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At this moment, the mansion of Li Yang, the Minister of Revenue, was completely surrounded by hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards, elite imperial guards exuding an aura of menace.

“Audacious! You vermin!”

“How dare you surround the residence of the Minister of Revenue? Are you courting death?”

A furious voice echoed, and from the mansion, a young man dressed in opulent golden robes, with a cold and sinister expression, strode out. He approached the commander of the Royal Shadow Guards, Qing Long, and started berating him.

This young man was Li Yu, the son of Li Yang. Relying on his father’s power and influence within the court, Li Yu had grown arrogant and reckless. Never in his life had he been humiliated like this. Now, seeing his family mansion besieged by a band of audacious men, his rage knew no bounds.

“Silence!”

“Li Yang, the Minister of Revenue, has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor during court proceedings, a sin beyond forgiveness. His Majesty has decreed his immediate execution, and his family will be executed to the ninth generation!”

The cold gaze of Qing Long remained fixed on Li Yu as he spoke with unwavering determination, exuding an overwhelming killing intent.

Upon hearing these words, sweat dripped from Li Yu’s forehead, and his body trembled uncontrollably. His face reflected disbelief as he shouted,

“Impossible! Do you not know that falsely transmitting an imperial edict is punishable by death?”

“I demand to see my father! I must speak to the Empress Dowager and get to the bottom of this!”

Li Yu’s face was contorted with fury and disbelief. He was certain the decree was false.

My father, Li Yang, is the Minister of Revenue, a powerful figure backed by the Empress Dowager herself. What right does the new emperor have to execute his family?

“Minister Li Yang has already been executed for deceiving the emperor. Rest assured, you will soon join him in the underworld.”

With a chilling smile, Qing Long raised his voice and bellowed,

“By the decree of His Majesty, we are to execute all traitors and rebels to the ninth degree.”

“Royal Shadow Guards, kill them all!”

At his command, the hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards unsheathed their blades in unison, their terrifying aura filled the air as they prepared to carry out the massacre.

Faced with the overwhelming killing intent, Li Yu’s face turned ashen, and his legs gave out, leaving him slumped on the ground.

“Stop! Fighting is forbidden under the shadow of the imperial city! Cease this at once, or face my wrath!”

At that moment, a thunderous voice rang out.

A tall and imposing middle-aged man clad in black armor with a sword at his waist approached the scene. Behind him, several thousand black-armored soldiers marched in unison, their fearsome presence quickly surrounding the Royal Shadow Guards.

Li Yu’s face lit up with hope as he scrambled to his feet and hurried to the man, shouting,

“Commander Chen, you’ve arrived just in time! These men have dared to falsify an imperial edict! Seize them immediately!”

This middle-aged general was none other than Chen Zhan, the commander of the City Defense Force, a seventh-level powerhouse, and a trusted ally of the Empress Dowager.

Seeing Chen Zhan’s intervention, Li Yu felt a glimmer of hope. He knew that the Empress Dowager would never stand idly by and watch his family be slaughtered.

“Rest assured, as long as I am here, no one will dare touch the Li family,” Chen Zhan declared with an arrogant sneer, his eyes sweeping over the hundreds of Commander Chen, though he couldn’t help but feel a hint of wariness. These imperial guards were no ordinary force; the weakest among them were at the Divine Sea Realm, with several even in the Life and Death Realm.

However, Chen Zhan himself was a seventh-level master, far stronger than anyone present, including Qing Long. His mission today was clear—he was sent by the Empress Dowager to test whether the new emperor had hidden any further powerful forces beyond these elite guards.

Chen Zhan harbored some resentment toward this task, feeling it beneath him to handle such a matter personally. But the Empress Dowager’s influence was too great, and he had no choice but to obey.

Clearly, the Empress Dowager had become apprehensive after witnessing the emperor’s tactics in court earlier.

“The Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, has committed treason, and according to the laws of Great Zhou, his family is to be executed to the ninth generation.”

“We are acting under the direct order of His Majesty. Commander Chen, are you prepared to defy an imperial decree?”

Qing Long’s face remained cold and stern as he met Chen Zhan’s gaze, unafraid of the formidable opponent before him. Before carrying out the mission, His Majesty had already anticipated the Empress Dowager’s interference and ordered the powerful hidden figure, Nameless, to stay close by.

If Chen Zhan dared to defy the decree, he would face certain death.

“And who do you think you are to speak to me like that?” Chen Zhan sneered in disdain, his gaze fixed on Qing Long. With a wave of his hand, the black-armored soldiers behind him drew their swords and pointed them toward the Commander Chen.

“I don’t care who issued this decree; no one touches the Li family today—not even the emperor himself.”

The entire Great Zhou knew that the Empress Dowager wielded immense power, overshadowing even the emperor. Chen Zhan didn’t think much of the decree or the Commander Chen standing before him.

“Insolence!”

“Commander Chen Zhan, how dare you defy an imperial edict? By the order of His Majesty, I shall execute you!”

