Storm Over the Great Xia

December 30th. The final day of year 350 of the Anping Calendar. Everything that had transpired in the Great Ming Prefecture, everything that had taken place at Starfall Mountain, had spread completely. Beside the Top 100 Building. Wu Jia was consumed by fury, disappointment, despair, and dejection. Pushed to the brink of an emotional collapse, she replayed the scenes of Starfall Mountain again and again. Her voice was hoarse as she screamed and roared! "Will the Great Xia Prefecture not give my junior brother an explanation?!" "Will the Great Xia Civilization Academy not give my junior brother an explanation?!" "Are you truly going to force him away like this, driving him from his homeland and leaving him to wander in exile?!" "Sunmoon experts tried to kill him! Shanhai experts tried to kill him! How has my junior brother ever wronged you?!" Wu Jia shouted until her voice cracked, her throat raw as she continued to yell at the top of her lungs, "He is only at the Character Cultivation Realm! The aperture fusion method he deduced—he didn't conceal a shred of it, handing it straight over to the Xia family! Is this how the Xia family repays him?!" "He gave the Soul Devour Art to the Xia family, and even handed them the Cultural Art! Is the Xia family just going to turn a blind eye to everything?!" "An ambush at Starfall Mountain with so many people, so many traitors—did not a single soul in the Great Xia Prefecture notice anything?!" She shrieked and raged! Her junior brother was gone! All alone, he had headed south, exiled from his home, leaving behind the Great Xia Prefecture where he had lived for eighteen years. He had abandoned his kin, his friends, his teachers, and departed for a distant land. The Great Ming Prefecture... That was another grand prefecture altogether. Divided by a prefecture line, it might as well have been another world, an entirely separate nation. Within the Great Xia Prefecture, how many people ever even spoke of the Great Ming Prefecture? And now, her junior brother had departed in solitude. She saw her junior brother slay Zhou Pingsheng. She saw him cough up blood. She saw him pursued by a Shanhai divine talisman. Naturally, she did not see Li Minyu stepping in to block the sword later on. At this moment, Wu Jia was gripped by fury, despair, and anguish. She wailed shrilly, "In this vast Great Xia Prefecture, is there truly no one who will stand up for us?! My junior brother's father is still fighting the enemy on the front lines of the Demon Suppressing Army! Is this how you treat his family?!" "Has the Great Xia Prefecture truly rotted to such an extent?!" "Does our faith still exist?!" "Does it?!" Wu Jia's piercing shouts echoed outward. In every direction, countless students and instructors gathered, yet no one uttered a word; they merely lowered their heads in shame. The conflict between the single-character and multiple-character factions had actually spiraled to such a degree. Multiple elders and even a Sunmoon realm academy head had personally stepped forward to ambush Su Yu, going so far as to collude with Dao Protectors from the myriad races. If not for the Prefecture Lord of the Great Ming Prefecture happening upon them and slaughtering the lot, it would have been a catastrophic farce. Su Yu would have been murdered by his fellow humans! "When you cultivate the aperture fusion method, do you feel no shame?!" Wu Jia roared in agony, "Where did all the talk about competing within the same cultivation realm go?! When people like Zhou Pingsheng personally made a move, when traitors like Yu Hong colluded with the All-Races Cult, why does nobody mention it now?!" "A whole day has passed! Why hasn't the Great Xia Prefecture made a single move?!" "Just because Zhou Mingren is a half-step Sunmoon, just because his Single Divine Character Faction is so immensely important, does our Multiple Divine Characters Faction deserve to die?!" Tears streamed ceaselessly down Wu Jia's face. "Why has no one stepped forward?! Why hasn't a single person said that this violates the rules?!" "Can colluding with the All-Races Cult truly go entirely unpunished now?!" "If that is the case... then I will join the All-Races Cult myself! Sooner or later, I will make you pay! I will...!" She wept, crying out in a fury. Who would stand up for them? Who would stand up for her junior brother? Just because her junior brother was a member of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? Just because of that, could all of her junior brother's