Destiny is ashes

Chapter 1158 Blood (26)

On the execution platform, the man laughed, drawing sidelong glances from the soldiers around him, but he didn't care at all: "I have lost my power, the firewood is dry, and even this environment can no longer allow me to exist in this world."

"But this capital city, which I thought was alive, is actually a dead city."

He looked towards Shenjing.

Looking out from the execution platform, he saw a dense crowd of people and officials who had come to watch his execution.

On the frontier, Gu Yunzhi witnessed many cruel and evil deeds. The Demonic Church recycled and reused some of the abandoned cultivation subjects as materials. The barbaric tribes of the Northern Frontier took pride in cannibalism to prove their bravery. As for sacrificing to the Heavenly Demon in exchange for power, these were common occurrences. Back then, King Jing and he conquered all directions together, and he had long been accustomed to the malice of these barbaric places.

But in Shenjing, whether in the past or present, the living conditions and the level of intellectual and spiritual development he had ever seen were unmatched by any other barbaric tribe.

Faced with the malice that constantly surrounds them, they are numb and fearful, yet they deceive themselves and feel smug.

They accept whatever happens, and submit to whatever they encounter. Even if someone right next to them suddenly dies, they can consider it an accident. It's like chickens in a chicken farm having their eggs taken away, or their neighbors being taken away. They still stay in their coops, motionless, peacefully laying eggs and living their lives, as if everything is peaceful, everything is an accident, and they are the exception.

This is the stable order.

A storm is brewing, and dark clouds loom over the city.

Under the leaden sky, a cold wind whistled, and on the distant horizon, the red glow of dawn shone brightly.

Emperor Wu personally oversaw the execution, with heavenly soldiers and generals forming a military formation. The earth vein array was fully activated, and the auras of other powerful figures from various towns or families could be sensed from afar, effectively eliminating any possibility of abducting the execution ground.

This elaborate and overwhelming operation was solely for the execution of an unarmed old man who had been stripped of his monastic license and was practically an ordinary mortal.

[Too rushed!]

Before the throne, Prince De was still protesting, trying to argue: "The speed was too fast. There's no evidence that Gu Yunzhi commanded it, and even if he did, what difference would it make?"

Whether the Yuan family committed a crime is still under debate. It's unclear whether they were protecting the capital or attempting to destroy evidence. How can they be so unreasonable as to immediately sentence and execute them?!

[Your Majesty, I humbly request that you rescind your decree!]

The Prince of De was right.

Prince De did not make a mistake, nor did he give up.

But it is clear that his words alone are meaningless.

Because this is...

A collective decision.

A habitual trend of thought.

A tendency to conform.

A type of blind following of trends.

They swept each other up and compromised, the surging tide carrying people forward despite their conflicts.

No one knows what future such a decision will lead to, but because they are in the tide, they feel safe. Those who are in the tide and know that they are about to fall into the abyss look ahead in despair, but those who do not stop the power of the tide can only become a wisp of the tide and will eventually be crushed mercilessly by the future.

【His Majesty! 】

A furious roar echoed from the tide, as it looked towards the sole being who could dictate the tide's direction—the king of water, the master of law, the Emperor named Xuantian. But on the throne, the young figure remained hidden behind the crown, his expression obscured.

The only one who could issue this command, Emperor Xuantian, remained silent.

Beside him, the Grand Tutor, who was in charge of the flood, also stood with his eyes lowered, as if in meditation, equally silent.

He was destined to return empty-handed.

at the same time.

Shenjing, the Yuan family residence.

As one of the four great families of Dachen, the Yuan family's marquisate is hereditary and can be passed down through generations, sharing the fate of the nation. Their marquisate covers an area of ​​thousands of acres, and after being expanded ten million times using the Taixu method, it is like a city, with carved beams and painted rafters inside, making it magnificent and resplendent.

Even the landscape gardens inside are like a blessed land, with five flowing water veins intertwined, along with various spiritual objects, talismans, towers, and pavilions, forming a grand formation that is in no way inferior to the sect-protecting formations of ordinary sects.

Inside the mansion, the lights were bright, and dozens of martial artists stood guard in the corridors and in front of the main gate. At the edge of the hall, a dozen stunningly beautiful women knelt on the white jade floor, their fair necks, shoulders and collarbones exposed, their foreheads pressed against the floor, obedient and waiting for their master's orders.

In stark contrast to the somber atmosphere on the execution platform, the air here was filled with pleasant music and warm fragrance. Yuan Chengliang, the deputy of the Yuan family, was inviting the Loyal King and his disciples to a banquet.

The wine swayed in the glass goblets, the dancers moved gracefully, and everything was peaceful and prosperous.

"Your Highness, it is truly an honor for my Yuan family to have you grace us with your presence." Holding his wine cup, Yuan Chengliang drank it all in one gulp, his posture extremely humble.

"Brother Yuan, you're too kind." Upon hearing this, Prince Zhong smiled and said, "It's just that undercurrents are surging in the capital, yet you still continue to sing and dance in your residence. This composure is truly admirable."

These words, seemingly praising but actually criticizing, were completely ignored by Yuan Chengliang. He personally poured a full glass of wine for the Prince of Zhong before lowering his voice and saying with a hint of worry, "Your Highness, we've only managed to see that the Grand Commander, the Grand Tutor, and even His Majesty and you all want us to be the ones to take the lead, which is why we've gritted our teeth and persevered like this!"

"Otherwise, what Prince De said is right. We're not brainless villains in storytelling tales, how could we not understand?"

"In the past, we would never have done this. Although Old Gu is far away, we would never associate ourselves with destiny. We'll just give him face and send a few collateral branches, or even a few纨绔 (playboys) from the main branch, to let him kill and interrogate. Anyway, the name of the Four Great Families is just for taking the blame for the court. We'll send a few纨绔 from time to time to let the world laugh."

"Anyway, we don't need fame. If we get real benefits, we should bear some infamy."

“For example, this Canglinzu is a friend of Heaven’s Mandate, so let him kill him. A bunch of servants and guards, they’re dead, so what?”

As he said this, he even sounded a little arrogant: "As long as Lord Destiny has fun, we can die, even I can die—it's just a puppet dying, and then I'll be reborn."

"Oh?" King Zhong swirled the wine in his cup, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "What if I absolutely have to kill you?"

"Not a puppet, but your true form?"

This was a difficult question to answer, but after thinking about it, Yuan Chengliang sighed and said, "Then just die."

This is not a lie.

The six branches of the Yuan family, tracing back to their ancestor, all share the blood of that founding ancestor. Furthermore, each branch, collateral branch, and descendant of the Yuan family, if still residing in the capital, can easily enter the Heavenly Official system through the vast network of family and bloodline connections.

With their blood, they can easily obtain the cultivation manuals of senior martial artists, gain benefits that ordinary people can only dream of, and easily find a very good wife or husband to live a smooth and peaceful life.

This is a blessing from the family.

The power of blood.

(End of this chapter)