119: Chapter 119 Killing ministers and establishing power

"Understood!"

Shadow Guard Ying Yue's response was brief, cold, and without a shred of hesitation, as if the order she had received was not to kill, but merely to retrieve some mundane object.

Before the words had even faded, her black silhouette had already moved.

Like a faint glimmer skimming across the heart of a lake under the moonlight, or a phantom suddenly appearing in the dark night.

She did not even run; she merely tapped her toes lightly upon the scattered wood chips and broken porcelain littering the floor, and her entire body "floated" gracefully—devoid of any worldly aura—directly in front of the collapsed Minister of War Leng Jiangchan.

The sleeves of her black martial attire fluttered slightly with her movement, yet strangely, they did not stir a whisper of wind.

Only the short sword at her waist slid an inch from its scabbard with the movement, a flash of cold light appearing under the flickering candlelight and night-luminescent pearls, revealing a piercing Killing Intent capable of freezing one's marrow.

"No! No—!! You cannot kill me! Eldest Prince! Xuanyuan Zhanxian!! You cannot kill me—!!!"

Minister of War Leng Jiangchan completely collapsed.

His turbid eyes, once filled with authority and Killing Intent, were now covered in spiderweb-like blood vessels, almost bursting from their sockets.

A desperate, hoarse roar, like an old bellows being forced open, erupted from his throat, every syllable drenched in the fear and resentment of a dying man.

"I am the Minister of War who assists Your Majesty! I am a Second-Rank Minister personally appointed by Your Majesty! I am a high-ranking official of the court!! Your Majesty will never allow you to be this reckless!! Second Prince Wu Yuanchen! Your Highness! Save me—!! Save me—!!!"

He exhausted the very last shred of his remaining strength, frantically trying to curl backward and retreat, as if wishing to hide in a non-existent crack in the ground behind him.

However, his body, with its Dantian destroyed and Meridians severed, was already as heavy as if filled with molten lead, completely refusing to obey his commands.

He could only struggle futilely and slowly on the luxurious carpet stained with blood and wine, like a dying maggot, dragging out a winding, shocking dark red trail of blood.

This desperate, tearful shriek sounded exceptionally harsh and shrill within the deathly silent Zuixian Tower, like the final wail of a beast driven to its end, every sound weeping blood, every word piercing the heart.

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's face had turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

He gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging deep into the soft flesh of his palms. The sharp pain brought the faint, metallic tang of blood spreading throughout his mouth.

Subconsciously, he wanted to step forward, to stop this naked trampling of his authority and the slaughter happening right before his eyes.

But as his left foot lifted less than half an inch—

A cold, sinister, terrifying Killing Intent, like a viper's tongue locking onto his Soul, suddenly descended!

It was Commander Yingsha.

He did not even make any obvious movement; he merely lifted his eyelids slightly. The gaze beneath that hideous ghost mask was like two poison blades quenched in thousand-year ice and calcined in the Nine Nether Demon Fire, piercing Second Prince Wu Yuanchen with absolute precision.

In this gaze, there was no warning, no emotion, only the purest, most direct, and unmasked will to kill—as if silently declaring: Take one more step, and die.

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's lifted foot seemed to freeze in mid-air instantly, and then stiffly, slowly, it lowered back down.

All the blood in his body seemed to coagulate at this moment, and a chill surged from his tailbone straight to his crown, causing him to shiver violently.

His fists were clenched tight, his knuckles protruding from the excessive force, displaying a bloodless, deathly white color on the verge of shattering.

He opened his mouth, but his throat felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, unable to emit any sound.

He could only watch helplessly as the cold light in Shadow Guard Ying Yue's hand rose. His overflowing rage, grievances, and terror all ultimately transformed into a suppressed, desperate whimper deep in his throat.

Shadow Guard Ying Yue's face remained devoid of any expression.

Even her long, frost-covered eyelashes did not tremble in the slightest.

It was as if the Minister of War, who was currently roaring and begging, and who had once held power over the entire court, was no different from a stone on the roadside or dust in the corner.

She merely turned her wrist slightly.

"Clang—!"

A sound, clear like a Dragon's roar, yet extremely short—the ring of a blade!

A short blade, thin as a cicada's wing and gleaming with a cold, eerie light, had completely unsheathed and was held firmly in her hand.

The blade was narrow and slender with a perfect arc, its edge flowing with a desolate, cold radiance like rippling water under the light.

There was no buildup, no flashy opening stance, not even any unnecessary eye contact.

Shadow Guard Ying Yue's arm holding the sword suddenly swung down in a manner that was simple to the extreme and precise to the extreme!

