151: Fourth Generation: Overlord (47)

Sun Li's sudden attack was shockingly fast, and the poisoned black light carried a sharp, piercing sound as it tore through the air, clearly his trump card for survival; an ordinary Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator might not have been able to fully block it in such a rush.

Unfortunately, he chose the wrong place and overestimated his own strength.

There was absolutely no need for Xu Yuan, who sat high upon the Dragon Throne, to make any move.

The Family Head, Wang Qingshan, who had been standing steadily by the imperial steps like a mountain, merely lifted his eyelids indifferently, emitting a cold snort from his nose that was barely perceptible yet clearly transmitted into the depths of everyone's Soul.

"Hmph."

With this cold snort, an invisible yet vast, ocean-like Spiritual Pressure descended instantly, not targeting everyone, but precisely enveloping those few streaks of shooting black light and Sun Li himself.

Those few streaks of poisoned black light, fast as lightning and capable of piercing through refined steel, seemed to instantly fall into extremely viscous amber, their momentum stopping abruptly; they froze in mid-air in such an eerie and counter-intuitive way, still several zhang away from the palace gate, without even stirring a single ripple.

Meanwhile, Sun Li, who was retreating at full speed, felt as if he had crashed into an invisible yet indestructible wall of bronze and iron; the Qi surging through his body was instantly forced back by a grander, purer power, and the violent backlash left a sweet taste in his throat, nearly causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

What made him feel Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering even more was the feeling that the air around him had turned into iron shackles, binding him tightly in place so he could not even move a single finger!

Sun Li's eyes were filled with extreme fear and disbelief; he wanted to open his mouth, but could not make a sound.

Before a Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivator, especially one who had personally killed King Xia—who was also at Foundation Establishment Perfection—and was a powerhouse tempered in blood and fire, his Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation was as fragile as thin ice in early spring.

Wang Qingshan was not only at Foundation Establishment Perfection, but was also a top-tier existence among those at Foundation Establishment Perfection!

His Qi had been tempered a thousand times, his purity and depth far exceeding those of the same rank, and his control over power had already reached the Transcendent Realm.

His record of fighting King Xia head-on was forged with real combat power, and it was by no means comparable to ordinary Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivators who relied on piled-up resources or accumulated age.

Although Sun Li was also a Cultivator and considered a high-and-mighty true Cultivator in the eyes of ordinary people, he came from a small Family, had limited resources, practiced ordinary Cultivation Technique, and his Foundation was far from solid.

His Early Foundation Establishment Stage, before a titan like Wang Qingshan who had killed his way out of a thousand-year-old Noble Families and personally executed powerhouses of the same rank, was like a toddler learning to walk attempting to challenge a battle-hardened giant!

The essence of power was not just the gap in Realm, but a comprehensive crushing of quality, background, will, and experience!

The next moment, Wang Qingshan raised his right hand slightly and, facing Sun Li, who was frozen in mid-air with his very thoughts nearly solidified, gave a seemingly casual, light squeeze.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any brilliant Spell light, only the most extreme and cruel application of power.

"Pfft!"

A muffled sound, like rotting fabric.

Sun Li, at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, could not even let out a scream; his entire body was crushed by that invisible yet irresistible immense force, exploding in mid-air into a cloud of scarlet blood mist!

Flesh, bones, meridians, and even the official robes he wore, along with those few Magical Artifacts he prided himself on for survival...

Everything was crushed into pieces by the purest, most overbearing Qi under that casual squeeze, mixed together, and turned into a desolate, beautiful Mortal World, drifting down in a scattered shower.

Attempting to assassinate the monarch before the palace, a capital offense!

After doing all this, Wang Qingshan slowly withdrew his hand; his wide sleeves did not move, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust. His expression remained calm as an ancient well, and he lowered his head to stand by again, as if nothing had happened.

But the entire Nine Dragon Hall had fallen into a dead silence.

All the officials, including those who had originally harbored a sliver of luck or thoughts of resistance, froze in place. Some officials with slightly lower cultivation and weaker mental states even felt their Divine Soul trembling.

Xu Yuan sat upright on the Dragon Throne; from beginning to end, not even his gaze changed in the slightest. He swept his indifferent eyes over the few pale-faced guilty officials below and said in a calm tone:

"Who else wants to try?"

Xu Yuan's cold words echoed in the dead-silent hall, like a funeral bell tolling in everyone's heart.

No one dared to respond, and they even deliberately suppressed their breathing to the lowest level, fearing that the slightest movement would draw the gaze of that god of slaughter.

"Drag them away."

Seeing that no one else dared to jump out, Xu Yuan said nothing more, delivering only a three-word final verdict.

"Yes!"

An Elder of the Shadow Guard, at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, emerged from the shadows; this time, no one dared to make the slightest move.

Those few guilty officials seemed to have had all their bones removed, allowing the Shadow Guard Elder to drag them out of the hall like dead dogs.

Soon, clearer and teeth-gritting sounds of Qi being stripped away, along with short, shrill screams, came from outside the hall.

The thick, lingering scent of blood stubbornly permeated the solemn and majestic Nine Dragon Hall, lingering at everyone's nostrils, drilling into their lungs, and pressing heavily upon their hearts.

The civil and military officials of the entire court, regardless of their cultivation level or background, all lowered their heads deeply, wishing they could bury their heads into their chests.

They held their breath, not daring to exhale loudly, fearing that the slightest movement would draw the gaze of the one on the imperial steps—a gaze like that of a primordial Vicious Beast—bringing that invisible butcher's knife down upon their own heads and the heads of their families behind them.

In this suffocating silence and bloodiness, Xu Yuan spoke calmly.

"Internal threats have been cleared, and the laws of the country have been upheld."

"Effective immediately, 'Dashang Academy' shall be established in the royal capital to recruit talents from all over the world, regardless of whether they are immortals or mortals; only talent shall be valued! Those who excel in their studies and pass the assessments will enter the court as officials, be sent out to govern the people, and enjoy the same salaries and authority as Cultivators!"

"Official Schools shall be established in every province, prefecture, and county to enlighten the people and teach them the ways of literature and martial arts, strategies for governing the country, and techniques for the people's livelihood!"

"Regarding the old rules for career advancement, anyone who obstructs the progress of those from humble backgrounds, monopolizes resources, or entrenched themselves locally shall be treated as committing treason!"

"All officials at all levels must strive to implement these new policies without fail."

Xu Yuan's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner of the hall, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"If there are any who feign compliance, shirk their duties, or secretly obstruct—"

His gaze slowly swept over the shivering figures below once again, and his voice paused slightly, causing the air in the entire hall to seem to freeze along with it.

"Regardless of their background, official position, or cultivation, all shall be treated as traitors, executed immediately without pardon, and their entire families shall be implicated!"

There were no questions, no discussions, only the monarch's irresistible will!

After a brief silence that made hearts nearly stop—

"We, your subjects, respectfully obey your holy decree! Long live Your Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!"

The mountain-shaking, sea-roaring chorus of agreement erupted suddenly, like a long-suppressed flood breaking through a dam, shaking the palace beams until they seemed to vibrate slightly.

All the officials, regardless of their private thoughts, bowed deeply at this moment, presenting the most humble posture before the imperial steps.

They understood that from this moment on, with the support of Xu Yuan's unquestionable, overbearing will and the Wang Family's unfathomable military might, the entire Great Shang Dynasty, from the imperial court to the Jianghu, and from the royal capital to the frontiers, had completely become the word of this young emperor.

His words were the law!

His will was the direction!

Any defiance would be crushed into powder before absolute power!