"I certainly will not punish anyone for their words." Qing Chen's voice drifted slowly from the depths of the blood mist, calm and gentle.
Yet the next instant, his voice abruptly deepened. "What I intend to do today is apprehend the traitors!"
Those final words struck like four bolts of heavenly thunder crashing into the hall at once.
Boom!
The Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal suspended above the black-and-gold throne suddenly shuddered. Azure-black fortune thundered down from the dome hundreds of zhang overhead, like a celestial river pouring backward.
Everyone in the hall felt a weight settle on their shoulders as the blood mist slowly parted to either side.
At some unknown point, a figure had appeared on the black-and-gold throne that had stood empty for so long.
Clad in scarlet Governor-General's immortal robes and exuding blood baleful intent, Qing Chen resembled a blood-red demonic mountain bearing down upon the entire Northwestern Circuit.
His eyes, in particular, were deep and cold.
Wherever his gaze swept, the Principal Third Rank and Subordinate Third Rank provincial governors and army commanders present-men whose ordinary words could decide countless lives-felt the same icy chill of being watched by a peerless savage beast.
Yan Zhen, the Provincial Governor of Liangzhou who had been the first to step forward, suddenly felt a trace of unease. He was about to speak, but Qing Chen did not even look at him. Instead, he leisurely withdrew a gray-black jade slip from his sleeve and flicked it away.
Clack!
The jade slip landed squarely atop the gold-patterned memorial jointly signed by the five men.
A dim light rose, and a screen dozens of zhang across slowly unfolded in the center of the hall.
The first thing to appear within it was an ink-black fox-headed command token.
The front of the token bore