Chapter 159: A Great Slaughter Begins

Chen Mo looked at the pile of minced meat before him; Ping Xi Wang had died quite thoroughly, even though he was an Innate Expert and had further borrowed the power of the Ruins Realm to reach a strength above the Xiantian Third Layer.

Yet even so, a brute force of 1.6 million jin was still something he could not withstand.

Moreover, Chen Mo's True Qi was not inferior to his to begin with; even though he had stepped into the Xiantian Third Layer or higher, the quality of his True Qi was still no stronger than Chen Mo's.

Chen Mo used his own True Qi to break through his layers of protection, and this 1.6 million jin of force could be said to have struck him without any reduction.

That Ping Xi Wang only turned into a pile of minced meat rather than being reduced to meat paste was already a fairly decent end.

However, although he was dead, a strange aura leaked out.

That aura was grayish-red, resembling dark blood; now that it was exposed, it hurriedly darted about, wanting to escape or find another host.

Chen Mo's True Qi was like a surging river, rapidly constructing a cage to trap that aura tightly.

It rushed about in a panic, but it could never find a way out.

The Inner Qi that Chen Mo practiced was of the Yang attribute and also possessed the vitality of the Jia Mu Qing Long.

Not only that, because he once had the fortune to see a real Qing Long, his True Qi contained three parts of dragon might, enough to suppress all evil things.

Now, this finger-sized dark red aura was firmly sealed by Chen Mo's True Qi.

He could feel that this wisp of dark red aura was extraordinary; it contained quite powerful strength and was connected to some Ruins Realm.

Whether it was refined or used to find a certain Ruins Realm, it would be of great use.

For other Martial Artists, wanting to resolve this wisp of dark red aura or turn it into cultivation resources would inevitably be a quite arduous task.

However, for Chen Mo, who possessed the Transformation Pearl, this was absolutely not a big deal; he could easily process it cleanly.

But at this moment, it was not the time to deal with this wisp of dark red Blood Qi.

Chen Mo first stored it in his Storage Bag; the Yulin Guard on duty on the city tower finally reacted and immediately shouted, "Lord Chen has won!"

One person shouted, and a thousand responded; the sound waves grew louder and louder, and in the end, it became even simpler, with only thousands of people shouting the word "victory"!

Empress Xu stood inside Wanfa Tower, her expression slightly dazed; she had thought about Chen Mo winning, and she had also thought about Chen Mo losing, but she had never thought that Chen Mo could win so easily.

But immediately following that was an undisguised excitement and joy; her body, which had been overly tense before, now relaxed, and she felt somewhat limp without realizing it.

"Won! General Chen has won!" Empress Xu muttered to herself.

Chen Mo had won, so all problems would be solved; she would no longer have to live in fear every day.

Her own son would ascend to the throne, and she would ascend to the position of Empress Dowager!

How could this not make her excited? Empress Xu breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling like waves; even as a Post-Heaven Martial Artist, she could not suppress her emotions now.

Hearing the sound, Zhao Yu could not help but let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face; she did not care about victory or defeat, only about Chen Mo's safety.

And since Chen Mo had won, that meant he was safe!

Seeing this situation, Chu Tianxiu could not help but let out a sigh of relief, but in his heart, there was more astonishment.

As the only Innate Expert watching the battle, while others might not be clear about the detailed strength between Ping Xi Wang and Chen Mo, he had a rough estimate of it.

Chen Mo's true combat power was absolutely far superior to other Innate Martial Artists of the same realm; this really made him unable to help but be astonished.

The distance was too far, and Chu Tianxiu could not confirm exactly what Xiantian layer Chen Mo was at, but one thing was certain: it was definitely not above the Xiantian Third Layer.

Yet even so, when Ping Xi Wang had finished using his Secret Technique and his strength reached above the Xiantian Third Layer.

Chen Mo was still able to easily kill him, which was enough to show his extraordinary combat power.

Chu Tianxiu had not seen people who practiced both Inner and Outer Dual Cultivation, but he had only seen Chen Mo reach such a high level of attainment in both at the same time.

One must know how long it had been since Chen Mo broke through to the Innate Realm; I am afraid it had not even been two months in total.

And Chen Mo was able to directly kill Ping Xi Wang, who was above the Xiantian Third Layer; this combat power was absolutely second to none within the same realm.

Besides astonishment, Chu Tianxiu was also pondering another matter in his heart, which was to find an opportunity later to persuade Chen Mo to temporarily give up body cultivation and focus his energy on improving his True Qi first.

With his talent, if he could reach such a high level of attainment in both internal and external cultivation, then if he only practiced Inner Qi, his progress would inevitably be faster.

In this way, he would have a higher probability of breaking through to the Heavenly Human Realm.

It was just that this matter could not be rushed; he would have to think of a way later, and he also had to inform him of the truth of this world.

Chu Tianxiu made a decision in his heart and immediately turned to leave the viewing platform, preparing to inform his two old friends of this matter.

…………

Ping Xi Wang had been killed, but the fighting in many places within the Capital had not yet ended.

