Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 251 The Blade of National Destiny
Feng Xiao accepted the order and left, his footsteps sounding particularly clear in the empty courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.

Wang Delin was pinned to the ground by two soldiers, his obese body struggling violently, emitting wild, animalistic grunts.

At the same time, his cloudy eyes stared intently at Chen Ye, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"If you dare to harm my family, the Holy Envoy will not let you off! You and your whole family will have your souls extracted and refined, never to be reincarnated!" Wang Delin's voice was hoarse and frantic, more like a self-encouragement than a threat.

He was afraid.

In fact, from the moment Chen Ye led his troops into the Prince's mansion, Wang Delin knew he was doomed.

But he feared the Holy Envoy even more, the Demonic Sect who promised him immortality and whose methods were unpredictable and treacherous.

In Wang Delin's view, being beheaded by the imperial court was nothing more than death.

But if you offend the Holy Envoy, the consequences will be ten thousand times worse than death, because he has personally witnessed how those who disobeyed were silently turned into a pool of pus and blood, and then their souls were taken away, wailing day and night.

Therefore, he cannot speak, not a single word.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye looked at his blustering but cowardly appearance, but his heart remained completely unmoved.

Soul extraction and spirit refinement?

What a joke! When it comes to such methods, all the demonic sects in this world combined are no match for even a fraction of the Blood Lotus Sect in the main world.

After all, he was a true master of evil, ruthless not only to outsiders but also to his own people.

Therefore, Chen Ye was already immune to these things.

Feng Xiao returned with his men very soon.

A group of women, adorned with jingling ornaments and dressed in fine clothes, along with several teenagers, were roughly shoved and pushed by soldiers to the center of the courtyard.

They had never been treated like this before. They cried and screamed, turning the originally solemn Prince's mansion into a noisy marketplace.

"Master! Master, save me!"

"Father! Father! These people are going to kill us!"

Wang Delin watched as his wives, concubines, and children were pushed to the ground. His eyes turned red, the veins on his neck bulged, and he roared angrily.

Chen Ye ignored them, his gaze calmly sweeping over the terrified faces.

Under the Lord of Heartstrings' talent, the voices of these women are so clear.

Who is this damned officer? How could the master have offended such a scoundrel...? My hairpin, my jade bracelet, I hope they don't steal them...

This is a concubine dressed in bright colors, but even at this moment, she is still thinking about her own wealth.

[It's all over, the Wang family is going to fall, I have to find a way to escape quickly... My family still has some influence, maybe I can escape...]

This is a concubine.

In short, these sentiments were mixed and selfish, and none of them truly cared about Wang Delin's life or death.

Chen Ye frowned slightly and continued searching through the crowd.

Suddenly, a faint but pure voice of fear caught his attention.

That high-ranking official in black armor is terrifying... Will he kill us? Father, please save us... I don't want to die... I really don't want to die...

No, I can't panic. I'm Father's most beloved daughter; I must find a way to save him...

"But what can I do... Oh, right... Holy Maiden... Father said that the Holy Maiden possesses boundless power and will surely protect our Wang family through this crisis! As long as we beg the Holy Maiden, everything will be alright!"

Chen Ye's gaze instantly locked onto the source of the sound.

In a corner of the crowd, a girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a light pink dress, was huddled there, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

She was pretty with delicate features, but her small face was pale with fear, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads, making her look pitiful.

That's her.

Chen Ye took a step and walked towards the girl.

With each step he took, Wang Delin's roar grew sharper.

The soldiers held him down tightly, preventing him from moving, and he could only watch helplessly as Chen Ye walked up to his most beloved daughter.

The cries in the courtyard gradually subsided, and everyone's attention was focused on Chen Ye and the trembling girl.

Chen Ye didn't speak, but looked down at her calmly.

The girl felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, forgetting even to cry. She just trembled uncontrollably, her lips quivering, unable to utter a single word.

"What's your name?"

Chen Ye finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

The girl was startled and stammered, "Wang...Wang Ling'er..."

"Wang Ling'er?" Chen Ye nodded, seemingly just asking casually, before mobilizing the power of the Heartstring Master to implant crystal clear thoughts into the depths of Wang Ling'er's soul.