contributions simply be brushed aside? Below the stage, someone said in a heavy voice, "Junior Sister Wu, you must not speak rashly! Do not invite gossip and retaliation upon yourself! The Great Xia Prefecture will surely give us an explanation—an explanation to the entire Great Xia Prefecture!" A Lingyun expert barked coldly, "They must! The struggle between the single-character and multiple-character factions was meant to be internal friction, a competition—not a reckless campaign to exterminate geniuses! Now that even Sunmoon experts dare to strike, shall we all just plunge into wanton slaughter?!" "Who among us has no family, no descendants? If the rules are disregarded and Sunmoons murder Character Cultivation students, then if you can kill today, I can exterminate your entire clan tomorrow!" "And colluding with the All-Races Cult? A thousand deaths would be too lenient!" "..." The folkways of the Great Xia Prefecture had always been fierce and martial. Usually, if something did not concern them, people couldn't be bothered to speak up. But now, everyone's bottom line had been trampled. Fury boiled over! If the Single Divine Character Faction dared to act like this, would there ever be light in this sky again? At that very moment, a massive crowd began gathering outside the academy gates. Roars shook the heavens! "Hand over the culprits!" "Severely punish the Single Divine Character Faction!" "Execute the traitors and restore the prestige of Great Xia!" "Abolish the civilization academies! Draft the Civilization Masters into the military!" "..." The entire Great Xia Prefecture was boiling over, roaring in outrage. As crowds of protesters organized, all three premier civilization academies were surrounded by furious masses! The head of Jiutian Academy had gone, elders from Wendao Academy had gone, and multiple elders from the Great Xia Civilization Academy had also taken part... These aloof, exalted figures had colluded with demons to ambush a genius and seize his opportunities, forcing Su Yu into exile, terrified to ever return to the Great Xia Prefecture. This was a disgrace! Hundreds of years of war! The Great Xia Prefecture had fought for centuries, sacrificing countless soldiers so that the All-Races Cult dared not show their heads or preach within Great Xia's borders. Yet today, that faith had crumbled! While the soldiers were slaying cultists, the high-ranking Civilization Masters were colluding with them! ... While turmoil gripped the academy's interior, outside the gates, Chen Hao hid among the crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Punish the masterminds behind this!" "Murdering the children of heroes at will! Millions of our Great Xia warriors fight on the front lines, while back home, their sons are driven into exile! Who will ever dare to fight in the heavens again?!" "Is there no one in the Demon Suppressing Army to stand up for Su Yu?!" "Centurion Su Long is still fighting on the front lines! Does he know that Su Yu was ambushed and driven into exile?!" "..." Shout after shout was taken up by the countless people around him, a barrage of questions and demands! Su Yu's father, Su Long, was brought up as well. A veteran called back to duty! Nearing fifty years of age and at the ninth stage of the Qianjun Realm, he had heeded a single mobilization order from the Great Xia Prefecture, rushing to the front lines before his son had even taken the higher academy entrance examination! He had fought for the Great Xia Prefecture in his youth, and in his old age, he was still fighting for the Great Xia Prefecture. Yet now, because his son was overwhelmingly talented, he had been ambushed by his own people! Where was justice? Where was heaven's reason? The Great Xia Prefecture had a million soldiers at the front lines, and back home, there were tens of millions of retired servicemen and tens of millions of battle-tested veterans! Today it was Su Yu. Tomorrow, whose child would it be? Who would ever dare to fight for the Great Xia Prefecture again? Among the crowd, several retired veterans had red-rimmed eyes. Ignoring the urgings of older officers trying to placate them, they roared, "Where is the Demon Suppressing Army?! Where are the Longwu Guards?! Raze the Great Xia Civilization Academy to the ground! Level Jiutian and Wendao!" "Kill! Kill! Kill!" "If the culprits and masterminds are not executed, tens of millions of soldiers will never agree to this!" A group of older men tore open their shirts to reveal bodies covered in scars. They roared, "We fought for