The moment the cold light flashed, it was faster than the limits of vision, as if a desolate, fleeting stream of light had appeared out of thin air before everyone, like a meteor in the dark night sky exhausting its final radiance to tear through the eternal silence.

The short blade landed with absolute precision upon the neck of Minister of War Leng Jiangchan, where veins were bulging and he was still roaring in futility.

The action was clean, decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Like the most experienced butcher using his most comfortable knife to sever a piece of long-dried, lifeless rotten wood.

"Puchi—!"

A dull thud, so slight it was almost imperceptible, yet so clear in the deathly silence that it made one's scalp tingle—the sound of a sharp blade severing muscle and windpipe.

A streak of blood, bright red and piercing to the eye, suddenly bloomed across Minister of War Leng Jiangchan's neck!

At first, it was just a very thin red line, then, as if torn apart by an invisible hand, it suddenly expanded, transforming into the stamen of a bewitching, terrifying flower of death, spurting out the final heat of life!

All of Minister of War Leng Jiangchan's roars, pleas, and curses ceased abruptly at this very instant.

The extreme fear twisted on his face, the bone-deep resentment, the humble, dust-like begging—all expressions froze completely in this single moment!

It was as if he had been instantly cast and frozen by the most skilled craftsman using the coldest plaster, forever remaining in the boundless abyss of despair at the very last moment of his life.

The next second.

"Gulu lu..."

A head, eyes wide open, hair and beard bristling, face frozen in extreme shock and resentment, broke free from the constraints of the neck and, following the slight incline of the floor, rolled onto the ground slowly, with a bone-chilling composure.

Those eyes, which had not closed even in death, had pupils already dilated, yet they remained fixed stubbornly and unyieldingly in the direction of the main seat where Xuanyuan Zhanxian sat.

That final gaze seemed to condense all his hatred, fear, and confusion, transforming into two invisible curses, attempting to pierce through space and brand themselves upon his enemy's Soul.

The headless corpse twitched violently twice on the spot, as if this once-powerful body was still making a final, instinctive struggle.

Then—

"Chi—!!!"

Scalding, scarlet blood, like a fountain that had lost all restraint, spurted wildly from the severed neck cavity!

The column of blood shot up a foot high, then transformed into a rain of blood filling the sky, mixed with fine blood foam and tissue fragments, pattering down and instantly dyeing the luxurious, exquisite cloud-brocade carpet inside Zuixian Tower into a shocking, ever-expanding dark red swamp!

The thick, nauseating, sweet-smelling stench of blood, which could not be dissipated, spread frantically like a tangible plague with the headless corpse as its center. In an instant, it filled every corner of Zuixian Tower, completely overpowering the lingering aroma of expensive spirit wine and delicacies in the air, choking people until their throats tightened and their chests felt stifled, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The entire Zuixian Tower fell into an absolute silence, heavier than death itself.

It was a silence that made even the Soul tremble.

The guests were so shaken by this scene, which was bloody and cruel to the extreme and directly assaulted their vision and Soul, that their spirits nearly flew out of their bodies!

Some covered their mouths tightly with both hands, their fingernails digging deep into the flesh of their cheeks, only just managing to suppress the shrill scream that was about to burst from their throats, their knuckles turning a terrifying bluish-white from the excessive force.

Some trembled violently like chaff, desperately trying to shrink themselves into the darkest shadows of the corners, wishing they could turn into lifeless stones, having lost even the courage to lift their heads.

Even more, several timid female guests and young Young Masters, witnessing this horrifying scene, suddenly saw darkness before their eyes and, unable to even let out a short exclamation, simply fainted softly, collapsing into the arms of their equally pale-faced companions.

Shadow Guard Ying Yue raised her hand, expressionless.

With a soft "click," the short blade, thin as a cicada's wing and with not a single speck of blood on its edge, slid precisely into its scabbard.

The hilt forged from dark iron was cold and smooth, reflecting not a hint of blood, as if the lightning-fast execution just now had nothing to do with it, or with her.

She did not even spare a glance at the corpse at her feet, which was rapidly losing warmth and separated from its head. She turned, her toes tapped lightly once more amidst the blood and wreckage, and her figure swept back behind Xuanyuan Zhanxian like black wisps of smoke.

"Thud."

She knelt on one knee, her movements clean and decisive, her voice remaining cold and calm, without a ripple, as if reporting a mundane task that had long been completed:

"Your Highness, the guilty Minister of War Leng Jiangchan has been executed."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian then nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly.

