"How dare you!"
Dozens of warhorses thundered into Hetian Town, and the leader barked at Chu Daoyue.
"Dragon Spear Army!"
The faces of everyone around changed sharply as they recognized the group.
Why would the Dragon Spear Army appear here?
The leader was none other than Qin Xuanjia, commander of the Dragon Spear Army and the Western Army!
As if to answer everyone's doubts, Qin Xuanjia leapt off her horse and knelt on one knee before Yang Cheng. "Your servant Qin Xuanjia, pays respects to the Crown Prince!"
Clatter!
The dozens of soldiers behind her dismounted in unison and knelt. "We pay respects to the Crown Prince!"
In an instant, all the Chu clan members turned pale with horror.
The onlookers were equally shocked and aghast.
"He… he's actually the Crown Prince?"
Xue Fu's eyes were wide, her words stammering.
Chu Meng looked as if her soul had left her body.
Murong Yun was struck as if by lightning.
No wonder he dared kill Zuo Qiuyu.
He turned out to be the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
Even the Grand Elder of Divine Medicine Valley, Zhang Shifan, had been killed by him.
And after that, Divine Medicine Valley hadn't retaliated, but had continued cooperating with him.
In terms of influence in the alchemy world, Divine Medicine Valley might rival Great Zhou.
But in terms of military power, no force in the entire Wasteland Realm dared claim to suppress Great Zhou.
"General Qin, rise."
Yang Cheng personally helped Qin Xuanjia up.
For this veteran general, he still held much respect.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Qin Xuanjia rose, then turned her gaze on Chu Daoyue. "Chu Daoyue, your Chu clan truly harbors rebellion in its heart, daring to speak such venomous words to the Crown Prince!"
Chu Daoyue roared in shock and fury. "Qin Xuanjia, I didn't know it was the Crown Prince before, that's why I spoke rashly. You—cast-off of the Chu clan—don't you dare use this to settle personal grudges…"
"Excuses!"
Qin Xuanjia cut him off coldly.
Whether the Chu clan truly had rebellious intent or not didn't matter. It was clear His Highness intended to uproot this thorn in Mozhou.
So the Chu clan must be branded as traitors.
The next moment, several thousand figures appeared, sealing Hetian Town in a tight encirclement.
It was clear Qin Xuanjia hadn't come with just dozens of soldiers, but the entire Dragon Spear Army.
Only then did Chu Daoyue realize something was terribly wrong.
"No, Your Highness, my Chu clan has no rebellious intent!"
Chu Daoyue shouted. "Our Chu clan is willing to offer up the body of the young phoenix!"
Qin Xuanjia glanced at Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng's expression didn't change.
She instantly understood his meaning, her tone icy. "Kill!"
To prevent Chu Daoyue from even having a chance to strike at the Crown Prince, she and her nine great battle generals charged together.
No matter how strong the Chu clan was, they couldn't withstand the might of several thousand troops.
In the blink of an eye, every Chu clan member present was either killed or captured.
Most were captured—after all, before such overwhelming numbers, few dared resist.
In the end, even Chu Daoyue couldn't hold out against 11 experts besieging him.
Qin Xuanjia's strength alone was not weaker than his.
Add ten more on top of that—how could he possibly endure?
Boom!
He had no choice but to burn his blood essence and flee using a desperate life-saving technique.
Not long ago, the arrogant Chu Xianzhi saw this and was so terrified he wet his pants.
If even Chu Daoyue had to flee, what chance did the others of the Chu clan have to escape?
Qin Xuanjia stood still, eyes dark. Many years ago, she had been cast out by Chu Yuhong, the former patriarch of the Chu clan.
Back then, she had never dreamed that one day she would personally destroy the Chu clan.
The only regret was that Chu Yuhong had gone to the Azure Jade Realm and wasn't here.
Though she didn't say it aloud, deep down she was extremely grateful to the Crown Prince.
Everyone else present trembled uncontrollably and hastily fell to their knees before Yang Cheng.
