28: Chapter 28 The Fear of the Marquis of Zhennan

Amidst the gloomy gazes of the crowd, a personal soldier responsible for intelligence delivery, his face deathly pale, scrambled into the council hall.

"Marquis... Marquis! Urgent report! Xuantian Holy Land... urgent intelligence has arrived from the Xuantian Holy Land!!"

At this moment, everyone's heart instantly jumped into their throats.

They knew that the result from the Xuantian Holy Land must have come out, they just didn't know if it was the result they wanted.

In an instant, the eyes of everyone in the council hall turned to that personal soldier.

Even the usually composed Chu Yannian stood up subconsciously.

"Speak quickly! Who... who won?"

Seeing the scene before him, the personal soldier finally reacted.

He swallowed hard.

There was no help for it.

He was only a personal soldier responsible for delivering intelligence, and his strength was only at the Innate Realm.

How could he not be nervous when suddenly being watched by so many high-ranking officials of the Zhennan Army?

After a great effort, the personal soldier stammered his report.

"Re... reporting to the Marquis! The Xuantian Holy Land... has... has been destroyed! The entire sect... none survived!!"

The personal soldier's stammering yet incredibly clear words were like a bolt from the blue, crashing heavily into the hearts of everyone in the council hall.

"What?"

"How... how is this possible? What about the Old Ancestor of the Celestial Realm in the Xuantian Holy Land?"

"How could a dignified Holy Land be destroyed?"

"This is impossible! The Xuantian Holy Land has an Old Ancestor of the Celestial Realm sitting in command, how could it be annihilated?!"

"If a Celestial Realm powerhouse is determined to leave, who can stop them? Is the Imperial Dynasty not afraid of retaliation?!"

"Could the news be wrong? Is it possible that the Holy Land only suffered heavy losses, but its core remains?"

The high-ranking officials of the Zhennan Army were all stunned, their faces filled with shock and absurdity.

They had thought the Xuantian Holy Land might be defeated, might suffer heavy losses, or even might be forced to bow their heads and surrender.

But total annihilation... this result completely exceeded the limits of their cognition!

You must know, that was a super power with a Celestial Realm powerhouse sitting in command!

What does the Celestial Realm mean?

It means transcending the mundane, it means mastering the great power of heaven and earth, it means being able to run if you can't win, and it means being extremely difficult to kill completely!

Once the opponent is pushed to the edge, a hidden, unscrupulous Celestial Realm powerhouse launching retaliatory assassinations or destruction would be catastrophic for any force.

Therefore, even if there are conflicts between major forces on the continent, unless there is absolute certainty and deep hatred, they rarely do such things of "fighting to the death" to the point of annihilation.

Especially when the other side has a Celestial Realm powerhouse.

And now, the news says the Xuantian Holy Land has been destroyed?

Doesn't that mean that the Old Ancestor of the Middle Stage of the Celestial Realm, Li Youran, has also fallen?!

"The Xuantian Holy Land Old Ancestor... Li Youran is dead? How... how is this possible!"

"Aren't the strongest of those three old things in the Imperial family only at the Middle Stage of the Celestial Realm? At most, they could only draw with Li Youran, how could they kill him?!"

"It seems the Imperial family still has trump cards we don't know about..."

"Could the news that came a while ago be true? If that's the case, then it makes sense!"

Hearing this, the others also remembered.

A few days ago, news came that the new Emperor was suspected of having the strength of the Celestial Realm.

And was accompanied by two strange Celestial Realm powerhouses, but at that time, no one believed it!

Now it seems that the rumor was not groundless; it is likely true.

That is to say, the Imperial family at least now possesses more than five Celestial Realm powerhouses, and they have the ability to easily kill a Middle Stage Celestial Realm powerhouse!

Terrifying! Too terrifying...

The Marquis of Zhennan, Chu Yannian, sitting at the head, seemed to have been drained of all his strength in an instant.

With a "thump!", his body went limp, and he slumped heavily back into his chair.

His face was ashen, and the last glimmer of luck in his eyes was completely extinguished.

"It's over... it's all over..."

He muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair.

This result was more than ten times worse than the worst-case scenario he had anticipated!

Even the Celestial Realm Old Ancestor of the Xuantian Holy Land had fallen; what could he, Chu Yannian, a half-step Heavenly Human, use to fight against such a powerful Imperial Dynasty?

What significance did his million-strong army have in front of a true Celestial Realm powerhouse?

If the opponent wanted to kill him, it would be easy.

A million-strong army could not protect him!

"Marquis! What should we do now? Please make a decision!"

"Yes, Marquis! The next step for the Imperial Dynasty will surely be us!"

"What else can we do? Before the Imperial Dynasty's army arrives, we should quickly submit a memorial to plead guilty! Push all the responsibility onto the Xuantian Holy Land, perhaps... perhaps the Imperial Dynasty will show mercy."

"Yes, yes, yes! Push the responsibility onto the Xuantian Holy Land; it was the Xuantian Holy Land that instigated us from behind the scenes!"

"Marquis, write the confession memorial immediately. The wording must be earnest, taking on all the blame, perhaps we can still save the lives of our families!"

"Yes, we don't ask for anything else now; being able to ensure the safety of our families is enough..."

At this moment, the council hall was already in chaos, and no one cared about decorum anymore.

They were offering suggestions in a hubbub, and the vast majority were inclined to immediately capitulate and plead guilty, striving for a glimmer of life.

Since resistance no longer held any hope, for the sake of their families' lives, they had only one path to take: to plead guilty.

Chu Yannian did not speak.

He listened to these noisy sounds, and his face was left with nothing but ashen despair.

Because he knew too well.

Others might still have a chance to survive by begging and handing over power.

But he, Chu Yannian... absolutely not!

He was the Marquis of Zhennan, the representative of the separatist forces in the south.

Since the new Emperor chose to revitalize the imperial power with such cruel means, he would never let him, the "example," go!

His fate had been sealed from the moment the Xuantian Holy Land was destroyed.

"Exterminate the nine clans to serve as a warning to others!" That was his fate!

Just as Chu Yannian was in despair, and the crowd in the hall was arguing endlessly, thinking about how to shift the blame and how to beg for mercy to appear more "sincere", "Boom—!!!"

Without warning, a majestic, cold, and terrifying pressure containing an aura of killing intent descended with a bang.

In just an instant, it enveloped the entire Zhennan Marquis Mansion!

The strength of this pressure completely exceeded their imagination.

What shocked them the most was that mixed within this terrifying pressure were several vast auras that made the Soul tremble.

That was the aura exclusive to the Celestial Realm!

And not just one!

In an instant, all the noise in the council hall came to an abrupt stop.

Everyone's complexion changed drastically.

The generals with slightly weaker cultivation let out a muffled groan, feeling their chests tighten, almost unable to breathe.

"This... this is..."

"Celestial Realm pressure?! More than one?!"

"They... they are here?!"

"It's the powerhouses of the Imperial Dynasty, they've come for us..."

"It's over, are they so impatient? Not even giving us a chance to submit a memorial and plead guilty?"