The corners of his mouth curled upward in an extremely subtle arc.

This smile was faint, yet it carried a mockery that chilled one to the bone, along with a cold indifference that controlled life and death and viewed human lives as mere grass.

His gaze, like a cold wave freezing a thousand miles in winter, slowly and with unparalleled oppressive force, swept over the pale-faced, statue-like Second Prince Wu Yuanchen, and then passed over the hall full of guests who were silent as cicadas in winter, wishing they could shrink themselves into cracks in the ground.

His voice rang out, not loud, yet strangely piercing through the suffocating blood and silence, clearly, word by word, delivered into everyone's ears and branded onto everyone's hearts:

"Have you all seen clearly?"

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, scraping across every pale face.

"This is the consequence of offending this Highness."

His tone was calm, yet carried a certainty as if declaring the Law of Heaven and Earth.

"I, Xuanyuan Zhanxian, have returned."

He did not emphasize the last four words, yet they seemed to carry the weight of a thousand jun, smashing into everyone's heart, stirring up raging waves.

"Those who owed me in the past, who schemed against me, who betrayed me..."

His gaze swept over Second Prince Wu Yuanchen again; his eyes were bottomless, as if harboring an endless storm of blood.

"This debt, I will settle it, one by one, with interest, slowly."

As his voice fell, the gaze of everyone in the tower looking at Xuanyuan Zhanxian changed completely.

It was a complex look mixed with the deepest fear, the purest awe, and a sliver of luck at having survived a disaster.

There might have once been contempt, curiosity, or scheming, but at this moment, all superfluous emotions were completely washed away by the thick, inseparable stench of blood and death.

The Minister of War, at the Void Refining Middle Stage, wielding great power, was abolished just like that, executed just like that! This Eldest Prince, who had disappeared for nearly a decade and had been almost forgotten by everyone, possessed methods so ruthless, actions so decisive, and a Heart-Nature so cold that he was a hundred times more terrifying than the most bizarre rumors!

No one dared to regard him as that "fallen prince" who could be easily manipulated or secretly schemed against ever again.

The person before them was clearly a primordial Vicious Beast that had awakened from slumber, its fangs stained with blood, its gaze cold!

He was a cold emperor who had returned, stepping over a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, wielding the power of life and death!

Wherever he passed, he would surely stir up a storm of blood, and no one could stop him!

However, facing these countless gazes filled with fear and awe, Xuanyuan Zhanxian seemed completely unaware.

He did not even look at anyone else, merely raising his hand casually to pick up the celadon teacup on the table that had long since gone cold.

His fingertips brushed against the smooth, cold rim of the cup, then brought it to his lips, slowly and meticulously blowing on the "floating leaves" that did not exist on the surface of the herbal tea.

His movements were elegant and composed, carrying the leisurely air unique to a Young Master of an aristocratic family who enjoyed the pleasures of the world.

It was as if the bloody execution that had just taken place before his eyes, ordered by his own mouth, was truly nothing more than swatting away a buzzing fly or brushing off a speck of dust—insignificant and not worth mentioning.

His gaze swept across the room again, his voice returning to its previous calm, even taking on a tone that was almost gentle. Yet, the content of his words caused the heartstrings of everyone, which had just barely begun to relax, to tighten fiercely once more:

"Everyone, there is no need for panic."

He took a light sip of the herbal tea and set down the cup.

"I, Xuanyuan Zhanxian, may not be considered a kind Soul, but I have always been clear about grievances and debts, and I distinguish clearly between love and hate."

He paused, his gaze appearing casual yet carrying the power to see through the human heart.

"As long as you do not actively provoke this Highness, do not block this Highness's path, and do not touch this Highness's things..."

His tone remained flat, yet every word was clear, like a brand:

"This Highness will naturally not kill the innocent without cause."

But these words, heard by those present, did not provide even the slightest bit of comfort. Instead, they felt like an even heavier, more blurred shackle placed around everyone's neck.

"Not actively provoke"? "Not block the path"? "Not touch things"? Where were the boundaries? What were the standards?

Who could guarantee that their own unintentional words or actions in the past had not been categorized by this fiend as "provocation"? Who could be certain that they wouldn't "block" his path in the future without even knowing it?

Panic, far from dissipating, grew and spread wildly in everyone's hearts.

Everyone buried their heads lower, breathing as lightly and slowly as possible, not even daring to move their eyeballs, fearing that an unintentional glance or a subtle movement would be interpreted as "offense," inviting that short blade which was as thin as a cicada's wing but as fast as the Grim Reaper.