the Great Xia Prefecture! We fought across the heavens for humanity! We bear not a single scar on our backs, for we never took a step in retreat!" "And now, our descendants suffer such injustice! Where is our commander?!" "Is this how the Great Xia Prefecture treats its soldiers after three hundred years of heritage?!" "Once, I took pride in the Great Xia Prefecture! Today, I am ashamed of it!" "..." Blood-curdling roars echoed as veteran after veteran ripped open their clothes, baring their scarred bodies. Fury! Inconceivable fury! We bled on the front lines so that the Great Xia Prefecture could be better, so that our descendants could live good lives, so that the human race would grow stronger! And now, our offspring back home are ambushed by countless powerful experts. Is this still the Great Xia Prefecture?! "Where is the commander?!" Veteran after veteran screamed, calling out, shouting for Xia Longwu! They demanded an explanation! Tens of millions of soldiers all demanded an explanation. Up ahead, someone yelled, "Marquis Xia has already stepped forward to give an explanation..." "Tell him to get lost!" A veteran roared back, "We want Commander Xia Longwu to appear! We want King Daxia to step forward! In the past, the Great Xia Prefecture was peaceful and secure! Now, Xia Xiao'er has taken the seat, and the Great Xia Prefecture is about to collapse!" "Has Xia Xiao'er ever led troops?! Has he ever fought in a war?!" "Birds of a feather!" "Where is the commander?!" "..." They refused to listen. They placed all the blame upon Marquis Xia. Things had never been like this when Xia Longwu was present, so why now? Xia Longwu had campaigned across the myriad heavens, terrifying the All-Races Cult into submission. Why had things come to this? Did Xia Xiao'er even know how to run a government? At this moment, everyone was enraged. The steadfast resolve, the faith, the core convictions of the Great Xia Prefecture had been shattered to pieces! ... The City Lord's Manor. Those earth-shaking shouts and roars filtered into the estate over and over again. The Prefecture Lord's Great Hall. Experts stood in dense ranks throughout the hall. Marquis Xia sat high above on his throne, utterly silent. Xia Xiao'er... So people hadn't forgotten that name after all; they had merely kept it to themselves. Marquis Xia smiled, leaning back against the massive chair without uttering a word. Below, more and more experts arrived. A Shanhai Assembly! This was an assembly of Shanhai realm experts. Elders of each academy, Shanhais from every department, military Shanhais, Shanhais from various organizations... Anyone who could attend had come. Fifty, sixty... one hundred, two hundred... An astonishingly large number! This was the Great Xia Prefecture! A grand prefecture ranked among the top three in martial might! When the old heavenly horse and the old mountain antelope walked in, they trembled with utter terror! Was this the true foundation of the Great Xia Prefecture? As the Dao Protectors of other races filed in, their courage nearly shattered as well! An aura that could shake the heavens and earth bore down on every person present. Sunmoon realm experts arrived as well! General Zhao, Chief Hu, Director Ji, the commander of the Shadow Guards, the commander of the prefectural army, the matriarch of the Wu family... One powerful figure after another arrived. Xia Yunqi, Hu Ping, Zhao Mingyue... they were all present. Wan Tiansheng and Zheng Ping were already standing at the front. Expert after expert! A massive gathering! Some faces were pale, some looked despondent, and some were consumed by fury. Several military figures were already enraged to the point of murder, their glares fixed upon the members of the Single Divine Character Faction as though they wished to tear them to shreds! The Great Xia Prefecture had a million soldiers deployed on the front lines! And the reserve forces back home were beyond counting! This matter had escalated completely. If the morale of the army was shaken and a powerful enemy struck at this moment, disaster would ensue! "Reporting!" Soon, a Shanhai expert entered from outside the hall, dropped to one knee, and said loudly, "Reporting to the Marquis: Zhou Mingren, Hong Tan... a total of sixteen Shanhais are unable to attend, as they are all in closed-door cultivation!" Sixteen Shanhais were still in seclusion and could not emerge. Marquis Xia tapped lightly on his chair, producing a metallic chime. He smiled and said, "If they are in seclusion, let it be. We cannot force them