"Hang their two corpses on the city wall, and write down their sect's origins."
Before leaving, Zhang Yu left behind a message.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan's body trembled slightly, and a look of struggle appeared on his face.
He naturally understood Zhang Yu's intention—to establish authority and intimidate.
Hanging the corpses of the Crimson Blood Sect's Young Master and the Great Grandmaster Protector high in the sky, and clearly identifying them, is tantamount to demonstrating against the entire Yuhua Prefecture's prodigies Holy Son.
This is to tell them that the Wei Kingdom is not to be trifled with.
Otherwise, who knows what lawless things those arrogant and self-important individuals might do.
Zhang Yu's move was a preemptive warning, drawing Red Thread in the bloodiest way.
However... doing so would be tantamount to completely breaking ties with the Crimson Blood Sect and nailing them to the pillar of shame.
The wrath of that Feathered Ancestor will surely consume everything.
Just as Xiao Xuan hesitated, Xiao Fenghua's clear yet undeniably authoritative voice rang out:
"Old Ancestor, we... have no way out."
Xiao Fenghua stepped forward and said clearly:
"The moment Zhang Yu killed Li Feitian, the Xiao Family, the Wei Kingdom, and the Crimson Blood Sect were locked in an irreconcilable conflict."
She paused, took a deep breath, and continued:
"Now, Zhang Yu has killed the Young Master of the Crimson Blood Sect."
Whether we hang the corpses or not, the Crimson Blood Sect will not let this go.
That Feathered Ancestor will certainly not show mercy just because we show weakness.
Our only chance of survival is to rely on Zhang Yu and trust him.
Xiao Fenghua's words were like a wake-up call, instantly enlightening all the core members of the Xiao Family present.
Yes, judging from Li Feitian's arrogance, the Crimson Blood Sect doesn't take the Wei Kingdom seriously at all.
Now, they have killed the Crimson Blood Sect members and are completely bound to Zhang Yu's cause.
They had no choice but to trust and rely on Zhang Yu.
Having figured this out, the hesitation in Xiao Xuan's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a resolute look.
He nodded sharply and said in a deep voice, "Fenghua is absolutely right. It was I who was indecisive. Guards!"
"Exist!"
Several loyal and highly Cultivation Imperial Family retainers and Imperial Guards commanders suppressed their fear and stepped forward to receive their orders.
"Immediately hang these two corpses on the east gate wall, with their identities written in black ink on white cloth."
Xiao Xuan's voice carried a ruthless, do-or-die spirit.
"Yes, sir!"
The men accepted the order and quickly dealt with the scene.
Although they were still filled with fear of the Feathered Ancestor, they understood that retreating was pointless at this moment, and only by following Zhang Yu could they have a glimmer of hope.
Moreover, Zhang Yu's method of killing Great Grandmaster with a flick of his finger was so shocking that it gave them a sliver of unrealistic fantasy.
Perhaps Zhang Yu really can stop the Feathered Ancestor?
Just then, Zhang Yu's voice came again:
Those who are injured should seek treatment from the imperial physicians if they are healable.
Those whose injuries were too severe for the imperial physicians to treat were all sent to the Heavenly Prison.
This undoubtedly gave the seriously injured Prince Jing and other retainers with unusual injuries a glimmer of hope.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhengfeng and the others immediately agreed and began organizing manpower to treat the wounded. They also carefully prepared to send the critically injured Prince Jing to the Heavenly Prison.
Inside the quiet courtyard of the Duke Qin Estate.
Qin Xuehua remained languidly reclining on the soft couch, seemingly oblivious to the earth-shattering changes happening around her.
But deep within her eyes, the entire Imperial City seemed to be reflected, every detail clearly visible.
"Eight days..."
Her voice was soft and low, with a hint of surprise:
"It only took eight days for him to go from First-Rank Martial Artist to possessing such Combat Power."
The method and speed at which this cause and effect was reversed were somewhat unexpected.
She seemed to be able to see Zhang Yu in the Heavenly Prison through all the obstacles, and even see through the strange attack Zhang Yu used to kill Li Shan in the end.
"The system's serial number seems to be earlier than I expected."