Tell me everything about that holy envoy...

Speak out, and you and your family will be saved...

Your father has been deceived; only you can save him...

These thoughts came silently, yet were incredibly domineering, exploding directly in Wang Ling'er's chaotic thoughts.

Her body trembled violently, and the look in her eyes as she looked at Chen Ye instantly changed.

Fear still exists, but within this fear lies a strange dependence and submission, as if a drowning person has grasped at the only straw.

Chen Ye was very satisfied with the effect. He squatted down, trying to make his line of sight level with the girl, and then asked in a gentle tone, "Miss Ling'er, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions. As long as you answer honestly, I guarantee the safety of all of you."

His voice seemed to possess a certain magic, gradually calming Wang Ling'er's violently beating heart.

She nodded, like a tamed little animal.

"You're a smart girl, you must know something, right? Tell me who those bad guys are? Where are they?"

Wang Ling'er's eyes struggled for a moment, but the implanted idea was so powerful that it instantly overwhelmed all her concerns.

“I know.” She said to Chen Ye, pointing towards the back mountain of the Prince’s Mansion, as if she had made up her mind.

"My father has a statue of a goddess in the family temple. He says it is the incarnation of the Holy Maiden, who can bless our family with prosperity and many descendants, and even make him young again!"

"Shut up! You bitch! Shut the hell up!"

When Wang Delin heard that his daughter had revealed everything, he was so angry that his eyes were bloodshot. He struggled with all his might, but two elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison held him down firmly, making it impossible for him to move.

In the end, he was completely desperate, as if all his strength had been drained away. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with a deathly silence.

"Very good." Chen Ye stood up and gave the order to Feng Xiao.

"Captain Feng, send men to keep an eye on all the members of the Wang family. No one is allowed to leave."

"Yes!" Feng Xiao clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

"Also, send another hundred elite soldiers with me to the Wang family ancestral temple." Chen Ye's gaze turned towards the back mountain of the Wang mansion, his eyes becoming cold and sharp. "I want to see for myself what that thing really is!"

The path behind the Prince's Mansion is secluded and deep.

The path paved with bluestone slabs meanders upwards, with carefully trimmed exotic flowers and plants on both sides. The air is filled with the fragrance of grass and trees. It should be a pleasant scene, but at this moment, it feels particularly oppressive because of the grim soldiers.

Chen Ye walked in front, followed closely by Feng Xiao, Hou En, Qian Yi, and others. Beside them was Wang Delin, who was being supported by two soldiers and looked like a walking corpse, completely lost and disoriented.

One hundred elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison spread out in battle formation, completely surrounding the back mountain. Their footsteps were uniform and echoed dully on the stone slabs.

Soon, a sizable temple came into view.

The walls are vermilion, the tiles are bluish-gray, and several auspicious beasts guard the eaves. A black plaque with gold characters hangs above the door, bearing the four characters "Wang Family Temple". It looks no different from the ancestral hall of an ordinary wealthy family.

"Break the door down," Chen Ye ordered.

"Yes!"

Several strong soldiers immediately stepped forward and slammed their shoulders against the gate.

With a loud bang, the two heavy wooden doors swung open.

A chilling aura instantly rushed in from inside the door, mixed with a strange, cloyingly sweet fragrance.

Everyone frowned, and Hou En even exaggeratedly pinched his nose: "Damn it, what's that smell?"

Chen Ye was the first to enter the ancestral temple.

The main hall was simply furnished, with the ancestral tablets of the royal family enshrined in the center, and wisps of smoke rising from the incense table. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

"Brother Chen, is there anything wrong here?" Feng Xiao looked around and said with some doubt.

"Wang Delin." Chen Ye's voice was cold.

Wang Delin, who was being supported, trembled and listlessly raised his head.

Where is the door?

Wang Delin's lips trembled, his eyes filled with struggle and fear, but he finally raised his trembling hand and pointed to a floor tile in the lower left corner of the wall next to him.

A soldier immediately stepped forward and stomped on the paving stone.

"Click... Rumble..." A series of mechanical sounds rang out, and the seemingly seamless wall slowly parted to the sides, revealing a dark hole.

