The heads of the Five Great Clans returned to their estates after plotting their earth-shattering conspiracy.
They began secretly mobilizing troops, contacting their Attendants, and preparing to present the young new emperor with a "surprise."
Whichever of their three strategies he faced, each was an unbreakable scheme. All they had to do was wait.
As far as they were concerned, victory was already ordained by heaven.
The imperial palace, Heart Nourishing Hall.
Lin Hanzhou sat quietly at his desk, reading a secret report that Xuan Ya, commander of the Shadow Guard, had just brought him.
The report detailed the secret meeting between the heads of the Five Great Clans.
It laid out their three schemes, as well as the number and names of each clan's innate experts.
"The Cui Clan has two Attendants at the second innate stage and one at the first."
"The Li Clan has one Attendant at the second innate stage and three at the first."
"..."
"In total, seven at the second innate stage and twelve at the first."
"Heh. Quite the show of force."
Lin Hanzhou set the report down, a cold smile appearing on his face.
The thousand-year foundations of these clans were indeed not to be underestimated.
The five clans alone had nineteen hidden innate experts between them, more than the Shadow Guard had.
No wonder they were so confident, daring to plot a palace coup.
"Your Majesty, should we mobilize the Imperial Guard to surround the estates of these five clans and then make the arrests?"
Xuan Ya stood respectfully to one side and asked for instructions.
"No need."
Lin Hanzhou shook his head and slowly rose to his feet.
"Mobilizing the Imperial Guard in the city would make too much of a spectacle. They'd certainly notice. The Imperial Guard only needs to surround the Capital City in secret."
He walked outside the hall and gazed at the waning moon on the horizon. His voice was calm, yet filled with murderous intent.
"I intend to pay them a personal visit with my men. I'd like to see just how they plan to murder me."
"Convey my decree."
Lin Hanzhou turned around, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
"Summon every member of the Shadow Guard. They will accompany me out of the palace."
"Then send word to the commander of the Imperial Guard. Have them surround the Capital City at once. No one is to leave; people may only enter."
"Once tonight is over, the Five Great Clans will cease to exist. Do you understand?"
"This subordinate obeys!"
Xuan Ya's heart tightened. He knew that the young emperor intended to take matters into his own hands and eliminate the dynasty's greatest threat in the most direct way possible.
At midnight, when the darkness was deepest, Lin Hanzhou changed into a fitted black outfit and fastened a long sword at his waist. Xuan Ya gathered the Shadow Guard inside the palace.
"Tonight, we kill. Not one member of the Five Great Clans is to be spared!"
Lin Hanzhou offered no lengthy explanation, only those simple words.
The Shadow Guard did not answer aloud. Instead, they all dropped to one knee, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Their response was the best answer they could give Lin Hanzhou.
Then, like a band of grim reapers melting into the night, they vanished from the palace without a sound.
They headed for their first target: the estate of the Wang Clan of Taiyuan.
Outside the Capital City, the commander of the Imperial Guard used patrols as a pretext to take firm control of all four city gates with two hundred thousand troops.
Forty thousand Imperial Guards stood ready outside each gate. Even innate experts wouldn't dare force their way past such a formation.
The Capital City was now sealed: people could enter, but no one could leave.
The Wang estate was heavily guarded, second only to the imperial palace.
It had hundreds of private soldiers, all skilled martial artists at the acquired level, patrolling day and night.
But against the Shadow Guard led by Xuan Ya, those defenses were as good as nonexistent.
The Shadow Guard moved like ghosts, silently taking out every sentry and clearing a path for Lin Hanzhou.
Lin Hanzhou and his men were finally discovered when they entered the inner courtyard of the Wang estate.
"Who goes there?!"
A shrill alarm instantly shattered the Wang estate's quiet.
"Kill!"
That was the only cold word Lin Hanzhou uttered.
The Shadow Guard behind him charged at the Wang Clan's private soldiers rushing toward them, like tigers plunging into a flock of sheep.
Lin Hanzhou's targets were the auras of the innate experts deeper inside the estate.
He blurred into motion like a bolt of lightning, darting straight toward the inner courtyard.
"What scoundrels dare trespass on the Wang estate?!"
Three powerful auras surged into the sky. Three elderly men dressed in the Wang Clan's Attendant robes stepped in Lin Hanzhou's path.
All three were innate experts at the first stage.
"I advise you to leave at once. Otherwise, don't blame us for showing you no mercy!"
The old man in front shouted sternly.
Lin Hanzhou looked at them, a trace of pity in his expression.
"You three old dogs dare bark at me?"
"You... You're... His Majesty?!"
The three men's faces changed drastically.
They knew how formidable the current emperor was. He was a ruthless man who had fought his way through several innate experts.
"Correct. Unfortunately, there's no prize."
Before Lin Hanzhou had finished speaking, the long sword at his waist had already left its sheath.
It was still the same Thunder Slash.
But this time, he used a little more force—about thirty percent.
After all, there were three innate experts. He had to show them a little respect.
"Bzz!"
A blue-violet Sword Qi, thick as an arm, burst forth with enough terrifying force to tear the sky apart!
The three Wang Clan Attendants were horrified. They hurriedly joined forces to defend themselves, trying to withstand the attack.
But before absolute power, all resistance was futile.
"Boom—!"
The thunderous Sword Qi tore through all their defenses like a force of nature and shot straight through their bodies.
"Argh!"
The three innate experts, men who could have ruled over entire sects beyond these walls, let out a single scream before the raging power of the thunder blasted them into a shower of flesh.
He slaughtered innate experts as easily as dogs!
Lin Hanzhou didn't even glance at the gruesome scene. He kept moving, charging straight into the study of Wang Lie, head of the Wang Clan.
When Wang Lie saw Lin Hanzhou descend like a demon god, he was so terrified that he froze.
"You..."
He had only just managed to utter one word when Lin Hanzhou's sword took his head.
After dealing with the Wang Clan, Lin Hanzhou and his men didn't stop for a moment. They headed straight for their next target: the Li Clan.
The same method, the same result.
The Li Clan's one expert at the second innate stage and three at the first couldn't withstand even one move of Lin Hanzhou's sword.
The head of the Li Clan, Li Changfeng, had his neck snapped by Lin Hanzhou amid terror and despair.
The Lu Clan...
The Zheng Clan...
The Cui Clan...
For the Capital City, that night was one without sleep.
Ordinary people might have known nothing about it, but to the powerful and privileged, it was a nightmare.
They could clearly hear sounds of fighting and shrill screams coming from five different directions across the city, one after another without pause.
The slaughter continued throughout the night. It only began to ease when the sky was growing light.
The Five Great Clans, which had ruled the court with power passed down for a thousand years, were uprooted in a single night.
All nineteen of their innate experts were executed.
Their core family members were either killed on the spot or thrown into the Heavenly Prison.
The Imperial Guard sealed their estates, and all their wealth was confiscated for the state.
The news hit the Capital City like a magnitude-twelve earthquake, spreading everywhere as soon as dawn broke.
It then spread even faster across the Great Sui Dynasty.
Everyone was completely shaken by the new emperor's ruthless, iron-fisted rule.
With the five finest "chicken heads," Lin Hanzhou sent a message to everyone in the realm:
"Those who follow me will prosper; those who defy me will perish!"
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