if they cannot come." A moment later, another report came in: "Reporting to the Marquis: the envoys stationed in Great Xia from the Great Zhou Prefecture, Great Shang Prefecture, Great Ming Prefecture, and several other prefectures have arrived!" "Summon them!" Marquis Xia smiled. "We have already become the laughingstock of the myriad heavens anyway. It doesn't matter. Let them come, let everyone watch the show! It's quite alright!" He beamed brightly, but the experts standing below were trembling with dread. The Great Xia Prefecture had stumbled into a massive pitfall this time! A single Su Yu and a single set of recordings had thrown the entire Great Xia Prefecture into chaos, drawing in hundreds of millions of citizens and tens of millions of soldiers. By now, the soldiers' rage had extended to all Civilization Masters. They were demanding that the three greatest civilization academies be shut down! Demanding that the academies be leveled! Such words were nothing short of shocking. "Reporting to the Marquis: envoys from the Quest Realm and War God Hall request an audience!" "Summon them!" Marquis Xia laughed. "Keep them coming! Anyone else? Does the All-Races Cult want to send someone? Don't some among us have very close ties with the All-Races Cult? Summon a few of them too; let them join in!" "..." Dead silence. Those words cut straight to the bone! A moment later, the envoys from the various prefectures, the Quest Realm, and the War God Hall all filed in. "Find a place to stand, all of you. Those here to watch the show, stay off to the side." Marquis Xia gave a faint smile and looked down at the gathering of countless experts. This was the Great Xia Prefecture! In terms of strength, even two Great Ming Prefectures might not match it. At that moment, another person walked through the door. Without a word, he found a spot to stand, folded his arms, and gazed coldly around the hall. Zhao Li! Marquis Xia smiled, unbothered. A descendant of the fourth head and a supreme weapon smith—even if he was not a Shanhai, he was qualified to attend. Before long, yet another person entered. The instant he stepped through the door, his aura broke into the Shanhai Realm! Chen Yong! He had broken into the Shanhai Realm effortlessly. He remained quiet, as if breaking through were no more remarkable than having a meal, and took a place to stand without uttering a word. Marquis Xia still said nothing, continuing to wait for something. After a short while, more people arrived. This time, it was not an individual, but a group. There were Shanhais and Lingyuns among them. Old Huang and several others had not come alone, but together. Not only had they arrived as a group, but they were accompanied by an enormous demon beast. The aura radiating from that beast was staggering. A moment later, it reverted to human form—a white-haired elder with a hunched back. Yet his aura remained overwhelmingly powerful, even eclipsing that of General Zhao, a Sunmoon expert. "The second head's mount!" Someone sent a voice transmission, their heart shaken. The mount left behind by the second head was indeed still alive! Having remained aligned with the neutral faction, he had now been invited out by them. It had been an age since he last appeared in public. A seventh-stage Sunmoon! A truly top-tier expert, a foundational pillar of the Great Xia Civilization Academy! The mount left behind by the second head! Up front, Wan Tiansheng bowed slightly. The elder paid him no heed, shuffling forward until he reached the front. He gave a soft cough. "Greetings, Marquis. Pardon the old man's intrusion!" "You are too polite!" Marquis Xia smiled. "Even you have come out of seclusion. Today is lively indeed!" "I had no choice but to come." The elder kept his head lowered, back bent, and coughed once more. Several elders from the neutral faction had personally visited him to beg him to uphold justice, so he had stepped forth. The old man said nothing more, merely casting a side glance at Elder Sun in the back of the crowd and smiling faintly. By now, Elder Sun's face was as white as a sheet. A great disaster was looming! "Is everyone here now?" Marquis Xia chuckled. "Well, the situation is what it is. You all roughly know of it and have seen the footage. You must have heard the shouts outside as well. If you ask me, this isn't really that big a deal. That fellow Su Yu became arrogant due to the favors showered upon him, daring to release those recordings. He deserves to be executed! Today, we shall march our army into the Great