The Lin Family

Inside the quiet royal palace hall, Li Huang sat on the throne, his demeanor cold, with a plan forming in his mind. He spoke in a calm, indifferent voice.

"Summon the Shadow Secret Unit. From now on, don't notify me of individual kill points, just give me a summary. Understood?"

The system immediately responded. [Understood, Host.]

In an instant, the shadows in the hall began to stir, and 400 Shadow Secret Unit members emerged from the darkness, all bowing their heads in unison. "We have come before the Emperor!"

Li Huang gave a slight nod before asking, his tone still neutral, "Do you have the information I asked you to gather?"

One of the Shadow Secret Unit members stepped forward, kneeling before Li Huang as he reported seriously. "Yes, Your Majesty. The Heavenly Flame Empire consists of 160 provinces in total, including the capital you now control."

He continued to explain in detail. "The central region contains 28 provinces, the northern region 32, the southern region 34, the western region 26, and the eastern region has 40 provinces. The central region, which is the most prosperous, is mainly under the control of various noble factions, but the majority of it is ruled by the Lin Family. They have deeply entrenched themselves in the central region and currently control 27 cities, each with a garrison of 10,000 soldiers. Most of these soldiers are at the Foundation Establishment stage, and the strongest in each city is at the peak of the Golden Core stage, level 9."

Li Huang listened to the report without showing any emotion and then spoke. "We'll begin by taking control of the central region first. No need to focus on the other regions for now. Bring me the body of the disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect."

A Shadow Secret Unit member quickly retrieved the corpse and laid it before Li Huang. As he assessed his current forces—600 Shadow Secret Unit members and 200 Black Dragon Cavalry—he issued new orders.

"Divide the 200 Black Dragon Cavalry and 70 Shadow Secret Unit members into groups of 10 for each city. Wait outside the cities for the signal."

"Send 270 Shadow Secret Unit members, disguised as disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, to assassinate the Lin family members and other influential forces in the cities. Each group of 10 will attack a city and kill anyone necessary, while spreading the message that the Heavenly Sword Sect opposes the rule of Emperor Li Huang, who has been killing indiscriminately. Act as if you're leading a rebellion. Once the killings are complete, send word to the rest of the Shadow Secret Unit waiting outside the cities."

"When the signal is received, the Black Dragon Cavalry and the waiting Shadow Secret Unit will move in to 'fight' against you. Pretend to lose and retreat, then change back into your original forms and assist in securing the city. Meanwhile, 50 members of the Shadow Secret Unit will remain in the capital to maintain security, and 210 of you will go to intercept and kill Sun Hao and his forces. Bring back all their heads."

After receiving the orders, the Shadow Secret Unit members all shouted in unison, "Understood, Your Majesty!" Their voices echoed throughout the hall before they vanished back into the shadows, leaving no trace. Li Huang gazed into the empty space for a moment before asking once more.

"System, how many points do I need to upgrade to the next system level?"

[5 million points, Host,] the system replied flatly.

Li Huang nodded in acknowledgment, then entered into meditation, beginning his cultivation.

...

In a city in the central region of the Heavenly Flame Empire, it was the day of celebration for the birthday of the eldest son of the Lin family. The atmosphere was grand and luxurious, with powerful individuals, city lords, and nobles from across the empire in attendance. The banquet was lavish, filled with extravagant food and beautiful women playing music, creating a scene of endless joy and entertainment.

As the celebration carried on with merriment, in a dark corner outside the grand mansion, a young boy turned to his mother, his eyes filled with hunger. "Mother... I'm so hungry."

The mother, her eyes red with tears, looked at her own body in despair. She was about to cut off a piece of her flesh to feed her starving child.

But before she could, a man dressed in black stepped out from the shadows, swiftly knocking the knife from her hand and handing her a bag of food instead.

The woman, shocked, asked timidly, "Who... who are you?"

The man in black did not answer. He simply turned and vanished back into the darkness without leaving a trace.

The woman fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she thanked the man, and quickly gave the food to her child.

Not long after, the man reappeared, but this time, he was no longer wearing black. He was dressed in a white robe, emblazoned with the symbol of the Heavenly Sword Sect on his back. As he reappeared, the brightly lit mansion of the Lin family suddenly plunged into darkness.

The guests, who had been enjoying themselves, suddenly stopped talking. The lively atmosphere turned into eerie silence, and everyone began looking around in confusion.

Whispers began to spread throughout the crowd. "What's going on? Why did the lights go out?" Some guests grew irritated, while others noticed a strange, metallic-smelling liquid splashed on them. Those affected immediately screamed in alarm.