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's complexion had long since turned from pale to livid, and from livid to an ugly shade of purplish-red.

The fury in his chest was like volcanic lava about to erupt, crazily crashing against the dam of his reason, burning his internal organs with searing pain.

He never expected that Xuanyuan Zhanxian would dare to be so arrogant and ruthless to such an extent!

Not only did he brazenly take action at the banquet he had meticulously prepared, crippling his subordinate general, but he also, in front of all the prominent figures of the court, aristocratic disciples, and even Prodigies from other countries, executed Minister of War Leng Jiangchan—whom he had tried so hard to win over and relied upon as his right-hand man—in such a cruel and swift manner!

This was not just a slap in the face! This was throwing his, Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's, prestige, schemes, and power—along with his dignity as a prince—onto the ground, and trampling and crushing them with boot soles stained with the blood of the Leng family! This was the most naked, undeniable declaration of war!

"Xuanyuan Zhanxian! You...!!"

The shout, born of extreme rage, finally broke through the blockade of his throat and erupted!

Yet, in that voice was an unmistakable tremble that even he himself had not noticed; it was an instinctive reaction to extreme anger mixed with fear that had seeped into his bone marrow.

However, his words had only just begun. Xuanyuan Zhanxian finally, slowly, lifted his eyes.

His gaze fell calmly upon Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's face, which was twisted and distorted by extreme anger and fear.

That look was too calm. It was as calm as the deepest eye of a storm, without raging waves, yet harboring a terrifying power capable of devouring everything; it was as calm as eternal black ice, freezing all vitality and emotion.

There was no anger, no Killing Intent, not even obvious disgust. There was only an unfathomable, indifferent calm.

Yet, this very calm gaze, falling into Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's eyes, made him feel as if he had instantly fallen into an abyss of ice!

The blood in his entire body seemed to be frozen solid in an instant, and even the beating of his heart seemed to pause for a moment!

A tremor originating from the depths of his Soul, like a cold viper, instantly coiled around his spine, making his limbs cold and his scalp tingle!

He opened his mouth, but all the subsequent words of rebuke, threat, and attempts to save face were stuck tight in his throat; he couldn't spit out a single word.

He did not doubt—if he said even one more word, even half a syllable, the next person to have Commander Yingsha's ghostly figure close in, to have their Dantian crippled, to have that flash of cold light from Shadow Guard Ying Yue's hand sweep across their neck, and to be separated from their head with blood spraying... would be himself.

The fury that had almost burned away his reason was like being doused by a sudden, heavenly blizzard of black ice from the Nine Netherworlds; with a hiss, it was extinguished completely, leaving only bone-chilling cold and powerless ashes.

Second Prince Wu Yuanchen's lips trembled and opened and closed a few times, but in the end, he could only dejectedly and with great difficulty close them tightly.

All the unspoken words, along with the monstrous rage and humiliation, were swallowed back into his stomach, turning into a bitter, salty clot of blood in his throat.

He stood there; although he was inside the warm tower, he felt colder and more isolated than if he were in the wilderness during the depths of winter.

Princess Xia Zhiqing stood frozen, her slender fingers gripping the fabric of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her fingertips almost piercing holes in the high-quality cloud brocade material.

She looked at the figure in the main seat who remained composed, as if he had just tasted a cup of tea, and an unprecedented storm surged in her heart—

She had followed Senior Brother for quite some time and knew that he was decisive in his methods and firm in his will; he was by no means an indecisive person.

But she had never imagined, nor had she ever seen, that he could be so ruthless and cruel to such a degree!

In the midst of conversation and laughter, he had decided the life and death of a second-rank official with power over the court, and he did it in such a direct, bloody, and irreversible way.

However, amidst the shock, a cold realization also welled up in her heart.

Facing a behemoth like the Leng family that was pressing step by step, holding real power, and clearly carrying Killing Intent, any gentleness, compromise, or hesitation would be a path to death, only making the other side more unscrupulous and inviting endless subsequent conspiracies and assassinations.

The only way was to use thunderous momentum, right from the beginning, and in the most tragic and unquestionable way, to completely crush them!

To bury all their power, reliance, and ambition, along with their lives!

Only in this way could he maximally deter all the eyes that were spying and stirring in the shadows, and win time for himself to breathe and plan.

Senior Brother's actions, while seemingly cruel and crazy, were actually... the most effective, yet most helpless, choice to break the current deadlock. It was just that the cost, and the storm he had stirred up...

Huang Tianjiao's hand, holding that celadon teacup, paused almost imperceptibly.