Many officials in the Inner City acted quickly; since Ping Xi Wang was dead, although this matter had not completely ended, it was a foregone conclusion.

So now was the time for them, the loyal officials of the Imperial Court, to take action; if they did not do something now, they might be framed for having colluded with Ping Xi Wang.

Of the two advisors brought by Ping Xi Wang, one turned and fled, while the other knelt down to surrender very smoothly.

"Lord Chen, this subordinate is willing to be a pawn for you, to identify for you those Imperial Court officials who colluded with Ping Xi Wang Zhao Huaifeng, only asking that you spare the lives of my wife and children and my old mother."

He certainly knew that with his status, it was definitely unlikely that he would survive.

Surrendering now might save the lives of his family.

The General of the Central Army hurried over with several Post-Heaven Martial Artists from the army, just in time to block the advisor who wanted to escape and quickly captured him.

"Take him; he knows many officials who colluded with Ping Xi Wang; take troops and go investigate directly. Take the Patrol Heaven Guard with you and let them thoroughly investigate these officials."

Chen Mo pointed at the advisor kneeling on the ground and spoke in a cold voice.

There were many officials in the Capital who took risks to collude with Ping Xi Wang, wanting to gamble on the merit of supporting a new emperor.

If Ping Xi Wang had won, they naturally could have gained great benefits, but now that he had lost, these people would have to bear the cost of failure along with him.

And the reason for taking the Patrol Heaven Guard was to prevent this advisor from randomly implicating others.

"This subordinate understands!" the General of the Central Army said without hesitation.

Even though his official rank was higher than Chen Mo's, he understood that he was not an Innate Expert after all, and Chen Mo's official rank would soon surpass his own.

So he did not dare to put on the airs of a superior in front of this Innate Expert, Chen Mo.

"The garrison troops in the city should all be deployed and used entirely to guard the city; hold the city firmly, and absolutely do not let any Border Army enter the city.

In addition, take people to control Ping Xi Wang Fu and the Wang Fu Bie Yuan in the Outer City; not a single confidant of Ping Xi Wang can be let go; if any dare to resist, kill them on the spot," Chen Mo continued to instruct.

The Prince of Pingxi has been killed, yet he still has many die-hard loyalists among his subordinates, not only within the city but outside it as well.

Furthermore, some Post-Heaven Martial Artists loyal to him must have quietly escaped the city just now; with the Emperor currently not in his position, the Central Army General can only control a very small portion of the city's Array.

Relying solely on the city walls, let alone Post-Heaven Martial Artists, even some of the more agile Meridian-Opening cultivators might not necessarily be stopped.

As these people flee to the outside world, it is naturally impossible for them to do nothing.

Some will flee, but those who cannot escape may choose to fight to the death.

"This subordinate understands," the Central Army General said, bowing in salute.

The Imperial Guard Commander arrived at this moment with many Post-Heaven Martial Artists, and upon seeing the corpse of the Prince of Pingxi, already reduced to fragments on the ground, he could not help but reveal a smile.

At this moment, many Yulin Guards were still shouting "Ten Thousand Victories," and if it were not for the fact that Chen Mo and the others could all use sound transmission, conversing in such a situation would likely not have been so easy.

"Mobilize all the Yulin Guards within the Palace City, as well as Zheng Ying and his Personal Soldiers, to follow me out of the city to suppress those rebellious Border Army troops."

Chen Mo looked toward the Yulin Commander and gave the order.

Although Zheng Ying was also a Post-Heaven Martial Artist, he was, after all, not from the Palace City and had even surrendered halfway through.

Naturally, Chen Mo would not have let him guard such an important place as the Array Eye earlier.

Now that they were heading out of the city, even if there was no fighting, he would need enough manpower to control the Border Army troops outside, so he would naturally have use for him.

"This subordinate understands," the Yulin Commander bowed and hurriedly turned to make preparations.

The Central Army General also left quickly, taking men to guard the city gates to prevent the Border Army from rioting and attacking the city.

Chen Mo did not really want to kill these Border Army troops; they were the elite of the Imperial Court and the Personal Soldiers of the various commanders within the Border Army.

They were not guilty themselves and had even rendered great service in defending against the Alien Races.

Returning to the capital in triumph this time, they should have been rewarded according to the rules, but the Prince of Pingxi's rebellion had caused the vast majority of the Border Army to be coerced by him.

Whether it was deploying these Border Army troops to guard the border passes between Great Gan and Great Li, or making them Imperial Guards to defend the Capital, both were excellent choices.

Only by killing them would the national strength be damaged for no reason.

A force of thirty thousand elites skilled in field warfare—even for Great Gan, losing so many elites would definitely be a bone-deep injury.

In Chen Mo's view, it was naturally better to have fewer people die if possible.

But if there were truly Border Army troops loyal to the death to the Prince of Pingxi, then he would have no choice but to start a massacre.

Several thousand Yulin Guards quickly prepared, changed into their weapons and armor, and rushed straight out of the city.

Zheng Ying's Personal Soldiers also followed behind the Yulin Guards at this time, rushing out of the city to kill.

The streets were already devoid of pedestrians, and on the bluestone streets nearly a hundred zhang wide, even with thousands of armored soldiers running, there was not the slightest congestion.

