41: Chapter 41 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (18)

Wang Shi felt a tremor deep in his soul; it was also his first time understanding the landscape of this continent.

The Demon-Suppressing Great Wall, the Human Alliance, and racial wars—these terms seemed to carry a heavy, fated sense.

He thought again of his talented elder brother from his previous life, Chen Xuan; as a direct disciple of the Four Seasons Holy Land, he must have had a heritage.

He wondered what kind of cultivation level he had reached after these decades, and how many times he had completed the blood exchange.

He had great confidence in this elder brother; he remembered that although his elder brother had tested for a Top-grade Root Bone while in the family.

But that was only the upper limit of that machine, not the upper limit of his elder brother.

Just as Wang Shi was lost in thought, the dry voice of Heir Xiao Heng came, causing him to quickly snap back to reality.

"So, Lin Lantian he..."

"Do not panic!" The Grand Supreme King in White comforted Heir Xiao Heng with one sentence, then said coldly:

"He will be personally escorted by this seat to a certain section of the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall that is the most intense and has the highest mortality rate.

There, after being sentenced by the Human Alliance, he will receive some 'special care,' and he will never have the opportunity to return and seek revenge on our Tianhuang Princes Mansion."

Heir Xiao Heng felt relieved; this was good, and perhaps it was more satisfying and useful than simply killing him.

"Then, Second Prince, and the other generals and officials who participated in the rebellion, how should they be dealt with?" Heir Xiao Heng continued to ask.

"The principal offender, Lin Lantian, will be dealt with according to the laws of the Human Alliance. As for Second Prince Xiao Ze and the remaining generals and officials who participated in the mutiny, they have not broken through to the Silver Marrow Realm, so naturally, this law does not apply to them."

The Supreme Prince's tone was without ripples, "According to the laws of the Tianhuang Princes Mansion and the regulations of the Tianwu Dynasty, the principal offender of treason shall be executed, and their family assets confiscated and clan exterminated.

Accomplices shall be executed, exiled, or demoted according to the severity of their involvement. This matter will be judged and decided by you, in your capacity as Heir, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and the Clan Court. This is also a test for you."

Heir Xiao Heng's heart tightened; he knew this was handing the final "cleansing" and "establishing of authority" into his own hands.

He stood up and bowed solemnly to the Grand Supreme King in White, saying, "Grandson understands; I will certainly not pervert the law, nor will I be lenient!"

The Grand Supreme King in White nodded slightly, fairly satisfied with Heir Xiao Heng's reaction.

He stood up and said finally, "Today's words, involving the Human Alliance, the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall, and the demon race, remain confidential among the common people and ordinary officials to avoid causing panic.

It is enough that you two know; once you officially ascend to the throne, there will be more detailed files and channels for you to understand the war on the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall and the dynamics of the Human Alliance."

He glanced at Lin Lantian in the corner of the hall, and the unconscious figure automatically floated up: "I will take this villain away for custody first; once you have handled the aftermath, come find me. As for the chaotic situation outside, quell it as soon as possible; do not affect the overall situation."

Before the words fell, the white shadow flickered slightly, and the figures of the Supreme Prince and Lin Lantian had already disappeared from the hall, as if they had never appeared.

Inside the hall, only Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi remained. The flickering candlelight illuminated their incomparably complex and surging expressions.

Outside the window, it was slightly turning blue; it was not far from dawn.

A mutiny that shocked Huangyan Prefecture came to an end in such a lightning-fast, yet slightly "anticlimactic" manner.

Heir Xiao Heng knew, and looked at Wang Shi; Wang Shi was also looking at him. In both their eyes, there was the relief of surviving a disaster, the shock of learning the truth, and an unspoken, even firmer determination.

"Grand Attendant Wang," Heir Xiao Heng's voice rang out in the silent hall, steady and powerful, "The sky is about to brighten. We should go clean up the aftermath, and then prepare to welcome a new era."

"This servant obeys," Wang Shi bowed deeply.

The next day, the morning light broke at dawn. In the Zhenhuang Hall, the civil and military officials gathered again.

The atmosphere, however, was completely different from yesterday; a thick, inseparable sense of trepidation and deathly silence permeated the murderous air.