Suddenly, a cold and merciless voice filled with killing intent echoed through the sky. In the next moment, an old man in a gray robe appeared, seemingly out of thin air. His aura was terrifying, a presence so overwhelming that it left everyone in shock.

Chen Zhan’s expression changed instantly. His heart pounded as he stared at the old man who had just appeared.

The mysterious old man in front of him had an aura as deep as the sea, unfathomable, and even he couldn’t see through it.

Could it be that the old man’s cultivation was stronger than his.

Is it possible?

You should know that he is a powerful seventh-level master.

Looking at the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, and even the entire Shen Zhou, he should not be an unknown person.

The ninth prince Gu Changsheng had just ascended the throne and became emperor. He had no foundation. How could he have such a strong man under his command?

Could it be that this old man was part of the emperor’s hidden forces left behind by the former emperor?

“Humph”

“Sir, do not be too arrogant.”

“Your strength is not bad, but I am no weakling either.”

“I have thousands of soldiers behind me. Once we unleash the battle formation, I’m afraid you won’t gain any advantage.”

Chen Zhan’s face was calm and collected as he looked at the old man in gray robes before him. He couldn’t help but snort coldly and sneer.

Although he couldn’t discern the mysterious old man’s cultivation level, he didn’t believe the other’s strength could surpass his own.

Even if it did, with the Empress Dowager backing him, he didn’t believe that the Emperor would dare to kill him.

Moreover, as the commander of the City Defense Camp, his cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Great Expert Realm, and he had thousands of soldiers backing him, ready to unleash a battle formation that would boost his own power.

Even against someone at the eighth level of the Great Expert Realm, he could hold out for a while.

Therefore, Chen Zhan’s expression was full of arrogance, utterly fearless.

“Heh heh!”

The gray-robed elder’s face remained calm, as if he saw through Chen Zhan’s little scheme, and he sneered.

As soon as his voice fell!

In an instant, the gray-robed elder took one step forward, and in a flash, he appeared right in front of Chen Zhan.

The terrifying pressure of his power spread freely, and the laws of heaven and earth enveloped the entire space, causing the void to solidify.

“Peak of the Great Expert Realm!”

Sensing the old man’s aura, Chen Zhan was filled with terror, losing all will to fight. In an instant, he crossed thousands of miles of empty space, trying to flee.

“Trying to escape?”

The gray-robed elder’s expression was one of contempt. Without even drawing the sword at his waist, he slowly extended a hand. It transformed into a giant palm that ripped through the sky, crashing toward Chen Zhan’s chest.

Boom!

In an instant!

Chen Zhan’s entire body exploded, his flesh and blood scattering. He plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground and forming a massive crater. His appearance was miserable and utterly pathetic.

Hiss!

Seeing this scene, thousands of black-armored soldiers present were shocked, their eyes wide open. They couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.

Their commander, Chen Zhan, was a powerful expert at the seventh level of the Great Expert Realm.

Yet in front of this gray-robed elder, he didn’t even have a chance to resist.

“Peak of the Great Expert Realm, how is this possible?”

“How could the new emperor have such a powerful figure by his side?”

Chen Zhan’s eyes were filled with fear as he looked at the gray-robed elder. A bitter smile appeared on his face, and he begged in a low voice:

“Spare me.”

After realizing the elder’s overwhelming strength, Chen Zhan completely abandoned any thought of resistance.

A peak-level Great Expert expert.

Even if he unleashed the battle formation to enhance his power, he couldn’t possibly be a match.

“Defying the imperial edict is a crime punishable by death.”

“It’s too late to beg for mercy now.”

The gray-robed elder’s expression remained emotionless as he ignored Chen Zhan’s plea. With one step, he appeared before him.

In an instant, he threw a punch, as powerful as a collapsing sky and splitting earth.

Boom!

Chen Zhan’s eyes were vacant as he watched the overwhelming fist energy descend upon him. His face was filled with horror, and he couldn’t react in time.

In the next moment, Chen Zhan’s entire body exploded into pieces, his bones and flesh scattered, and he was reduced to a cloud of blood mist drifting in the air.

A Great Expert Realm expert at the seventh level had fallen.

Witnessing this scene, countless cultivators and soldiers present were dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened.

A Great Expert Realm expert had fallen just like that.

“The rest is up to you.”

The gray-robed elder slowly retracted his aura, folding his hands behind his back. His gaze landed on Qing Long, the commander of the Royal Shadow Guards, and he said calmly.

As for the thousands of black-armored soldiers under Chen Zhan’s command.

He did not bother to deal with them.

These soldiers were indeed loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But unfortunately, they followed the wrong leader.

“Understood!”

Commander Qing Long nodded, a cold smile appearing on his face. His gaze fell upon the residence of the Minister of Revenue, filled with killing intent:

“By the decree of His Majesty, exterminate the nine generations of the traitor’s clan!”

“Royal Shadow Guards, attack!”

With those words, hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards, their expressions cold and their swords drawn, charged into the residence, beginning their slaughter.

Without further interference from the Empress Dowager sending more strong fighters.

Moments later at the Minister of Revenue’s residence.

Blood flowed like a river, and not a single person was left alive.