Chapter 33

The sun shone brightly in the sky, approaching its zenith. It was almost noon.

The person in charge of the execution, Elder Huang Qizheng, approached with his back bent. He pointed at the clock in the center of Jiu You Platform and respectfully said, "Prince Yan, the hour is here, it's time for the execution."

Yan Xun laughed plainly, prepared to play the situation by ear. He flicked his sleeves and replied, "Elder Huang, please."

Huang Qizheng stood upright, maintaining a confident posture. His voice reverberated loud and far, declaring, "The hour is here. Bring out the prisoners for the execution!"

"Carry out the execution!" someone announced.

A loud sound suddenly boomed. 3000 assembled at Jin Chi Square, located below Jiu You Platform. They cheered in unison spectacularly, giving off an intimidating aura. The thundering sounds continued to echo. The heavy purplish-golden gates opened, revealing 20 armored soldiers carrying a tray, adorned with a white cloth. Their expressions were cold as they walked up the steps to the black Jiu You Platform.

Wei Jing suddenly sneered and gave a mocking smile. He stared coldly at the execution platform.

Yan Xun frowned tightly. A premonition that something bad would happen suddenly hit him. He gripped the handle of his seat tightly, revealing the veins on his hands.

20 royal troops from the Military Assignment Hall stood coldly on Jiu You Platform. The First Marshal of the royal empire, Meng Tian, stepped onto the platform. He questioned the soldiers in a deep voice, "Are the identities of the criminals proven?"

A soldier, expressionless, maintained his gaze towards the front. He replied, "No, Marshal!"

Meng Tian frowned and said, "Why is this so?"

"Marshal, no one was able to carry out the task. Sheng Jin Palace has issued an order to let the execution official be in charge of today's execution."

Meng Tian nodded. He turned around to look at Yan Xun who was sitting on the main seat. He said, "Prince Yan, sorry to trouble you."

Yan Xun stiffened his lips and continued to frown. The feelings of uneasiness and fear within him were becoming unbearable, causing him to lose his usually calm demeanor to the point that it took considerable effort to even utter a word.

Chu Qiao stood behind him, sensing his emotional state. She stuck out her fair arm and grabbed the young man's arm tightly.

"Open the boxes and identify the criminals!"

20 royal guards walked forward uniformly. They took off the piece of white cloth on the tray, revealing 20 valuable boxes made of gold. The boxes were slowly opened, the key making a resounding click. The guards lifted the lid of the box, revealing its contents in front of everyone!

Yan Xun's eyes widened, the veins on his forehead bulged. He let out a savage, beast-like roar, springing out of his seat at lightning speed towards the platform. Royal troops from both sides rushed forward to intercept him. The sounds of swords leaving their sheaths echoed. The bright shine of the swords were visible. The movements of both parties was lightning fast. In that instant, a small shadow appeared in front of everyone. With a crisp sound, the young child disarmed a royal guard. Frowning, she leapt in front of Yan Xun, not letting anyone get close to him.

The wind started to blow ferociously. The sky turned pale yellow and dark clouds started to appear. The crows in the sky let out sharp cries as they flew past. Everyone raised their sleeves to shield against the sudden, relentless gush of icy cold wind and snow. Only a few people remained unfazed, their eyes remaining focused on the platform and the impending bloodshed that was to follow. Figuratively, it felt like the gods of martial arts were laughing presumptuously, their voices penetrating the hearts of the human beings below, clouding the axioms of the mortal world.

The heavily-armored Meng Tian declared deeply, "Situ Yundeng, name them!"

"Yes!" The young general with a bird embroidered on his shoulder walked forward. He pointed towards the first golden box containing a human head with dried bloodstains. He declared loudly and firmly, "The hereditary feudal lord of Yan Bei! The 24th generation of Emperor Pei Luo's descendants! The 576th tablet position within Cheng Guang Temple in Sheng Jin Palace! The King of Yan Bei—Yan Shicheng—executed on the 16th day of the fourth month at Yan Bei's Huo Lei Plains!"

Finishing, he walked to the second box and continued, "The hereditary prince of Yan Bei! The 25th generation of Emperor Pei Luo's descendants! The envoy of the royal empire's Northwest Township! The 577th tablet position within Cheng Guang Temple in Sheng Jin Palace! The eldest son of Yan Shicheng, the king of Yan Bei—Yan Ting—executed on the 14th day of the fourth month at Yan Bei's Xun Lie Wall!

"The hereditary prince of Yan Bei! The 25th generation of Emperor Pei Luo's descendants! The vice envoy of the royal empire's Northwest Township! The 578th tablet position within Cheng Guang Temple in Sheng Jin Palace! The third son of Yan Shicheng, the king of Yan Bei, Yan Xiao, executed on the 16th day of the fourth month at Yan Bei's Huo Lei Plains!

"The hereditary princess of Yan Bei! 25th generation of Emperor Pei Luo's descendants! The 579th tablet position within Cheng Guang Temple in Sheng Jin Palace! The eldest daughter of Yan Shicheng, the king of Yan Bei—Yan Hongxiao—who killed herself in a lake on the 16th day of the fourth month after being driven to desperation!

"The hereditary prince of Yan Bei! The 24th generation of Emperor Pei Luo's descendants! The deputy commander of the royal empire's Northwestern Army! The 580th tablet position within Cheng Guang Temple in Sheng Jin Palace! The younger brother of Yan Shicheng, the king of Yan Bei—Yan Shifeng—executed on the ninth day of the fourth month at Yan Bei's Shang Sheng Highlands!"