The air seemed to still retain the blood and smoke of last night, and what was even more chilling than this was that snowy white figure sitting beside the throne.

Heir Xiao Heng was dressed in the formal robes of an Heir, sitting on a newly set seat below the throne. Wang Shi had changed into a dark cyan robe of the Chief Attendant, holding a golden seal, and stood solemnly by his side.

On the right side of the throne, on a rosewood chair, the Grand Supreme King in White sat with his eyes closed, his aura indistinguishable from a mortal's. Yet, like a stabilizing needle or a sword hanging over their heads, he made everyone in the hall feel it difficult to breathe, not daring to make the slightest move.

"Dong, dong, dong..." The bell rang nine times, and the morning assembly began.

Heir Xiao Heng slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping across the floor. He saw the Second Prince's faction of officials, pale and forcing calmness, and he saw First Prince Xiao Jing and his cronies with complex expressions and uncertainty. He also saw more of the neutral party who had completely lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Overnight, the world had turned upside down, and everyone needed to re-evaluate this young Heir who was about to ascend to the throne.

"Regarding last night's events, I trust you all have already heard," Heir Xiao Heng spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, carrying an unprecedented steadiness and majesty.

"Second Prince Xiao Ze colluded with the garrison general of Huangyan Prefecture, Lin Lantian, and brazenly launched a mutiny, attacking the residence of the First Prince, forcibly storming the Princes Mansion, and intending to force the abdication and commit treason; the evidence is conclusive!"

With every sentence he spoke, the faces of many people below turned paler.

"Upon investigation, the principal offender, Lin Lantian, has already been personally captured and suppressed by the Supreme Prince of the Worship Hall. According to the iron laws of the Human Alliance, as a Silver Marrow Realm martial artist, his crime does not reach treason, so leniency must be shown. However, while the death penalty can be avoided, living punishment is inevitable! Starting today, he will be escorted by the Supreme Prince to the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall to serve in the forced labor camp to atone for his crimes!"

The words "Human Alliance" and "Demon-Suppressing Great Wall" were mentioned in public again, causing a repressed commotion, but no one dared to voice any doubts.

Heir Xiao Heng paused, then continued to announce, his voice turning cold: "The principal offender, Second Prince Xiao Ze, as a Prince, did not think of loyalty and filial piety, colluded with an outside general, and committed treason; his crimes are heinous! According to the ancestral system of the Princes Mansion and the laws of the Dynasty, he is sentenced to have his cultivation crippled, his clan status stripped, and be demoted to a commoner. He shall be imprisoned in the Princes Mansion for life and shall not leave without the King's order!"

"The remaining generals, officials, and noble families who participated in the mutiny will be sentenced according to the severity of their involvement: extermination of the three clans, immediate execution, exile for three thousand miles, confiscation of family assets, dismissal from office, etc. The specific list and judgments will be announced and executed by the Ministry of Justice and the Clan Court later!"

After the judgments were announced, the entire hall was silent, with not even a pin dropping. The air was filled with the metallic smell of blood and cold fear.

Some of the officials from the Second Prince's faction collapsed on the spot, while others were ashen-faced and trembling. Last night they were still dreaming of being meritorious officials who supported the new ruler, but today they had become prisoners, even implicating their relatives.

Heir Xiao Heng scanned the whole audience again, finally letting his gaze fall on First Prince Xiao Jing, pausing for a moment, then instantly moving away.

He said loudly: "The Tianhuang Princes Mansion, the law is like a mountain! Those who submit shall prosper, and those who resist shall perish! This precedent is an iron rule! I hope you all take note!"

"We, your subjects, respectfully obey the Heir's order!" The officials responded in unison, their voices trembling, no longer showing any of the previous contempt or hesitation.

The morning assembly ended in a suffocating atmosphere. Heir Xiao Heng, under the invisible majesty of the Grand Supreme King in White and accompanied by Wang Shi, left first.

Leaving behind the officials in the hall, each with their own thoughts, they began to truly ponder how to pledge allegiance to this New King who was about to officially ascend to the throne, whose methods were already so brutal, and who faintly had the backing of the Worship Hall.