Ming Prefecture, capture Su Yu, and kill Zhu Tiandao! Utter nonsense, daring to slander our Great Xia Prefecture! That will settle the matter!" "And Zhu Tiandao is utterly reckless as well. Without our consent, he executed the Sunmoon-stage Head Jin and killed several elders, including Yu Hong. Audacious in the extreme! He should be killed, executed, eradicated!" "Conveniently, everyone is here. Come, let us all march into the Great Ming Prefecture together, slay Su Yu, and destroy Zhu Tiandao! Once that's done, I imagine no one will speak of this anymore!" "..." No one uttered a sound. Marquis Xia chuckled. "What is the matter? My Great Xia Prefecture is the most skilled in battle. To put it bluntly, pointed in their direction, our army could trample the tiny Great Ming Prefecture in a single day! We can seize Zhu Tiandao, cut off his head, and what could King Daming possibly do about it? My father, King Daxia, could step in and strike down King Daming too—would that not be thoroughly satisfying?!" Silence. Marquis Xia chuckled again. "What? Why is everyone quiet? What is a tiny Su Yu even worth? Does he have the right to slander our Shanhais and Sunmoons? Daring to fabricate rumors—why keep such a person alive if not to kill him?" "Does our Great Xia Prefecture, with centuries of heritage, actually need to apologize to Su Yu, to offer him an explanation?" "Is he worthy?" Marquis Xia said genially, "The brat spread rumors to slander us and stir up discord. He deserves death! He belongs to the All-Races Cult—does anyone disagree with my statement?" "..." "So no one disagrees?" "Sun Xiang, Wang Tong, Qian He... Hear my orders! Gather your men right now and go capture Su Yu. I will sever his head at the All-Races Pit!" The individuals called out trembled violently, not daring to utter a peep. "What is it?" Marquis Xia smiled. "Can several Shanhais not handle such a minor matter? Su Yu can only kill Lingyuns; can he kill Shanhais? If the Great Ming Prefecture dares to intervene, the rest of us are all here. We can just wipe them out, so what are you afraid of?!" Still, not a word. At this moment, Chief Hu whispered, "Marquis, let us discuss the proper business. This matter is of great consequence. Now that envoys from each prefecture and the two Holy Lands are present, it is best to address the core issue." Marquis Xia chuckled and turned to the envoy from the Quest Realm, smiling. "Zhou Yun, you heard the cries outside, didn't you? Abolish all the civilization academies. What does your Quest Realm have to say about that?" "Marquis..." The envoy spoke with a heavy voice, "Only a few individuals committed errors; not everyone is at fault. How can you generalize across the board?!" "Stop farting!" Marquis Xia leaned back in his chair. "Nothing but useless chatter! For the Quest Realm to make you their envoy proves they are thoroughly incompetent! You and those two fellows from the Great Zhou Prefecture should just shut your mouths. You never do any real work, yet you manage to stir up a mountain of trouble every single day." "Marquis..." Marquis Xia said indifferently, "Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up? You were in close contact with Jin Yuhui; I suspect you were one of the ringleaders behind this. Men, drag him out, chop off his head, and use the Quest Realm envoy to sacrifice to the banners first! Appease the public and show them the Great Xia Prefecture's sincerity!" "..." No one moved. Marquis Xia asked calmly, "Do my words carry no weight anymore?" Zhou Yun had thought the Marquis was joking, but in the next instant, horror gripped him! A Sunmoon expert strode in, seized him directly, and dragged him toward the exit. "Marquis... Marquis Xia, you..." Marquis Xia said placidly, "Go. Execute him in front of the citizens. Tell them that the Xia family will handle everyone involved, one by one, and that we are executing a Shanhai first to cool their anger. Tell them he was one of the masterminds. Go!" "Understood!" The Sunmoon expert stepped out. Zhou Yun's expression warped completely, and he roared frantically, "How dare you! I am—" *Bang!