"The hereditary…of Yan Bei…" Situ Yundeng said.

The list of names finally came to an end. The wind relentlessly swept at Jiu You Platform. Meng Tian stood atop the stone platform, looking at Yan Xun firmly and declared, "The naming is complete! Prince Yan, please identify the criminals!"

With a loud sound, the wind uprooted an old tree beside Jiu You Platform. Giant branches flew in the air, landing in the center of Jin Chi Square with a resounding thud. Under the wind, all eyes, filled with unpredictability, fixated onto the young man standing on the platform! The resentment he felt was so extreme that it was indescribable!

Yan Xun closed his eyes slowly. As he opened them again, his eyes were bloodshot!

Sounds of thunder broke out from the pitch-black sky. The northern winds whistled tragically, just like a savage beast. The black clouds were almost touching the floor. The raging storm greatly reduced visibility.

The cold-blooded leader of the Meng Clan continued, his expression unchanged, "Prince Yan, please identify the criminals."

A violent gust of wind started to brew, blowing at the black flags on display, making the dragon patterns on the flag seem as if it had come to life. The young man gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, his face turning green with anger. He clenched his fist, an intense fiery sensation brewing within his chest. Suddenly, Yan Xun bellowed! Just like a panther who was out to devour, he struck a royal troop with one fist, seizing a weapon. He started to slash through the crowd ferociously, clearing his path towards the platform.

A flurry of gasps suddenly broke out in that instant. Royal guards from the yellow tent started to stream out, just like fountain water. Chu Qiao stood behind Yan Xun, frowning. She turned around and kicked a soldier in the leg. She used the force of the kick as her springboard, flying up in the air and grabbing at the ropes of the flagpole on the execution platform. With a whoosh, numerous black flags descended from mid-air, covering the entire crowd.

"Capture him!" Wei Jing raged, being the first to emerge from the flags. He pointed at Yan Xun, who was fleeing from the platform. "Don't let that wild dog from Yan Bei escape!"

The soldiers in Jin Chi Square were rapidly approaching. Chu Qiao grabbed the enraged young man with one arm while holding her weapon in the other. With a slash, the braziers at the side of Jiu You Platform collapsed one by one, scattering charcoal and oil onto the floor. Flames started to ignite on the snowy ground.

"Let's go!" Chu Qiao hollered, pulling Yan Xun towards Zhu Wu Street. However, the young man broke free from her grip with astonishing strength, and leapt back towards the heavily guarded platform!

"Yan Xun!" The hat on Chu Qiao's head flew off, revealing her hair. Frowning, she shouted, "You're crazy! Come back!" In that instant, blood spurted everywhere and corpses lay on the floor. Prince Yan had lived in Zhen Huang all this while. He was rash and unrestrained, but no one had ever seen him this angry. Even the esteemed nobles, like Zhuge Huai, were unaware of his temper. However, in this instant, looking at the young man's ferocious agility and bloodthirsty expression, even the seasoned war veterans were struck with terror.

That was a kind of power not attained through martial arts, wisdom nor brute force, but fueled by a deep-rooted resentment, a sense of conviction, and a mixture of madness and determination that was not to be stopped by any mortal or deity.

The winds raged on, uprooting countless blades of grass. The broken branches let out a crisp sound that resembled the broken cries of spirits. The young man's fringe covered his forehead. The blood stains on his shoulder were visible as his robe had fallen out of place. The veins on his hands erupted. The look in his eyes symbolized a beast being driven to desperation. Holding a blood stained sword in his hands, he walked, step by step, up Jiu You Platform.

The troops on both sides hesitated, their waists half-bowed. They did not know what had happened to them. There were thousands of elite troops, but none of them dared to take a step when faced with this young man with a look of madness in his eyes. A murderous aura lingered in the air, attracting a swarm of vultures who circled high up in the sky, waiting to pounce on the delicacies below.

With a light sound, both of the young man's legs planted themselves on the last step of the platform. With another step, he would have scaled the platform. At that instant, Meng Tian's voice sounded out coldly, "Prince Yan, are you here to identify the criminals?"

Yan Xun raised his head slowly. A drop of fresh blood belonging to an unknown person trickled down his chiseled jaw. The young man replied with a low hoarse voice, "Get out of the way!"

A loud sound boomed. Even though it was winter, there was actually thunder! The snow scattered about with the movement of the wind. The young man raised his blood-stained sword, pointing at General Meng Tian coldly. He uttered just a single word, "Scram!"

With a thud, the general suddenly leapt in the air, delivering a kick to the young man's chest. In that instant, Yan Xun was knocked back, somersaulting in the air, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He landed heavily on the stone platform.

"Yan Xun!" Chu Qiao exclaimed, surging forward with her sword. The troops snapped out of their trance at this instant, swiftly surrounding her. After all, she was small and weak, making her unable to resist so many people. She had suffered many cuts to her limbs after fighting for just a bit. As her body buckled, she was rendered motionless by over ten swords held to her neck.

"Yan Xun!" Chu Qiao cried in despair. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hands were restrained behind her back, making her unable to break free.

Time passed rapidly amidst the silence. The winds raged on relentlessly within the square. Everyone in every corner of Zhen Huang City held their breath, staring at the young man with blood-stained clothes. After what seemed like neither a long nor short time, the young man, sprawled on the floor, moved his finger slightly. He ferociously grabbed the snowy ground below him. He got to his feet, step by step, with a stubborn look in his eyes. He swayed ever so slightly, holding his sword, and continued to advance towards the platform.