Storage Pouches were preserved. Your subordinate has done a rough count: in Low-Grade Spirit Stones alone, there are a full 300,000! There are also over 2,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! And that's not even counting the various Demonic Path Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Artifact Refining Materials!"

"300,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Hearing this number, a very slight hint of mockery finally appeared on Chen Zhiwen's normally calm face.

"That old dog Blood Nether has been stripping the land bare in the Southern Barrens for two hundred years, and the elites under him are poor enough to be in this state? 300,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones wouldn't even be enough to buy a decent top-grade Flying Sword in a place like the Central Continent. Truly a bunch of hicks who have never seen the world."

Chen Zhengchu was left red-faced by Chen Zhiwen's words, secretly clicking his tongue in his heart. 300,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones! For the Heavenly Sword Sect, which used to live a hard life on Tianjian Island, this was an astronomical sum they couldn't even imagine! But in the Grand Elder's eyes, it didn't even count as pocket change.

"However, since it has fallen into our hands, even the smallest mosquito leg is still meat."

Chen Zhiwen leaned forward slightly, his deep gaze staring intently at Chen Zhengchu.

"Pass down the order: all spoils of war are to be collected into the Sect's Internal Affairs Hall treasury and uniformly registered. If any Disciple involved in cleaning the battlefield dares to hide even a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone, they shall be dealt with as traitors to the Sect—killed on the spot, and their Divine Soul shall be used to light a sky lantern. Do you understand?"

"Understood! Your subordinate understands! I have already personally led the elites of the Law Enforcement Team to search the Storage Pouches of all Disciples cleaning the battlefield three times; there is absolutely not a single speck left out!" Chen Zhengchu guaranteed, patting his chest.

"Well done," Chen Zhiwen gave a rare word of praise, but immediately after, his tone shifted and became incomparably icy. "Then, what about the Huang Family?"

Hearing the words 'Huang Family,' Chen Zhengchu's whole body shuddered violently, and the temperature in the surrounding air seemed to drop another dozen degrees in an instant.

The ghastly green face of Huang Wanfu involuntarily appeared in his mind, along with the tragic image of him being frozen into a black ice sculpture and finally smashed into pieces to be fed into the Formation furnace.

"Reporting... reporting to the Grand Elder." Chen Zhengchu's voice lowered unconsciously, carrying a deep sense of dread. "The news of Huang Wanfu's fall has been temporarily suppressed by your subordinate. The Huang Family manor is currently still in the inner city; they don't seem to have realized that their Old Ancestor has... has met with a 'heavenly calamity.' I have already secretly deployed three hundred Inner Sect Disciples to surround the Huang Family manor so tightly that not even a fly can escape. We are only waiting for your command, Grand Elder."

"'Met with a heavenly calamity'? That's a good choice of words."

Chen Zhiwen smiled extremely elegantly. That smile, illuminated by the night-luminescent pearls, appeared so flawless, yet so hair-raising.

"In order to protect Heavenly Sword City, Huang Wanfu resisted a Demonic Path Nascent Soul powerhouse and unfortunately suffered Qi Deviation, his life and Dao ending. Such a righteous and awe-inspiring feat deeply moves this seat."

Chen Zhiwen slowly stood up, his moon-white robe fluttering in the night wind. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze seeming to penetrate the endless Void Realm and fall directly upon that magnificent Huang Family manor in the inner city.

"Since the old Family Head Huang was so loyal and devoted that he didn't even care for his life for the sake of the Sect, the remaining members of the Huang Family must also be in agonizing pain over the loss of their Old Ancestor."

Chen Zhiwen's tone was as calm as if he were reciting a beautiful poem, but every word he spoke carried a suffocating scent of blood.

"I have always been most kind-hearted and cannot bear to see others suffer the pain of such a life-and-death parting."

Chen Zhiwen slowly turned his head, his abyss-like eyes looking at Chen Zhengchu without any emotion.

"Zhengchu. Go and help them."

"Since the Huang Old Ancestor is so lonely down there, the men, women, old, and young of the Huang Family, as Juniors, should go down and fulfill their filial duties. A Family should be together and complete, shouldn't they?"

Chen Zhengchu only felt his scalp go numb, a chill rushing from his heels straight to the top of his head.

Extermination!

This was an undisguised, naked order for extermination!

The Huang Family was, after all, the number one subordinate Family of the Heavenly Sword Sect, with hundreds of people in the clan, and no small number of Qi Refining Stage Cultivators.

But in the Grand Elder's mouth, erasing these hundreds of lives was as easy and casual as crushing hundreds of ants.

"Grand... Grand Elder..." Chen Zhengchu swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he tested the waters,

"The Huang Family has a large business and many members. If we... if we send them all down, will it cause panic among the other subordinate families in the city? After all, we just went through a great war, and people's hearts are seeking stability..."