The warm tea in the cup swayed with this slight tremor, splashing a few drops onto the back of her jade-white hand, bringing a slightly hot sensation that carried the fragrance of tea.

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow underneath, her gaze falling on the slightly swaying, blurry reflection in the cup, and deep in her eyes, a flash of extremely complicated glimmer appeared.

There was the most intuitive shock and awe at the bloody methods, a deep fear of the nearly reckless and cruel wrist shown by Xuanyuan Zhanxian, and also a few... indescribable helplessness and sighs.

She had originally thought that even in the most cruel royal infighting, with brothers turning against each other, they would always maintain a fig leaf of Bloodline on the surface, considering some face and balance of the court.

But Xuanyuan Zhanxian's actions today—where was this a struggle? It was clearly destruction! It was completely tearing off all the gentle masks, placing the most bloody and naked rules in front of everyone.

He had not left even the slightest room for easing things, neither for himself nor for Second Prince Wu Yuanchen.

From now on, on this road to the Supreme position, there would only be life-and-death struggles, with no possibility of turning back.

Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's hand, which had been gently twisting his beard, also stopped unconsciously.

His eyes, which were usually gentle and peaceful, as if everything was in his calculations, were now filled with undisguised shock, and even his steady expression, which had remained unchanged for ten thousand years, showed obvious loosening.

He prided himself on being proficient in heavenly calculation, good at insight into the human heart, and planning the whole situation.

He had originally thought that this mysteriously returned First Prince, even if he wanted to take action, would first lurk in the dark, accumulate strength, win over allies, remove the opponent's wings step by step, and finally plot that thunderous strike.

But he never expected that Xuanyuan Zhanxian's "thunderous strike" would come so fast, so fiercely, so... reckless!

As soon as he made a move, he went straight for the center, killed the general, and blood splashed five steps away!

Such courage, such ruthlessness, such domineeringness that trampled all rules and calculations underfoot and stood alone as the Supreme...

Where was this a hidden dragon in the abyss? It was clearly an unparalleled Vicious Beast that had awakened and was ready to devour people!

His momentum had formed, his power was manifest; he was by no means a thing of the pond, and even less a person who could be fathomed by ordinary imperial schemes!

Meanwhile, in a corner that was completely out of place with this murderous and bloody atmosphere.

Tuoba Ye had, without knowing when, quietly moved behind Chu Zhanxiao.

He was actually still holding half a large pork knuckle that had been gnawed seven or eight times, full of glistening oil and sauce; on the corners of his mouth and beard, meat juices and small scraps of meat were glistening.

He swallowed the pork knuckle meat stuffed in his mouth with effort, and then, still unsatisfied, "sniffed" his nose extremely loudly, as if he wanted to inhale the strong, bloody smell in the air into his stomach as a seasoning for his meal.

He stared with copper-bell eyes, looking at Xuanyuan Zhanxian on the main seat, who had an intimidating aura like a demon god descending upon the world, poked Chu Zhanxiao in front of him with his elbow, lowered his rough voice as much as possible, and exclaimed in a muffled voice:

"Oh my mother! Brother, did you see that? Your Senior Brother... is too damn awesome!! A high court official, he kills him just like that, without even blinking an eye! This temper, these methods, satisfying! Really damn satisfying! He's a hundred and eight thousand miles better than those cowards and softies who calculate all day long and are weird and shady! I like it! It suits my taste!"

Chu Zhanxiao's mouth twitched uncontrollably several times, and veins seemed to be dancing happily on his forehead.

He looked at Tuoba Ye's silly appearance, with his face full of oil, mouth flowing with oil, and still immersed in "delicious food" and "wonderful show," and then looked at Second Prince Wu Yuanchen not far away, whose complexion was already ugly to the extreme and seemed to be about to explode at any time, as well as the eerie atmosphere of the whole room, which was as silent as a grave and everyone felt in danger...

He just felt that this painting style was ridiculously fractured, so absurd that it made his brain ache.

On one side was a power Shura field where blood splashed five steps and it was a life-and-death struggle; on the other side was a live broadcast scene of a foodie who was heartless and focused on gnawing on a pork knuckle.

He couldn't bear it anymore, raised his hand and pushed hard on Tuoba Ye's arm, which was a circle thicker than the average person's, lowered his voice, and squeezed a sentence out from between his teeth, almost biting his roots:

"Eat! Eat! Eat! All you know is eating! Didn't you see that the Second Prince over there has a face as green as a turtle shell?! If you shout again, be careful of being treated as my Senior Brother's accomplice and being 'dealt with' together! By then, let alone the pork knuckle, you won't even have bone scraps to gnaw on!"