Lian Pingchao slowly walked toward the execution ground, but inwardly, he kept trying to convince himself.
I will not be crushed by Fang Yun! Between heaven and earth, my heart is the strongest!
Lian Pingchao took slow, deep breaths. His power as a Grand Academician had dissipated, but the learning he had accumulated over the years remained, as did his wealth of experience. His scholar's heart had not shattered!
You can take away my power, but you cannot take away this old man's unyielding heart!
Slowly, Lian Pingchao raised his head. Even dressed in rags and covered in mud, he possessed a distinctive bearing that ordinary people lacked.
Some people had initially disdained him as a beggar unwilling to endure hardship and cast contemptuous looks his way. Now, however, the sight of him instinctively stirred respect in their hearts.
Before long, Lian Pingchao reached the outskirts of the execution ground and watched from a distance.
The execution ground was not large, but the people of Qingyang City had already packed it so tightly that not even water could pass through. Many soldiers maintained order, guarding against anyone attempting to rescue the condemned.
At the far end of the execution ground, Yun Zhaochен was speaking with Qingyang City's officials.
Apart from a few officials whose proud backbones remained unbent, most had become utterly servile.
Yun Zhaochен had been personally appointed by the Lord of Bloodmang!
His standing was no lower than that of a sovereign.
Before long, an official began reading out the Lian Clan's crimes one by one.
"The Lian Clan squandered recklessly through successive generations, each generation as tyrannical as King Zhou... they forgot their ancestors while recounting their history and admired the demon barbarians... with the ravenous ambition of jackals and wolves, they secretly harbored wicked plots... they