The moment the cave entrance opened, the cold, sweet, and pungent aura intensified tenfold, sending chills down one's spine.

"Light the torches!" Feng Xiao shouted.

Several torches were lit, dispelling the darkness at the cave entrance and revealing a stone staircase leading downwards.

"You all stay outside. No one is allowed to come in without my order," Chen Ye ordered most of the soldiers, then led the way with only Feng Xiaoxiao, Hou En, Qian Yi, and ten personal guards.

The stone steps were not long; after about several dozen steps, one arrived at a spacious underground chamber.

Several large luminous pearls were embedded in the walls of the secret room, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

When they saw the scene inside the secret room, everyone gasped in shock.

In the very center of the secret chamber stood a statue about the height of a person.

It was a statue of a woman.

Unlike the imagined evil god with a blue face and fangs, this statue is exquisitely carved, even beautiful to the extreme.

The statue has a graceful figure and a flawless face; every part of it seems to be the most outstanding creation of heaven.

The statue's material resembled jade but was not jade; it shimmered with a faint, ethereal light under the glow of the luminous pearl, making her appear lifelike.

Especially her eyes; though they were inanimate objects, they seemed to possess some kind of magic, captivating anyone who looked at them and making them want to be lost in them.

"My God, this...this is too beautiful." Hou En stared at the statue, unable to help but mutter to himself, his eyes somewhat glazed over.

"Shut up! Don't look into her eyes!" Chen Ye shouted coldly, instantly waking Hou En.

Hou En shuddered, and when he came to his senses, he felt a chill run down his back and broke out in a cold sweat.

Qian Yi, Feng Xiao, and the others were also startled and quickly looked away, no longer daring to meet the statue's gaze.

Chen Ye shifted his gaze from the statue to the offering table in front of it.

Instead of the usual fruits and offerings, the altar was set with several exquisite white jade bowls filled with a dark red, blood-like paste that emitted a cloyingly sweet aroma.

Underneath the offering table were scattered some tattered clothes and a few blackened human bones.

"Wang Delin, is this the saintess you worship?"

Wang Delin collapsed to the ground, staring at the statue with a fanatical look of worship in his eyes: "That's right, this is the Holy Maiden! The Holy Maiden is all-powerful, she can bestow upon me endless wealth, and she can make me young again. As long as I sincerely worship her, she can grant me all my wishes!"

"Sincere offerings?" Chen Ye sneered, kicking over a small white jade bowl beside him. "Using the blood, flesh, and souls of innocent people as offerings, is this your sincerity?"

He was now certain that the contents of that bowl were made from living people.

"That's their honor!" Wang Delin roared excitedly, as if a cat had been stepped on. "Being able to become a sacrifice for the Holy Maiden is a blessing they've earned in eight lifetimes! What do you mortals know!"

"He's gone mad, this guy has completely gone mad." Hou En muttered under his breath as he looked at Wang Delin, who seemed to have gone completely insane.

"Guards," Chen Ye coldly ordered, pointing at the statue, "Smash it for me!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the two guards immediately stepped forward, raised their tempered steel swords, and with all their might, slashed at the statue.

Clang! Clang!
Two piercing metallic clangs rang out, sparks flying everywhere.

The two guards felt a sudden numbness in their hands, and their steel knives almost flew out of their grasp. However, not a single white mark was left on the black jade statue, which remained standing there quietly, its exquisite face seemingly carrying a silent mockery.

"what?"

"Why is it so hard?"

Everyone was stunned.

It should be noted that although the standard steel swords of the elite soldiers of the Beijing garrison could not compare to divine weapons, they were still forged through countless trials. Yet, two strikes were not even enough to break the opponent's skin.

Upon seeing this, Wang Delin, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh, the sound echoing in the secret room and sounding particularly jarring.

"Do you see that? This is the power of the Holy Maiden! How could mortal weapons possibly harm a god in the slightest!"

"Chen Ye! Aren't you so capable? So what if you kill me? So what if you take my family property?"

"You think you, a mere imperial envoy, can save Nanhe County? Don't dream! The Holy Envoy's plan has already begun, and the entire Nanhe County will become a sacrifice for the Holy Sect! Hundreds of millions of souls will be refined into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner! No one can stop it! No one can change it!"