* A dull explosion rang out as the Sunmoon expert delivered a palm strike that caused him to spew blood incessantly. Below, the experts on all sides were terrified! "Marquis, this..." The others were stunned as well! Marquis Xia said indifferently, "The Xia family's affairs will be resolved slowly, step by step. I've found that fellow an eyesore for a long time. Stirring up trouble—did he truly think I lacked evidence? If the Quest Realm is displeased, tell them to go take it up with my father! Everyone, behave yourselves; who knows who will be next in a moment!" ... A short while later. Upon a massive plaza, the Sunmoon expert's voice echoed in all directions. A colossal projection screen was displayed, surrounded by dense crowds, while the screen showed crowds from twenty-eight cities! "By decree of Marquis Xia: Zhou Yun, envoy of the Quest Realm, a seventh-stage Shanhai, secretly instigated Jin Yuhui's rebellion. The evidence is conclusive, and he is sentenced to immediate execution! Let his death serve as a sacrifice to the banners! The Great Xia Prefecture will not turn a blind eye. Scoundrels who sow discord in secret, collude with the All-Races Cult, and stir unrest among the people—execute!" *Splatter!* A muffled slice echoed as blood erupted dozens of meters into the air! A head fell to the ground! At this moment, the entire plaza fell dead silent. In the next instant, earth-shattering cheers erupted: "Well killed!" "The Marquis is brilliant!" "I knew some bastard was deliberately inciting our Great Xia people to treason! He deserved to die!" "Beast! Execution was too good for him!" "The Quest Realm has poor judgment; we must demand an explanation from them!" "..." Countless people roared and cheered. He deserved it! Well killed! The Xia family had not disappointed them after all. Right out of the gate, they sacrificed a seventh-stage Shanhai to the blade. This matter was far from over! The Sunmoon expert declared loudly, "This is merely the beginning! In recent years, the Xia family has slaughtered so many that the myriad races tremble with fear. Certain moles of the All-Races Cult, traitors, and human scoundrels deliberately sought to muddy the waters, aiming to bring ruin upon the Xia family and sap the Great Xia Prefecture's will to fight. Taking advantage of the Prefecture Lord's seclusion, they hoped to overthrow the Great Xia Prefecture! All of it is wishful thinking! This time, the Xia family will set things right!" "Su Yu's matter is no small affair. Marquis Xia has already sent a missive to the Great Ming Prefecture, expressing gratitude to Mansion Master Zhu for his aid. The Great Xia Prefecture will give Su Yu an explanation! Please be patient. In the 350 years since the Xia family founded this prefecture, when have they ever let you down?!" Beginning with the execution of a Shanhai, these words spread rapidly, winning the approval of countless citizens. Who had the Great Xia Prefecture ever feared? They had even cut down an envoy from the Quest Realm! The Xia family's stance was unmistakable: we fear no one. Whoever creates chaos, whoever betrays us, the Xia family will slay! Killing an ordinary person could not demonstrate the Xia family's resolve! Killing an envoy of the Quest Realm, a representative of a Holy Land—when even figures of such stature were executed, how could the Xia family possibly let things slide or remain indifferent? They would surely give everyone an explanation! ... The Prefecture Lord's Great Hall. The roars outside penetrated deep into the hall. He was dead. Actually executed! A chill ran through everyone's spine! An envoy from the Quest Realm had truly been slain. Marquis Xia remarked calmly, "The effect was quite good. I wonder if executing the War God Hall's envoy next would make the Great Xia Prefecture boil even hotter?" The envoy from the War God Hall turned pale and stammered, "Marquis, I... I haven't done anything! Ever since coming to the Great Xia Prefecture, I have obeyed every directive and never overstepped!" "Just a joke. Am I that sort of person?" Marquis Xia laughed, then turned to the envoy from the Great Zhou Prefecture. "That Zhou Yun was from a branch family of the Zhou clan, wasn't he?" "...Yes..." "Does the Zhou family have anything to say?" "If the Marquis has evidence, the Zhou family has nothing to say!" The envoy's expression was grave as he looked up at Marquis Xia. "If there is no evidence, not only the Zhou family, but the entire world will have something to say!" Marquis Xia chuckled. "Reasonable!" "Men, give him the evidence!" A moment later, someone entered and brought out a jade talisman, projecting recorded images that showed Zhou Yun meeting with various figures. "Su Yu's aperture fusion method still has a supreme version. It would be best to obtain it..." Those were Zhou Yun's words. Marquis Xia waved his hand, immediately wiping away the projection. He smiled. "Is that enough? If it isn't, I have more, but I fear some