128: Fourth Generation: Overlord (Twenty-Four)

Wang Qingshan's pupils constricted suddenly, as if he had realized something, and he shouted in a low voice: "Grand Elder! You must not!"

However, before his voice had even faded—

The Grand Elder's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, and in the next instant, he had already appeared before Wang Jue.

Wang Jue also seemed to have sensed something; a final burst of terror erupted in his despairing, dead eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to beg for mercy, wanting to call out for his father.

But, it was already too late.

The Grand Elder remained expressionless as his withered palm pressed seemingly weightlessly onto the crown of Wang Jue's head.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no surging, violent spiritual energy.

There was only a strand of pure, refined-to-the-extreme Azure Wood Qi that, like invisible roots, instantly pierced through Wang Jue's skull, precisely annihilating all his vitality, shattering his unformed Dao Foundation, and exterminating his remaining Divine Soul!

Wang Jue's body trembled violently, and in his wide-staring eyes, what remained fixed at the end was endless fear, unwillingness, and disbelief.

Immediately after, the light in his eyes extinguished completely like a candle in the wind, and his entire body slumped down softly, silent forever.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time Wang Qingshan reacted, what he saw was his eldest son slumped on the ground, devoid of any breath, a corpse that had already perished.

"Jue'er!!!"

Wang Qingshan's eyes were splitting, and he let out a heart-wrenching roar!

He jerked his head up, staring with blood-red eyes at the Grand Elder who stood with his hand retracted. The terrifying pressure of Foundation Establishment Perfection erupted uncontrollably, causing the entire secret chamber to tremble violently!

"Wang Zheng Yuan! You dare—!!"

Facing the Family Head's towering rage and killing intent, the Grand Elder Wang Zheng Yuan merely turned around calmly, meeting those eyes that seemed to be spitting fire. His face was devoid of expression, save for a trace of imperceptible exhaustion and determination hidden deep within his eyes.

"Family Head," the Grand Elder's voice remained steady, yet carried an unquestionable firmness, "It is not that this old one is cruel, but this matter must not leave any hidden dangers behind!"

His gaze was as sharp as a knife as he stared straight at Wang Qingshan: "Do you think that imprisoning the eldest Young Master in the Cold Silence Cave would make everything fine? That you could hide it from Yuan'er?"

"You could track the flow of resources and find the Shadow Tower, so do you think Yuan'er couldn't?"

"He bears the Imperial Fortune and holds the National Vessel; his perception of Karma and Luck far exceeds what we can imagine!"

The Grand Elder stepped forward, his tone heavy: "Paper cannot wrap up fire!"

"Once Yuan'er finds out about this, even if he considers Family ties and chooses not to pursue it, this matter will inevitably become a thorn, piercing deeply between him and the Wang Family!"

"The Emperor's heart is unfathomable, especially a monarch who bears the Purple Zenith Imperial Fate Art!"

"Any slight rift could lead to a monstrous disaster in the future, shaking the very foundation of the nation, or even… severing the opportunity our Wang Family has waited a thousand years for!"

Looking at Wang Qingshan's face, twisted by pain and anger, his voice was resolute and decisive:

"For the sake of the Wang Family's thousand-year plan, for the stability of Great Shang's National Fortune, and so that Yuan'er's imperial Dao path remains free of Heart Demon…"

"Some things must be done!"

"Some people must die!"

"This decision was made by this old man. This villainous role shall be played by this old man!"

The Grand Elder took a deep breath and straightened his aged yet still resilient spine, as if he intended to shoulder all the blame and Karma.

"All the Karma, all the sin, this old man shall bear it all on his own shoulders!"

"If the Family Head feels this old man has overstepped and acted too ruthlessly, once the turmoil here settles and Great Shang is secure, this old man is willing to cripple his own cultivation and die to atone for his sins!"

"But today, Wang Jue… must die!"

As his voice fell, the secret chamber fell into dead silence.