"You! And all those behind you will become souls in this hell on earth! Hahahaha!"

His laughter was filled with vicious curses, as if he could already see the miserable end of Chen Ye and the others.

Feng Xiao and Hou En's faces turned ashen, and they both drew their swords, pointing them at Wang Delin. If Chen Ye hadn't given the order, they would have rushed up and chopped this madman into mincemeat long ago.

However, Chen Ye showed no anger whatsoever in the face of Wang Delin's frantic provocations and shouts.

He just stared at Wang Delin quietly, as if he were looking at a clown.

Only when Wang Delin's laughter gradually subsided did he slowly speak, "Are you finished?"

Wang Delin was taken aback.

"After you've finished speaking, it's my turn."

Chen Ye slowly raised his right hand and grasped the hilt of the ancient, black knife at his waist.

"You're right, mortal weapons really can't hurt it."

"But this sword of mine is not a weapon of ordinary people."

"Moreover, it has never been a god."

The moment he finished speaking, Chen Ye suddenly drew his Dragon-Slaying Blade!

"Chong-"

A clear and high-pitched dragon roar resounded throughout the secret chamber!

The moment the blade left its sheath, a vast, majestic, and supremely masculine aura instantly filled the entire hall.

That aura instantly dispelled all the chill and evil spirits within the hall.

Wang Delin, who had been shouting wildly, seemed to have his throat gripped by an invisible hand under this aura, and his face showed an expression of extreme terror.

He felt a chill and fear that came from the depths of his soul!
The statue of the beautiful woman, which originally exuded an eerie aura, seemed to dim slightly the moment the Dragon-Slaying Blade was drawn.

"This sword was personally bestowed by His Majesty, containing the destiny of the Great Chen Kingdom and gathering the dragon energy of all people."

Holding the Dragon-Slaying Blade, Chen Ye walked step by step toward the altar. With each step, his aura grew stronger, and the Dragon-Slaying Blade in his hand emitted a series of excited hums.

"Before this blade, all evil spirits and heretics are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ye leaped high into the air, holding the sword in both hands, and poured all the spiritual energy in his body into the Dragon-Slaying Blade.

On the blade of the Dragon-Slaying Blade, the golden dragon pattern seemed to come alive, letting out a soul-stirring roar!

Then a dazzling golden blade of light, like a lightning bolt slicing through the darkness, slashed down with unparalleled power that could cut through everything!

boom!
The evil aura surrounding the statue was instantly evaporated like snow meeting the blazing sun before the Dragon-Slaying Blade's dazzling dragon energy!

Immediately afterwards, the stunningly beautiful head flew high into the air, tracing an arc before crashing heavily to the ground and shattering into pieces.

Everyone stared at this scene in stunned silence.

Feng Xiao and his men looked at the Dragon-Slaying Blade in Chen Ye's hand with eyes filled with awe and fervor.

This is imperial power! This is the majesty of the Son of Heaven!
Wang Delin was struck dumb, staring blankly at the shattered head on the ground.

"Impossible... This is impossible..."

Just then, a faint cracking sound was heard.

Fine cracks began to appear on the headless statue.

The cracks spread rapidly throughout his body like a spider web.

Finally, to Wang Delin's utter horror, the evil god statue shattered completely, turning into a pile of lifeless rubble.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away from Pingyang City, in a secluded valley shrouded in spiritual mist in Nanhe County.

On a simple altar built of huge stones, a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in black palace attire, whose appearance was exactly the same as that of the statue, sat cross-legged.

A huge black banner was planted in front of her.

The banners fluttered without wind, shrouded in black mist. Countless distorted, tormented faces appeared and disappeared within the mist, emitting mournful wails that chilled the heart to the bone.

Just as the statue in the Wangfu family temple was shattered, the woman who was sitting cross-legged suddenly opened her eyes.

Those were eyes without a trace of white, only pure black pupils, filled with deathly stillness and coldness.

Then her brows furrowed slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"strangeness……."

"The divine statue I set up in Pingyang City has actually been broken?"

(End of this chapter)