people might become frightened if I show them. Are you afraid?" "..." "Do you need me to play more?" "The Marquis... is wise!" The man dared say nothing more and retreated into the ranks. Marquis Xia chuckled and remarked casually, "Without killing a few Shanhais, it simply won't do; public anger cannot be quelled otherwise! I didn't want this either. The Xia family has been tolerant and lenient enough, but unfortunately, some people didn't treasure that! Men, for the elders and researchers who participated in the rebellion, exterminate their three clans, seize their estates, and execute their households! Go cut off their heads! Go wipe out their clans! The Xia family's patience was not meant to be squandered like this!" "Marquis!" Someone urgently spoke up, "The punishment should not extend to family—" Marquis Xia said indifferently, "They used the Xia family's resources, spent the Xia family's funding, neglected their duties, colluded with the All-Races Cult, and ambushed a genius student! If we don't execute them now, should we leave them to rebel again? Will they not hold grudges? Will they not harbor hatred?" With that, he waved his hand dismissively. "Longwu Guards, go! Raid their homes and exterminate their clans! Broadcast it to all twenty-eight cities of the Great Xia Prefecture! Broadcast it across all prefectures of the Human Realm, so they can see what methods the Xia family uses against traitors, and what fate awaits them!" "Yes, sir!" A Sunmoon expert swiftly departed, and outside, a large contingent of Longwu Guards mobilized. By now, cold sweat drenched every Shanhai present, and many were trembling so violently their knees knocked together! Marquis Xia laughed. "So you know fear after all? If you know fear, why did you dare to commit treason? Has our Xia family been too lenient with you? I know many of you are thinking that because Xia Longwu is on the verge of attaining the Dao, he wouldn't dare offend so many people... To be honest, we are afraid!" Marquis Xia chuckled. "Yet even if we are afraid, you cannot act like this. This shakes the very foundation of my Great Xia Prefecture! You wish to bring about the destruction of our Xia family!" Marquis Xia slammed his hand onto his armrest with a deafening crash, shouting harshly, "Do not mistake the Xia family's tolerance for fear! Do not mistake it for indulgence! The sheer audacity! Let me tell you, tolerance and concession have their limits! At worst, Longwu won't attain the Dao! Starting today, he can issue challenges to Sunmoons across the Human Realm for life-or-death battles! I would like to see just how many Sunmoons aren't afraid of death!" "Must you truly push our Xia family into a mutual destruction, forcing us to fight your backing masters to the death?!" "So what if Invincibles stand behind you?!" "Whichever Invincible wishes to overturn the Xia family's rule, to overthrow my Great Xia Prefecture, the long saber of the Xia family will cut him down!" A furious shout reverberated through the hall! Marquis Xia said coldly, "Men, drag Sun Xiang out and execute him!" "Marquis!" Elder Sun was terrified. He instantly fell to his knees, crying out shrilly, "Marquis, this matter had nothing to do with me! I did not participate! I admit it—I admit that I had prior knowledge of it! I am guilty! But I did not collude with the All-Races Cult, nor did I take action! I merely turned a blind eye! I am guilty, but the crime does not warrant death! Marquis!" "It truly doesn't warrant death..." Marquis Xia nodded, but then chuckled. "However... right now, we need to execute a few fellows from the Single Divine Character Faction to sacrifice to the banners. You fit the bill. A seventh-stage Shanhai, high enough in rank. Zhou Mingren went into closed-door cultivation this time and truly had no knowledge of this, so I have no pretext to execute him. Since that's the case... killing you will have to do. We need to offer an explanation, don't we? We can't execute only outsiders, can we?" "Conveniently, Yu Hong and the others haven't traveled far. You can still catch up to them..." The moment he finished speaking, Sun Xiang tore through the air, attempting to flee outside the hall. *Bang!