Qin Xuehua tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest, lost in thought:
"If I remember correctly, only the top ten systems could elevate an ordinary person to this level in such a short time. Especially the top few..."
Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if she were recalling a very distant past.
"The top-ranked systems seem to have been created by Holy Emperor of the Human Race who, nearing the end of their lives, sacrificed their own Divine Soul Origin exhausted the Fortune of their entire race to capture and refine a trace of the Heavenly Dao Law of the Origin world..."
What was it called again?
It was something like 'Xi' or 'Nong'?
It's been so long, my memories are a bit hazy.
The last glory and struggle of the ancient human race...
She gently shook her head, as if trying to shake off those overly heavy memories:
"I don't want to think about it anymore. I need to quickly re-refine this body, otherwise my Soul Power won't be able to exert its full potential."
Deep within the Heavenly Prison, the light was dim.
Zhang Yu's mind returned to its original state.
However, as soon as he opened his eyes, he sensed something was amiss.
Instead of sitting sulking in the corner as usual, Hu Qingxuan stood a few steps away from Zhang Yu, her eyes, as clear as Autumn Water, staring straight at him with an extremely strange and complex expression.
There was confusion, fear, struggle, determination, and even... a hint of near-mad obsession.
What do you want to do?
Zhang Yu almost reflexively moved his body back, instinctively protecting his waist with his hands.
He knew that look in his eyes all too well!
These past few days, the women sent by the Xiao Family have been looking at him with this kind of gaze.
Hu Qingxuan seemed oblivious to Zhang Yu's subtle movements and his wary demeanor.
Her eyes were somewhat vacant, and she murmured to herself:
You're right... It's all my fault.
"It's all because of this damned Azure Wood Sacred Body! It's all because I threw a tantrum that all this trouble has happened."
Her voice was somewhat ethereal, carrying a hint of obsessive stubbornness:
"If it weren't for me, the Wei Kingdom wouldn't be facing such a crisis, and those... those 'pursuers' wouldn't have gathered here like sharks smelling blood."
I... I will not fall into such a helpless and vulnerable situation.
Zhang Yu's brutal description of "trophies" and "playthings" had clearly had a huge impact on her, shattering her naive fantasies.
She experienced the cruelty of the world for the first time.
"Rather than... rather than be treated like merchandise, fought over by them, losing all freedom and choice, and enduring an unknown, perhaps even more unbearable, fate..."
Hu Qingxuan's voice trembled slightly, but her eyes grew increasingly resolute, "It would be better... it would be better to hand over this source of trouble to you now."
Ultimately, Hu Qingxuan was just an innocent girl who grew up in a sweet and pampered environment and had never truly seen the cruel side of the world.
Now, stimulated by successive blows and fear, he has become fixated on trivial matters, and his thoughts have become somewhat extreme and biased.
It wasn't that she had any deep affection for Zhang Yu; rather, it was a twisted dependence and a desire to cut her losses that she developed towards Zhang Yu, whom she didn't dislike as much, in a desperate situation.
Before she could finish speaking, to Zhang Yu's astonishment, Hu Qingxuan actually reached out and took off her own clothes.
"Come, take my Azure Wood Sacred Body Primordial Yin, and come to a complete end to this farce I caused."
She closed her eyes, but tears streamed down her cheeks, her voice carrying a poignant and resolute tone.
"Nonsense!"
Zhang Yu frowned and gave a low shout.
He pointed his fingers like a sword, and with a flick of his wrist, he put the undone collar of Hu Qingxuan's clothes back on.
Hu Qingxuan is clearly mentally and physically damaged, stuck in a rut, and even somewhat delirious.
Although Zhang Yu was not exactly a gentleman, he would never stoop to taking advantage of someone in distress.
Moreover, after being showered with overly enthusiastic advances from the Xiao Family's beauties these past few days, he now subconsciously feels fear towards women who take the initiative to approach him.
"You think that the world will be at peace once this so-called 'Azure Wood Sacred Body Primordial Yin' is lost?"
Zhang Yu's voice carried a hint of coldness and reprimand, attempting to pull her back from her obsession with stern words.