126: Fourth Generation: Overlord (Twenty-Two)

Xiao Mu was left breathless by Xu Yuan's reaction.

Xu Yuan paced slowly, descending one level of the Imperial Steps. His gaze, like a cold blade, swept across the officials whose expressions were shifting before finally resting back on Xiao Mu.

"I have never denied that the Wang Family originated from the Noble Families, nor have I denied that you all performed the merit of following the dragon."

"However, merit is merit, and faults are faults!"

"The malady of the Old Xia Dynasty was rooted in the Noble Families becoming too powerful to manage, eroding the national Foundation. This is a chronic and stubborn disease that cannot be eradicated without scraping the bone to heal the poison!"

"The Wang Family and I followed the Mandate of Heaven to overthrow the Old Xia Dynasty, not to replace the Xia Clan and become a new, larger head of the Noble Families."

"But to completely terminate this Reincarnation where Noble Families take turns being the dealer and plundering the world!"

Xu Yuan's voice gradually rose, carrying a soul-shaking power:

"Precisely because I come from a Noble Family, I know the evils of the Noble Families even better!"

"Precisely because I once received your help, I must all the more eradicate the soil that breeds these evils!"

"Otherwise, what is the difference between today's Great Shang and yesterday's Great Xia?"

"It would merely be a different swarm of vermin continuing to gnaw at the state and its altars until the next Reincarnation!"

"This is not ingratitude; this is... a brave man cutting off his own wrist, scraping the bone to heal the poison!"

"It is to create a Dynasty that can truly remain unchanged for ten thousand generations!"

Xu Yuan stopped abruptly and stared intensely at Xiao Mu, his tone resolute:

"As for you calling me cruel? Heh..."

"To be kind to vermin is to be cruel to the masses!"

"To compromise with old evils is to betray the future!"

"I would rather bear a momentary infamy and use these thunderous methods to lay an unprecedentedly solid Foundation for this Great Shang and for this world!"

"If you are willing to follow the general trend, abandon your privileges, and establish yourselves in the new Dynasty based on talent and virtue, I shall naturally regard you as my core ministers and share the peace with you."

"If you remain obstinate, delusional enough to use your merit of following the dragon to hijack national policy, and continue to monopolize resources, control official careers, and plunder local regions..."

The purple light in Xu Yuan's eyes flared brilliantly, and the National Fortune surged around him. The entire Nine Dragon Hall seemed to tremble slightly under his might:

"Then you shall be cutting yourselves off from Great Shang and from the masses!"

"I will not hesitate to use your blood to pave the road for this new Dynasty!"

The moment his voice fell, a pressure from the National Fortune, far more majestic and terrifying than before, descended like a physical substance, pressing heavily upon the hearts of all those with ulterior motives!

"As for what you said about water carrying the boat and also overturning it..." A cold smile tugged at the corner of Xu Yuan's mouth, "I am the one who controls the flow of this water! I want this water to irrigate fertile fields and nourish the National Fortune, not to allow certain ditches to arbitrarily intercept the flow for private gain at the public's expense!"

As his words fell, he gave Xiao Mu no further chance to retort. He pressed his fingers together like a blade and pointed into the air!

It was not aimed at Xiao Mu's Physical Body, but rather it triggered the pale gold National Fortune swirling around him, transforming it into an invisible shackle that acted directly upon his Dao Foundation and Luck!

"Xiao Mu relied on his seniority to act out, roared in the imperial court, and questioned the national Foundation. Considering his past merits, the death penalty is waived."

"However, the living punishment is hard to escape!"

"By decree: Your cultivation is stripped for three years. You are to reflect behind closed doors and shall not leave without an edict!"

The words were spoken, and the law followed!

Xiao Mu's entire body shook violently. He felt an irresistible force descend from nowhere, instantly suppressing the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage spiritual power he had barely broken through to after many years of bitter cultivation!

Although his cultivation was not completely destroyed, his Realm actually dropped back down to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, and his spiritual power became stagnant and difficult to mobilize!

"Pfft—"

Xiao Mu spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked as if he had aged twenty years in an instant as he stumbled back, supported by those behind him. His gaze toward Xu Yuan was filled with horror.

He truly felt it—what this new king possessed was not just the power of personal cultivation, but a terrifying authority that could trigger the National Fortune and make words become law!

The entire hall was deathly silent.

One could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was deterred by Xu Yuan's understated yet thunderous methods.

Stripping someone's cultivation with a single word!

This was no longer something an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator could achieve!

Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his finger. His gaze swept over the crowd, who were as quiet as cicadas in winter, before finally landing on the solemn-faced Wang Qingshan and the Grand Elder.

"Father, Grand Elder." Xu Yuan's tone returned to calm. "There is no need for further discussion on the New Policies. Draft the edict immediately and proclaim it to the world."

"Those who defy the edict, comply in public but oppose in private, or conspire in rebellion..."

He paused, a purple light flashing in his eyes, filled with murderous intent:

"—Execute nine generations of their kin."

As those words fell, they were like a freezing winter wind scraping across everyone's hearts.

Wang Qingshan and the Grand Elder looked at each other, both seeing the determination in the other's eyes.

Things had reached this point; the Wang Family was already tied to the same war chariot as Xu Yuan. They could only support him to the end!

"This minister receives the edict!"

Wang Qingshan was the first to bow.

"This old minister obeys the edict!"

The Grand Elder followed suit and gave his promise.

The rest of the people in the hall, regardless of what they thought in their hearts, all bowed their heads in unison at this moment:

"We obey the edict!"

Xu Yuan nodded slightly and said no more.

Abolishing the Noble Families and concentrating the National Fortune—this path was destined to be paved with bones and flow with rivers of blood.

But Xu Yuan did not care.

In this life, as the King of the world, he would wield the thunder, clear all obstacles, gather the Luck from all directions, and attain the supreme Golden Core Imperial Dao!

The court assembly dispersed, and the orders for the New Policies seemed to grow wings, quickly spreading throughout the royal capital and diffusing toward every corner of Great Shang's territory at an even faster speed.

A massive storm sweeping across the entire Eastern Region had officially begun under Xu Yuan's will.

The proclamation of the New Policies was like ice water thrown into boiling oil, instantly triggering a violent reaction throughout the Great Shang territory.

Just as Xu Yuan had expected, voices of opposition surged like a tide, especially among those Noble Families with ancient legacies and deeply entrenched power.

The remnant Noble Families of the Old Xia Dynasty, led by the Xiao Family and the Shen Family, reacted most fiercely.

The Xiao Family's ancestral land was located in the Qinglan Mountain Range in the Southeast of Great Shang. This place was rich in Spiritual Veins and had been managed by the Xiao Family for hundreds of years, making it as solid as an iron bucket.

Upon receiving the news from the royal capital and the secret report of his brother's cultivation being stripped, the Family Head Xiao Huan, who was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, was beyond furious. He crushed the spiritual jade teacup in his hand on the spot.

"What a yellow-mouthed brat! What a bridge-burning Wang Family!"

Xiao Huan's hair and beard flared out. His Late Foundation Establishment Stage pressure made the entire Meeting Hall tremble.

"My Xiao Family helped his Wang Family succeed, yet we end up like this! Abolishing hereditary succession? Severing my Dao Lineage? It's simply wishful thinking!"

"Family Head, that Wang Yuan brat seems to have something strange about him. He could make his words become law on the altar, easily kill Foundation Establishment assassins, and even strip Elder Mu's cultivation with a single word. We must be on our guard," a more cautious Elder reminded him.

"Hmph, he's just relying on some secret technique he got from who-knows-where and the newly established National Fortune!" another hot-tempered Elder stood up and slammed the table. "My Xiao Family has hundreds of years of Foundation. Are we soft persimmons to be handled at will?"

"If his Wang Family can do the first day, then they shouldn't blame us for doing the fifteenth!"

The situation with the Shen Family was similar.

The Shen Family was famous for Artifact Refining and controlled nearly thirty percent of the low-grade Magical Artifact circulation in the former Great Xia. They were financially powerful and had close ties with many Loose Cultivators and small organizations.

The Family Head Shen Jun was also at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. At this moment, his face was as dark as water.

"Wang Yuan's ambitions are not small. What he wants is not to share the world, but to hold the universe alone." Shen Jun's voice was icy. "Pass down the order to secretly shrink our industries in various places and recall the elite disciples of the Family. Contact the Loose Cultivators of 'Black Sand' and 'Seven Profound Valley' who are on good terms with us and offer them great rewards. Also... send someone to secretly contact the 'Heavenly Wolf Dynasty' to the north."

"Family Head, you mean to..."

A trusted Elder showed a look of shock.

"Just preparing for a rainy day." A cold light flashed in Shen Jun's eyes. "If that Wang Yuan truly intends to drive us to extinction, my Shen Family cannot just sit and wait for death!"

"This Eastern Region does not only have his Great Shang!"