Crowned in Righteousness, Practicing Slaughter!

"The first spirit ring, a... a purple spirit ring!"

Seeing Su Changge kill Chu Zhao with a single strike of his staff, the two Spirit Elders and the Great Spirit Master of the bandit group couldn't help but roar in disbelief.

What kind of joke was this?

Even among the prodigies of the Seven Great Sects, no one had ever heard of someone whose first spirit ring reached the thousand-year level.

According to the current standards of the spirit master world, the absolute limit for the first spirit ring of even the most elite prodigies would never exceed five hundred years!

What kind of monster was this unknown pretty boy?

Whoosh!

After killing Chu Zhao, Su Changge did not pause. His figure flashed, turning into a blur as he instantly appeared behind the other Great Spirit Master.

His speed was so great that it even surpassed the Great Spirit Master's physical reaction time.

"Wait... wait, I can—"

BOOM!

With another strike of his staff, the Great Spirit Master's head was shattered, brains and gore splattering across the ground.

"One-hit kill! Another one-hit kill!"

"Isn't Lord Changge a bit too powerful?"

"To kill two Great Spirit Masters in succession while only being a Spirit Master—not only fighting above his rank, but doing it so effortlessly... The Young Lady really did find a prodigy for our Earldom..."

Seeing Su Changge's ferocity, the Musket Cavalry below were stunned, as were the three elderly, low-rank spirit masters.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe it?

Who would even dare to believe all this?

It was truly an unprecedented spectacle.

"How can this pretty boy be so powerful!?"

Not far away, the Spirit Elder surnamed Sun, who was locked in combat with Murong Ruyan, turned deathly pale after noticing the commotion Su Changge had caused.

In the moment his focus wavered, Murong Ruyan seized the opportunity and slammed him into the ground with her third spirit skill.

"Cough..."

"Damn it, I was careless."

As the smoke cleared, the Spirit Elder surnamed Sun clutched his chest and staggered to his feet, coughing up blood incessantly.

Folks, who could understand this?

He had played a winning hand into a total disaster.

His companions were wiped out, he was trapped in a desperate situation, and this game... how was he supposed to win?

Seeing Su Changge and Murong Ruyan approaching together, and the ten Musket Cavalry aiming their weapons directly at him, the Spirit Elder's legs went weak, and he knelt straight onto the ground.

His talent was mediocre; it had taken him thirty years of cultivation to reach the Spirit Elder realm!

He hadn't enjoyed enough of the world's riches and honors yet; how could he die here so easily?

"My Lord, please show mercy."

"I know I was wrong, I know it all."

"All of this was instigated by Viscount Molan!"

"It was him! He coveted the title and territory of the Murong Earldom... He wanted to force the Murong territory into a dead end through these methods. I am just a miserable worker, this has nothing to do with me, My Lord..."

The Spirit Elder surnamed Sun was a mess of snot and tears, clearly terrified out of his wits.

"My Lord, if you don't mind, Sun Meng is willing to acknowledge you as his foster father! I will never betray you!"

"Foster father?"

Su Changge seemed triggered by this keyword; this Sun Meng was trying to disgust him even while facing death.

He was trying to treat him like Dong Zhuo!

"Haha, Spirit Elder Sun, what are you doing? What is this about a foster father? If you are truly sincere about joining the Earldom, I guarantee that whatever Viscount Molan gives you, the Earldom will give you double."

Su Changge chuckled with an innocent expression and gestured toward the Musket Cavalry beside him.

Immediately, two sharp-witted cavalrymen dismounted and helped Sun Meng up.

"Really? Does My Lord really intend to spare me? And give me such high treatment?"

Sun Meng didn't believe it at first, a trace of vigilance remaining in his heart.

After all, as a lackey of Viscount Molan, quite a few people from the Murong Earldom had died at his hands over the years, both openly and in the shadows.

However, thinking of the current plight of the Murong Earldom... Sun Meng completed his own self-deception and completely let his guard down.

What was the situation of the Murong Earldom right now?

All their spirit masters were probably right here, and even counting generously, they could be counted on one hand.

Moreover, among these five, only Murong Ruyan was a Spirit Elder; the others... didn't even have a single Great Spirit Master.

Sun Meng might have been mediocre, but he was a Soul Venerable nonetheless. Under any noble's banner, that was a core combat force.