Xue Fu and Chu Meng also knelt.
Chu Meng in particular looked as if she were dreaming, her face dazed.
After all, she was still a member of the Chu clan.
Tap, tap, tap!
Footsteps sounded.
Chu Meng felt someone walk up to her.
When she looked up, she saw it was Yang Cheng.
But now, when she looked at him, there was no warmth. Only terror.
The blood spilled on this square today was simply too much.
Chu Meng was just an ordinary girl, who had never even seen real killing before.
Such a scene was overwhelming for her.
"You may choose 10 people."
Yang Cheng said.
Chu Meng was bewildered.
But the kneeling Chu clan members instantly fixed their eyes on her, filled with desperate longing.
"You, along with the 10 you choose, may live."
Yang Cheng's gaze was steady.
He had always lived by this rule: if others show him respect, he returns it double. If they cross him, he repays in kind.
When he came to Hetian Town, Chu Meng had shown him kindness. So he was willing to return the favor.
Of course, it depended on whether Chu Meng herself knew how to grasp this chance.
The Chu clan members' breathing grew rapid.
If one could live, who would ever choose death?
Not only that.
The Chu clan members, who had already resigned themselves to death and were preparing to fight desperately, instantly lost all resolve when they heard Yang Cheng's words.
Qin Xuanjia's eyes showed approval.
The Crown Prince, though still young, truly had both the temperament and the methods of a ruler.
A spark of light also flickered in Chu Meng's eyes.
A moment ago, her heart had been utterly cold, but now it felt like a dying ember had been rekindled.
"Your Highness. Other than the Chu clan members here, what about those in Lancheng? Will the court also punish them?"
Chu Meng asked.
Yang Cheng's tone was calm. "The Chu clan has rebelled. Naturally, the entire clan must be exterminated."
To the people of Mozhou, the Chu clan was like a totem.
If he wanted to erase their influence, he had to uproot them completely.
And now was the best time.
Once the myriad heavens' forces invaded later, he wouldn't even have the chance to eliminate the Chu clan.
The reason Yang Cheng moved so quickly was to clear out Great Zhou's internal troubles before the invasion.
Only by making Great Zhou a solid iron wall could they better resist the forces of the myriad heavens in the future.
Hearing this, the hearts of those around trembled even more.
Chu Meng slowly closed her eyes, then said, "Your Highness, the ten people I want to save are not here."
Those who had followed Chu Daoyue here to kill Yang Cheng were all senior members of the Chu clan.
For these people, Chu Meng felt no sympathy.
She hardly even knew them.
Even her father, Chu Daohang—over the years, she had seen him less than 10 times in total.
The surrounding Chu clan members instantly cursed Chu Meng viciously.
But Yang Cheng didn't hesitate in the slightest. "Kill!"
Heads rolled one after another.
Then, Yang Cheng and the Dragon Spear Army moved with lightning speed toward the Chu clan's stronghold.
Ordinarily, dealing with the Chu clan would not have been so easy.
But this time, dozens of high-ranking members had left for Hetian Town, giving Yang Cheng the perfect opening.
With those leaders eliminated and only Chu Daoyue left as a threat, the rest of the Chu clan was no longer worth worrying about.
In less than one hour, the Dragon Spear Army reached Lancheng.
Outside the city, the Western Army had already encircled it in secret.
Qin Qiansheng rode forward, bowed to Yang Cheng, and reported, "Your Highness, Chu Daoyue came earlier, but the army forced him back with a rain of arrows."
"As expected," Yang Cheng said.
Of course Chu Daoyue would be unwilling and would try to return to the clan.
But inside the Chu clan were thousands of years of accumulated foundations.
If Chu Daoyue managed to return, Yang Cheng's plan to destroy them with overwhelming force would collapse.
At that point, the Chu clan would use their influence to rally the court ministers to pressure Yang Cheng to withdraw.
Naturally, Yang Cheng had already anticipated this and had ordered tens of thousands of Western Army soldiers to surround the Chu clan in advance, leaving Chu Daoyue no chance to return.
