13: The City Lord's Mansion's trump card

"Too trashy."

These three words were like three resounding slaps, hitting Li Zhentian's face hard, and also hitting the faces of all the surviving Li Family Elders.

Their strongest hidden card, which they were so proud of and had cost the Family a century of savings to set up, was merely "trash" in the eyes of the opponent?

What utter contempt!

What utter humiliation!

But at this moment, no one dared to refute, and no one even dared to show the slightest dissatisfaction.

They merely lay sprawled on the ground, like a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, looking up at the demon-god-like youth before them with the most humble and terrified eyes.

The heart of Li Zhentian had sunk to rock bottom.

He knew he had lost, completely and utterly, losing everything down to his underwear.

All his schemes and preparations had become a joke in the face of this young man's absolute strength.

Now, the only thing he could think about was how to survive.

"Senior... Senior Chu..."

Li Zhentian struggled, trying to climb up from the ground, but his legs were as soft as noodles, completely useless. He could only kneel and crawl in the most humiliating posture, kowtowing to Chu He.

"It is I, Li, who was blind to Mount Tai! It is I, Li, whose heart was clouded by lard! I beg Senior to consider... consider that my Li Family has also contributed to Qingyang City, and spare... spare my Li Family's dog lives!"

As he kowtowed, he wept bitterly, snot and tears covering his face, leaving no trace of the dignity of a Family Head.

"I am willing! I am willing to offer up all the Li Family's assets! No! Everything belonging to my Li Family, including the lives of us here, is yours to dispose of! I only beg Senior to spare the women and children of my Li Family, and leave behind a trace of our Bloodline!"

The Elders behind him also reacted, one by one frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Senior, spare our lives! We were all forced by that old thief Li Zhentian!"

"Yes! It was all him! He is the mastermind! We are all innocent!"

"Senior, if you spare me, I am willing to testify to all the crimes Li Zhentian has committed over the years! He seized common women, bullied merchants, and committed every evil imaginable!"

To survive, these people instantly pushed all the blame onto Li Zhentian, even starting to bite at each other, displaying every kind of disgraceful behavior.

Chu He watched this farce with cold eyes, his heart completely unmoved.

This is human nature.

When disaster strikes, everyone fends for themselves.

He walked up to Li Zhentian, squatted down, and looked at his face, which was filled with terror and humility.

"Now you want to beg for mercy?" Chu He's voice was soft. "Too bad. It's too late."

"Weren't you quite bold when you invited me to the banquet?"

"Weren't you quite arrogant when you activated the Formation to kill me?"

"How did you turn into a dog that only knows how to kowtow now?"

Every word Chu He spoke was like a knife, gouging into the heart of Li Zhentian.

Li Zhentian trembled violently. In Chu He's eyes, he could not see a shred of pity, only icy killing intent.

He knew begging for mercy was useless.

This young man never intended to spare him, or the Li Family, from the very beginning!

Since death was inevitable either way... Since begging for mercy was useless... Then why not fight to the death!

An extreme surge of malice and madness instantly welled up from the bottom of Li Zhentian's heart, replacing all fear.

"Chu He!!"

He suddenly raised his head, his cloudy eyes bloodshot, his face twisted like a malevolent spirit from Hell.

"You forced me into this!!"

"Do you really think you have me cornered?!"

He roared, and suddenly pulled something out of his embrace!

It was a palm-sized, antique-looking black crossbow mechanism. Dense runes were carved onto the mechanism, emitting an extremely dangerous aura.

On the front end of the crossbow mechanism, there was a short bolt, entirely blood-red, seemingly condensed from fresh blood!

"spirit-breaking divine crossbow!"

In the distance, the City Lord, who had been monitoring the area with his Divine Sense, cried out in surprise the moment he saw this item!

This item was one of his most treasured possessions, and a major reliance for him daring to secure the position of City Lord in Qingyang City!

This crossbow was an ancient relic, possessing infinite power. Its only drawback was that it could only be used once and required the user to expend most of their vital blood to activate it.

But its power was enough to pose a fatal threat to a Cultivator in the Mid Foundation Establishment stage!

The reason he lent this life-saving item to Li Zhentian was because Li Zhentian promised that, once successful, he would offer all the assets of the Chu Family and the Li Family entirely to him!

Faced with such enormous temptation, he was moved.

He was also gambling, betting that Li Zhentian would succeed.

As long as Chu He died, he could, without shedding a single drop of blood, become the sole controller of the entire Qingyang City!

"Li Zhentian! Hurry! Kill him!" The City Lord growled nervously inside his mansion.

Inside the Li Family Compound.

The moment Li Zhentian took out the spirit-breaking divine crossbow, his entire essence, energy, and spirit seemed to be drained. His hair visibly turned gray, his skin became shriveled, and his entire person instantly aged twenty years.

But the expression on his face was one of extreme excitement and madness.

"Hahaha! Chu He! This is the 'spirit-breaking divine crossbow' bestowed by the City Lord! Even a master of the Mid Foundation Establishment stage will have their Divine Soul destroyed if they take a hit!"

He aimed the black crossbow mechanism at the nearby Chu He, his face showing the pleasure of mutual destruction.

"Didn't expect this, did you? I still have this trick up my sleeve!"

"Now, I'll give you a chance! Cripple your own cultivation, kneel and kowtow to me a hundred times, and then crawl between my legs! I might consider leaving you a complete corpse!"

He thought that by bringing out this ultimate weapon, he could turn defeat into victory and instill fear in Chu He.

However, Chu He's expression remained calm and unperturbed.

He didn't even glance at the crossbow mechanism, only looking at Li Zhentian with the gaze one reserves for the dead.

"Are you done talking?"

Chu He asked indifferently.

Li Zhentian was stunned. He hadn't expected Chu He to remain so composed even at this critical moment.

An ominous premonition surged in his heart.

"Stop playing tricks! Go to Hell!!"

Li Zhentian stopped hesitating, roared ferociously, and pulled the trigger!

Buzz—!

A piercing hum!

The blood-colored short bolt instantly transformed into a streak of bloody light, carrying a terrifying aura capable of piercing the Void Realm and annihilating everything, shooting towards Chu He's glabella!

The speed was so fast and the power so strong that ripples appeared in space!

Everyone held their breath!

The Li Family Elders showed a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

In the distance, the City Lord clenched his fists tightly.

It's done!

At such close range and such speed, he absolutely couldn't dodge it!

He's dead!

However, just a split second before the streak of bloody light was about to touch Chu He's glabella.

A faint curve finally appeared at the corner of Chu He's mouth.

"Finally, I can try this out."

He silently murmured a phrase in his heart.