* Outside the door, a Sunmoon expert unleashed a punch that battered him to the ground, heavily wounded. "Drag him out and execute him!" Marquis Xia said calmly, "If we do not slay a few big fish, how can public fury be soothed? How can the people's anger be quelled? I did not wish to see blood, yet someone forced my hand. If anyone is dissatisfied, feel free to step forward!" Not a single person spoke. Outside, Sun Xiang was dragged away. A moment later, an earth-shattering cheer rose from the distance! A thoroughly satisfying sight! Yet another Shanhai had been slain! Marquis Xia looked toward Wan Tiansheng and said indifferently, "Head Wan's lax oversight has thrown the Great Xia Civilization Academy into utter disarray. Elders committed treason, and students fled. Head Wan, you are relieved of your post, remaining only as the acting academy head. Furthermore, your salary is suspended for a century, and funding for the Great Xia Civilization Academy will be reduced by seventy percent! The annual quota of Tengkong Realm graduates supplied to the military remains unchanged. If you lack resources, go seize them, kill for them, rob them yourselves!" "Understood!" Wan Tiansheng bowed his head, accepting the decree without another word. "At Jiutian Academy, both the head and an elder committed treason. Conduct a thorough investigation! Their funding will be reduced by ninety percent, while their quota of Tengkong graduates remains unchanged. If they fall short by even one person, Jiutian Academy will be disbanded!" "At Wendao Academy, Wang Ming committed treason, and Head Liu neglected his duties. Their funding will be cut by sixty percent!" Marquis Xia spoke sentence by sentence, each decree turning several Shanhais pale. "Whatever resources you lack, make up for them yourselves! I don't care how you manage it; you must make up the shortfall!" Marquis Xia said indifferently, "The Xia family has nurtured scholars for over three hundred years, but not so you could repay us like this! Go to the All-Heavens Battlefield, kill the All-Races Cult, eradicate wild demon beasts, compete, plunder... I do not care! Rather than feeding a bunch of useless trash and traitors, I might as well feed dogs! At least dogs know how to be grateful!" "Furthermore, the Heavenly Horse race and Mountain Antelope race have rendered great service; both races are awarded one million merit points. The Cloud Tiger, Fox, and Wild Bull races rebelled; the Longwu Guards will mobilize and exterminate their clans!" "As for the other races, if you wish to form an alliance, be sincere about it. My Xia family never mistreats allies, nor do we show mercy to enemies!" "For the entire Single Divine Character Faction across the prefecture, whether students or instructors, resources are slashed by thirty percent across the board! This is the sin committed by Jin Yuhui, Yu Hong, and their ilk. Blame me or blame them, but wash away this disgrace yourselves! For students, once you accumulate three hundred merit points, the restriction is lifted; for Tengkong, one thousand points; for Lingyun, three thousand points; for Shanhai, ten thousand points. Once your cumulative merit points reach the threshold, the restriction will be removed!" "In addition, investigate thoroughly! Uncover several more elders from the three civilization academies! Those who participated in the battle at Eighteenth Middle School last time will be the primary targets; most of the traitors this time were elders who took part in that battle. Conduct a complete sweep! All of you, behave yourselves and stay honest. If you are innocent, let it be. But if there is any problem—execute!" Marquis Xia chuckled. "Even leniency has a bottom line! Do not provoke the Xia family again and again! Envoy of the Great Zhou Prefecture, hear my command!" "The Marquis's word is law..." "Return and tell Zhou Polong that whether this matter involved him or not, he must hand over a few Shanhais for the Xia family to execute so we can wrap this up and save face. Whether he captures them himself or takes them from the Zhou family, hand a few over to appease the anger of the Great Xia people!" Everyone was dumbfounded! Marquis Xia smiled faintly. "That is all. Give me a response within three days. If there is no reply, Longwu will challenge Zhou Polong to a battle. If he isn't afraid of death, let him fight. If he is, then hand over a few people. I know he can produce them!" With that, he stood up, speaking as he walked, "Lastly, Su Yu's father, Su Long, is promoted to chiliarch and rewarded with ten drops of god-demon blood essence. If Su Long dies, ten Shanhais and three Sunmoons of the Single Divine Character Faction will be executed to accompany him! That is all. Dismissed!" Laughter echoed as Marquis Xia's figure vanished from sight. Below, everyone stood in stunned silence for a long time! An earth-shattering decree!