Good! Very good!

In that case, he could play along for now. When the time was right, he would coordinate with Viscount Molan from the inside to completely seize the Murong Earldom.

Squelch!

Just as Sun Meng was smiling, lost in fantasies of an ethereal future, the iron rod in Su Changge's hand transformed into a streak of light, piercing straight through Sun Meng's heart.

Until the moment of death, as his consciousness faded, Sun Meng still couldn't comprehend why... Su Changge would kill him!

Seeing Su Changge go from smiling to running Sun Meng through in the blink of an eye, the people of the earldom felt a chill run down their spines and lowered their heads in unison.

They dared not look, let alone ask.

This master was far too temperamental.

Su Changge paid no mind to their thoughts. He withdrew the Ruyi Steel Rod, flicked the blood off it, and stored it back into his soul storage device.

"Ruyan, are you wondering why I had to kill Sun Meng?"

Su Changge dispersed his soul power and reached out to wrap his arm around Murong Ruyan's slender waist. The hot breath he exhaled against her face made her body go completely limp.

Noticing this, the people of the earldom dared not lift their heads even further, burying their faces almost into the dirt.

"Hmm? Yes, but Changge, no matter what you do, I will support you."

Overcome with emotion, Murong Ruyan stared blankly at Su Changge, wishing she could melt into him right then and there.

"The earldom's foundation is too shallow right now. If placed on equal footing, who could say they would definitely hold the upper hand against Sun Meng?"

"Besides, Sun Meng is spineless. If he could betray Viscount Molan to surrender to us today, he could just as easily betray us tomorrow... and defect to someone else."

"Why keep someone who is strong, cold-blooded, and devoid of any loyalty?"

"Killing him with one strike is the safest and most efficient method!"

"Furthermore, whether Sun Meng exists or not makes absolutely no difference to the earldom as it stands today."

As he spoke, Su Changge looked toward the castle knights who had rushed over at the sound, as well as the Wheat Fragrance Village villagers who were peeking out, a subtle curve forming on his lips.

"Ruyan, let's take this opportunity for me to teach you how to handle similar situations in the future."

Su Changge deliberately deepened his tone, instantly drawing everyone in... as they strained their ears to listen.

"In the future, if you encounter someone stronger than you who is difficult to control, handle them exactly the way I handled Sun Meng."

"Wait for them to lower their guard, then kill them in one strike."

"If you encounter someone weaker than you, but you aren't sure about them, you can offer them two things before recruiting them."

Seeming to think of something amusing, Su Changge let out a loud laugh.

"Changge, what are you laughing at? Tell me quickly, what are the two things?"

"You can offer them a set of men's clothing and a set of women's clothing!"

"If they choose the men's clothing, it means they are ambitious and harbor thoughts of revenge—they must be killed!"

"Then what if they choose the women's clothing?"

Murong Ruyan's eyes lit up as she urged him on.

"If they choose the women's clothing, it means they are good at enduring and possess deep, hidden motives—they should be killed even more!!!"

Sensing the undisguised killing intent in Su Changge's voice, everyone around trembled, the awe in their eyes deepening.

"Then... what if they choose both, or neither?"

Murong Ruyan asked the question everyone was curious about.

"If they choose both, it means they are greedy by nature and never satisfied—they must be killed!"

"If they choose neither, they aren't giving you even a shred of face, so why keep them around?"

"Not only must you kill them, but you must grind them into fertilizer to extract their final bit of value."

As Su Changge's words fell, everyone trembled again, their legs turning to jelly as they all knelt to the ground.

Even Commander Mo, a high-ranking official of the earldom, was currently... with his rear end higher than his head.

They finally understood.

What Su Changge had just taught was the art of emperors, the art of hegemony.

In short: if you don't like the look of someone, kill them.

To cloak the act of slaughter in the name of righteousness.

"Ah... I understand now, Changge. Thank you. My father never taught me these things."

Su Changge, feeling a surge of desire from Murong Ruyan's proximity, swept her up into his arms and ordered the knights nearby: "Cut off Sun Meng's head and send it to Melan Territory. Tell them it's a New Year's gift from my earldom to Viscount Molan!"

"Also, clean the street. Don't let it hinder the villagers' passage tomorrow."

Under the bright moon, deep within the chambers, the night was spent in intimacy...