Wang Qingshan looked at the Grand Elder, his whole body trembling, then slowly lowered his head to look at the still-warm corpse of his eldest son on the ground. In his blood-red eyes, anger, grief, helplessness, and struggle… various emotions surged and churned like a tidal wave.

He understood that the Grand Elder was right.

Cutting weeds and eliminating roots, ending future troubles forever—this was the best choice for Great Shang and for the Wang Family.

But… that was his son!

In the end, he closed his eyes powerlessly, staggered a step back, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant, and he could no longer speak a word.

Seeing the Family Head in this state, a trace of reluctance flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes, but it quickly returned to a state of stillness like an ancient well.

He silently bowed in a salute, then turned and exited the secret chamber without a sound, gently closing the stone door behind him.

After exiting the secret chamber, the Grand Elder Wang Zheng Yuan did not linger but headed straight for the depths of the imperial palace to request an audience with Xu Yuan.

Inside the side hall where Xu Yuan usually handled state affairs, the lights were bright, and only the two of them were present.

The Grand Elder reported the whole story to Xu Yuan without concealment, including how he discovered the anomaly in resources, how he tracked the clues to the Shadow Tower, and his final decision to kill Wang Jue. Not much emotion could be seen on his aged face, but he clearly conveyed that weight and determination.

"…That is how things are."

"Colluding with the Shadow Tower to assassinate the Emperor is a crime of the highest order."

"This old official has already acted on behalf of the Family Head to purge the house and execute the sinner Wang Jue according to the law." The Grand Elder's voice was steady but carried an unquestionable firmness. "This old official is willing to bear all the Karma and blame, and awaits Your Majesty's judgment."

He bowed slightly, waiting for the young monarch's reaction.

Would it be anger at the Wang Family's infighting and betrayal? Or accountability for his unauthorized action? Or perhaps… something else?

Xu Yuan sat upright behind his desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the Jade Slip on the table; these were secret reports from various regions regarding reactions to the new policies and movements of the Noble Families.

After listening to the Grand Elder's account, there was no look of surprise on his face; he merely nodded slightly and sighed softly:

"I know."

His reaction was calm, somewhat exceeding the Grand Elder's expectations.

In that sigh, there seemed to be a trace of faint melancholy over blood ties, but more than that, it was a sense of detachment, as if what he had heard was merely a matter unrelated to himself, yet already expected.

"This matter ends here." Xu Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze deep as he looked at the Grand Elder. "Grand Elder, you have taken great pains for the sake of the Family and the foundation of the nation. I will not pursue this."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming grave: "Compared to this matter, what I am more concerned about is another matter."

Xu Yuan pushed several Jade Slips marked with emergency symbols in front of the Grand Elder.

"The matter of Wang Jue is merely a minor skin disease. The true hidden threat lies here."

The Grand Elder swept his Divine Sense over the Jade Slips, and his expression gradually became grave.

The information recorded in the Jade Slips was more detailed and shocking than what he knew:

Within the imperial capital, the undercurrents were even more pronounced.

Led by the Xiao Family and the Shen Family, representatives of many small and medium-sized Noble Families that originally depended on the Wang Family dared not openly oppose him on the surface, but in secret, they frequently conspired, communicated with each other, and even began secretly transferring assets and hiding the elite disciples of their clans.

Some of the Wang Family's former subordinates, who had previously maintained an ambiguous attitude, were also being lobbied and courted by them.

Even more alarming was the secret report from the border: the "Heavenly Wolf Dynasty," which borders the northern territory, had been frequently mobilizing troops recently, and its border commanders had repeatedly used the names of "bandit suppression" and "drills" to cross the border for provocations and testing.

And along the Southeast coast, there were also ships suspected to be related to the Shen Family, secretly making contact with overseas forces.

"The trees want to be still, but the wind will not cease."

Xu Yuan's voice carried a trace of coldness.

"The new policies have touched the interests of too many people."

"They dare not openly oppose me, so they think of colluding internally and externally to stir up trouble, even going so far as to invite wolves into the house!"