Without Chu Daoyue, and with dozens of high-ranking members already wiped out, the Chu clan inside were nothing but headless flies.
Half an hour later, the Chu clan's defenses were broken.
Chu Meng chose her mother, two nursemaids, and seven children under the age of 3 from the Chu clan.
Only then did the Dragon Spear Army soldiers' cold gazes soften.
Had Chu Meng dared choose any of the clan's prodigies older than 3, the Dragon Spear Army would have secretly assassinated them on the spot.
The Crown Prince might not fear the Chu clan's revenge, but they certainly did. They would never give the clan any chance to rise again.
Even for these seven children, they would keep a close watch.
If Chu Meng ever dared instill thoughts of revenge into them, she and they would be mercilessly slain.
Only after they left did Chu Meng's body go limp, exhaustion overwhelming her.
She was no fool. She knew clearly that if she chose wrongly, she would have been killed instantly.
The Crown Prince might grant her an opportunity, but that didn't mean she could act without fear.
The soldiers of the Dragon Spear Army were all ruthless men.
Cangyun Sect.
In Mozhou, if the Chu clan was the number one power, then Cangyun Sect was the second.
At that moment, inside a courtyard of Cangyun Sect.
Pan Yulou lay sprawled on his bed.
The 100 lashes had been too brutal. Even after several days, he had not recovered.
In front of the bed stood Sun Xiangsheng, a woman, and a young girl.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Yulou's foundation isn't damaged. It looks terrible now, but in time, he'll recover fully," Sun Xiangsheng comforted.
The woman was Pan Yulou's mother, and the widow of Sun Xiangsheng's sworn brother.
His sworn brother had died, leaving Pan Yulou in his care. Seeing that Yulou had good talent, Sun Xiangsheng had taken him in as a personal disciple.
The woman's expression was full of resentment. "The Crown Prince was too vicious, to use such cruel methods!"
Sun Xiangsheng sighed. "But he is the Crown Prince."
"So what if he's the Crown Prince?"
The woman's eyes were cold. "Haven't plenty of Crown Princes died in this world?"
"That's right! With Cangyun Sect's strength, why should we fear him?"
The girl fumed.
She was Pan Yulou's fiancée, and seeing her betrothed in such a state, how could she not be furious?
Sun Xiangsheng's eyes flickered faintly.
How could he not have thought the same?
Just then, countless carrier pigeons flew into Cangyun Sect.
Sun Xiangsheng's expression changed—something big had happened.
One pigeon landed on his hand.
When he unrolled the tiny scroll tied to its leg and read it, his face turned pale with shock.
"Xiangsheng, what is it?"
The woman asked curiously.
Sun Xiangsheng's expression grew solemn. "From this day forward, whether in private or in public, not a single word of disrespect toward the Crown Prince is allowed."
Before the woman could respond, the girl protested. "Why not!"
"Because just now, the Crown Prince led his army and destroyed the Chu clan."
Even Sun Xiangsheng, a seasoned old fox, spoke with a trembling voice.
"What?"
The woman and the girl were both horrified.
"The Chu clan's number one prodigy, Chu Xianzhi, was killed by the Crown Prince in front of several thousand witnesses, beaten to death on the spot."
Sun Xiangsheng added.
"This… this is impossible!"
The woman couldn't believe it.
"That's right! Chu Xianzhi was a ninth-layer Martial Saint, while the Crown Prince is only a little over ten years old. How could he possibly kill Chu Xianzhi?"
The girl also felt it unreal.
"I don't want to believe it either, but it's the truth," Sun Xiangsheng said helplessly. "Now it seems, when the Crown Prince faced Yulou and Pan Hong at Fire Dragon Mountain, he never even fought seriously. Pan Hong forced his own death, and the Crown Prince simply struck him down."
On the bed, Pan Yulou's body shuddered.
Before this, his mind had been filled with schemes of revenge against the Crown Prince.
Now, every one of those thoughts shattered like bubbles.