The group of armored soldiers ran at an extremely fast speed, but Chen Mo's movements were even faster; he stepped through the air and arrived outside the Capital in an instant.

At present, the area outside the city was in total chaos; many Border Army troops were completely unaware of the situation, knowing only that an unexpected event had occurred, and were hurriedly preparing without knowing what to do.

Fortunately, these Border Army troops were elites and would not easily break camp.

There were others who already knew the situation but did not know whether they should resist the Imperial Court at this moment.

If they did not take action, the Imperial Court might still give them a chance to surrender, but if they really started fighting, the Imperial Court would definitely exterminate them.

A small portion of the Border Army was currently either holding weapons, preparing to fight the Imperial Guards, or looking for an opportunity to break through and escape.

This group of people were the true die-hard loyalists of the Prince of Pingxi; those who were watching from the sidelines might not be loyal to the Imperial Court, but they definitely did not want to die with the Prince of Pingxi.

"Brothers, kill them! The Imperial Court is discarding the millstone after the donkey is dead; if we don't act now, the Imperial Court will kill us!"

Someone shouted loudly, inciting other hesitant or uninformed Border Army troops to take action.

"Brothers, the Prince of Pingxi usurped power and rebelled; this is the crime of treason! The Imperial Court has declared that it will only execute the chief culprits; as long as you put down your weapons and do not participate in this matter, the Imperial Court will never hold you accountable."

Sun Shouren roared with a booming voice, rose from the ground, and stood on a high platform to reveal his figure.

He also came from the Border Army and had met and had contact with many middle and lower-level commanders in the Border Army.

Their relationship was not necessarily very good, but they were acquaintances.

Now that he had appeared, naturally some people believed him; furthermore, Sun Shouren had not been idle these past few days and had been constantly connecting with those in the Border Army who were relatively familiar with him.

At this moment, these people, even if they did not immediately turn their coats, would definitely not fight against the Imperial Court's Imperial Guards again.

After Sun Shouren finished shouting, he saw Chen Mo arriving, his expression unable to hide his excitement and thrill.

Chen Mo being able to appear here could only mean one thing: the Prince of Pingxi had lost, and they had won!

"The Prince of Pingxi is dead, and the chief culprit has been executed. I am the Xuanwu General of the Imperial Court, the Innate Martial Artist Chen Mo."

"Brothers, you were merely coerced by that Prince of Pingxi; do not continue to make mistakes."

"Now, as long as you put down your weapons, I am willing to swear by the Li Shui, guaranteeing that the Imperial Court will never hold this matter against you."

"And as soon as the state mourning is over, the rewards due to you brothers will absolutely not be a fraction less!" Chen Mo stepped through the air and spoke in a deep voice.

His voice, projected with the aid of True Qi, vibrated with the Heaven and Earth Trend, becoming extremely loud and resonant.

The area for hundreds of miles inside and outside the Capital was now enveloped by this voice, which echoed back and forth continuously.

Upon hearing these words, many who had not wanted to fight in the first place put down their weapons one after another.

Even those who had wanted to kill their way out now showed signs of hesitation.

The Xuanwu General was not a very high-ranking official, but the words of an Innate Expert definitely had weight.

As for the Li Shui, it was fifty miles east of the Capital, originating from Ling Zhou and ending at Wu Zhou.

With a total length of over twenty thousand li, it almost spanned the entire Great Gan, and no one knew how many tributaries it had.

In Great Gan, there might be people who did not know who the Emperor was, but very few did not know the Li Shui.

It was rumored that there was a Goddess of the Li Shui, and if an oath made by the Li Shui was broken, one would be punished by the gods.

Whether in Great Gan or the previous dynasty of Great Li, countless people had sworn by the Li Shui, including high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court and even Innate Experts.

But no matter who they were, those who broke their oaths undoubtedly met with extremely tragic ends.

This added weight to the act of swearing by the Li Shui; since Chen Mo was willing to make such an oath, naturally many were willing to believe him.

After all, he was an Innate Expert; even if the Imperial Court did not want to fulfill the promise, in order not to violate his own oath, Chen Mo would make the Imperial Court fulfill it.

"We are willing to obey the orders of the Imperial Court!" Before long, a Border Army general shouted, leading his Personal Soldiers to cast aside their weapons.

With one person taking the lead, responders naturally gathered like clouds.

Even many of the Border Army soldiers who had previously wanted to flee were willing to believe Chen Mo's oath, casting aside their weapons and no longer participating in this matter.

It was just that a small number of people were still too deeply entangled with the Prince of Western Pacification, and at this moment, they were still unwilling to surrender, leading their trusted subordinates to put up a desperate resistance.

Naturally, Chen Mo would not hold back against this, and together with the arriving Yulin Guard and the Forbidden Army from outside the city, he wiped them out completely.

With this, the entire affair finally came to an end.

Next, it was only a matter of cleaning up the battlefield and handling the loose ends.

Once the state mourning period passed and the new Emperor ascended the throne, those who had rendered meritorious service this time would each receive their rewards.

(End of this chapter)