344 Grand Funeral

He Ping's hand had been merciless indeed. There were well over a hundred people in the Sheng Family, men and women, old and young alike, and none escaped this calamity. All were killed by streams of supremely yang, supremely forceful true qi.

Before long, screams and cries of alarm from servants and maids arose from courtyards large and small throughout the Sheng residence.

In midair, He Ping swept his awareness downward.

Then he waved a hand. An arc of light abruptly flared into being, shimmering with rippling watery radiance as it descended like a glass dome. Soundlessly, it sealed off the entire Sheng residence, and every sound within the manor vanished completely. This was a secret Pure Land technique, a Buddhist barrier capable of creating a Pure Land domain, meant to prevent any disturbance here from spreading outside.

Even the black iron mask had not expected He Ping to be so vicious. In the blink of an eye, he had slaughtered everyone in the Sheng residence apart from the household servants and maids—all those surnamed Sheng, all clansmen bearing Tantai blood.

"Such ruthless methods, Thousand-Household Commander Sheng..."

A hoarse yet resonant voice, impossible to identify as male or female, sounded by his ear. Hearing the iron mask address him as Thousand-Household Commander, He Ping hurriedly cupped his hands respectfully. "Sir, these members of the Sheng Family were remnants of the previous dynasty. They deserved death to begin with. Moreover, some among them harbored treacherous designs and intended to overthrow the court. By rights, the entire Sheng residence should have been punished by extermination of the nine clans, escorted to the Meridian Gate, and executed by death of a thousand cuts!"

He Ping shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "As they say, every man has the right to punish