A line of fire shot from Ying Le's finger, slicing through Yuan Shizhou's neck like a blade. Then Ying Le swept her hand, beheading every member of his entire clan.
However, the other officials were not so fortunate. The Evil Spirit Warriors doused their hands in Fire Oil and set them alight, then bound the officials together with iron chains. The main hall instantly rang with countless despairing, shrill wails. Some begged for mercy, while others cursed. In their extreme agony, they were set ablaze and turned into living torches.
Ying Ru Shi's eyes were illuminated by the brutal flames before her. Her heart held no surprise, let alone fear—only the calm of a clear mirror and still water.
When she saw the officials of the court, Ying Ru Shi had already sensed Ying Le's intentions. Among these officials were Central Plains noble families with centuries-old inheritances, such as the Pengcheng Yuan Clan, the Beihai Gao Clan, and the Gaoping Peng Clan. There were also great northern families descended from founding military heroes, such as Gai Lou, Bu Liugu, and Yuchi.
Without exception, they belonged to Great Noble Families that controlled low- and mid-grade mystic realm resources but possessed no top-tier combat power. Forget Foundation Establishment True Persons—even the strongest members of their families were merely ordinary Third Turners. Their only reliance was the merit of their ancestors. Raising the butcher's knife against them would come at almost no cost. Above them, Foundation Establishment True Persons did not care; below them, hundreds of thousands of auxiliary soldiers were eager to take their place.
If they had faced an ordinary emperor, they might still have had a chance to resist. After all, an emperor was only a slave of the main city. Power ultimately required people to exercise it, and they