"Buzz—"

A clear and melodious sword cry came from above the clouds and rain, resounding throughout the entire Golden City!

The sword's cry wasn't loud, yet it easily drowned out all the thunder and rain, and suppressed the gasps and energy turmoil of the Jin City crowd!

Immediately afterwards, the invisible and intangible sword intent flowed silently over the Ao family mansion like a stream, pouring onto the wildly spreading scarlet patterns.

Wherever the sword intent passed—

The crimson lines, pulsating like blood vessels and radiating an aura of destruction, froze instantly!

The violent energy fluctuations emanating from the depths of the earth were forcibly calmed by the sword intent and redirected back into the depths of the earth.

Seeing this, Ao Cangbai's already collapsing body suddenly trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood:

"Golden Vault...Sword Immortal..."

His voice was weak, but it carried a complex emotion.

His eyes were filled with extreme pride, and a hint of relief:

"My Ao family isn't entirely incompetent..."

It's worth it for the Golden Sky Sword Immortal to personally take action, even if it's just one move. The Ao family would be proud of that.

Ao Cangbo's face, which had been extremely disappointed, regained a slight smile of satisfaction after seeing the sword intent.

"That's more like it..."

This is the power that Zhongzhou should have.

Ao Cangbai murmured to himself, slowly closing his eyes, as if accepting the final ending of the Ao family's demise, drawn by the Golden Sky Sword Immortal himself.

His body instantly lost all support and fell straight down, his life completely extinguished.

"Master!"

"Waaah—ouch!"

The other core members of the Ao family who were still resisting also completely lost all will to resist after the death of the family head. As if their spines had been removed, they collapsed to the ground with empty eyes.

Lei Zhanyong, standing to the side, was overjoyed upon seeing the sword intent:

"It's the Golden Sky Sword Immortal!"

That strongest guardian who sits deep within the Golden City!

A unique being who, with only a low-level superpower related to swords, overwhelmed several generations of awakened beings.

The opponent didn't even show himself; a mere sword intent that traversed space easily suppressed the Ao family's most frenzied counterattack!

As the earth's veins returned to calm, Lei Zhanyong breathed a long sigh of relief, though a cold sweat had already broken out on his back.

He quickly bowed slightly towards the center of Jincheng:

"Thank you for your help, senior."

Immediately, Lei Zhanyong glanced at the dead Ao Cangbai, then coldly looked at the other members of the completely devastated Ao family, and waved his hand to give the order:

"Take them all down! Throw them into the Black Prison and keep them under strict guard!"

"Search the Ao family's property thoroughly immediately, dig three feet into the ground, leave no stone unturned! I need to know all the secrets they've been hiding!"

"Yes!" the judges under his command responded in unison.

They immediately began a thorough purge and arrest of the Ao family, handcuffing all the core members of the Ao family who had no will to resist with specially made energy shackles.

The once illustrious Kinjo family has come to its complete end at this moment, its curtain falling amidst the clanging of swords in the heavy rain.

The news of the Ao family's annihilation overnight and their swift extermination by the Central State authorities and the Thunderbolt Army spread rapidly throughout Jincheng before dawn.

This caused an unprecedented sensation among the other families in Jincheng.

The violent tremors caused by the ley line explosion, the suffocating crimson energy light, and the resounding sword cry all demonstrated the Ao family's desperate resistance.

The prominent families in Jincheng stayed up all night, eager to see the outcome with their own eyes.

"The Ao family... has finally come to this. To manipulate the earth's veins, they've truly gone mad." The Jiang family patriarch sighed, "Pass down the word: immediately sever all contact with the Ao family and actively cooperate with the Thunder Bureau's investigation."

The Xu family patriarch stood on the rooftop, gazing in the direction of the Ao family, his face grave: "Possessing star-track cannons and colluding with foreign enemies—a dead end..."

The Bai family patriarch's face was filled with barely suppressed joy: "Good riddance, old man! Immediately send people out to spread the word that our Bai family has always prioritized the stability of Jincheng, constantly restraining our clansmen, and making the development of Jincheng our clan rule..."

Some members of the Jincheng family, who had previously had secret dealings with the Ao family and whose interests were intertwined with it, were thrown into a great panic. They destroyed their correspondence overnight and transferred their hidden assets related to the Ao family, fearing that they would be affected by this storm of liquidation.

"Go back and report! That old guy isn't dead! Plan terminated!" A series of figures moved swiftly in the shadows.

The Golden Sky Sword Immortal's sword strike, as steady as a pillar stabilizing the sea, completely suppressed all the restless thoughts hidden in the Golden City.

The following day, the official announcement from the Central State was released.

The Central Plains Daily also published a major news story on its front page, with a headline that was strongly worded and clear:

[A swift and decisive crackdown, purging the traitors! The Ao family has been thoroughly purged for treason!]

[Unauthorized use of heavy weapons, collusion with external forces, and a conspiracy to endanger the security of Zhongzhou—the evidence is irrefutable!]

[The Thunder Bureau acted decisively, and the Golden Sky Sword Immortal stepped in to secure victory, eradicating this scourge in one fell swoop!]

[Editorial: Resolutely safeguard the security of Central Plains; any act of betrayal will be met with devastating consequences!]

Inside the Jincheng Military Headquarters Fortress.

Zhou Zhenbei tapped the newspaper in his hand lightly, his expression pausing almost imperceptibly.

He slowly straightened up, his face expressionless, as if he had only seen an insignificant news story.

"Ao Cangbai... what a vicious old dog, even in his dying moments he wanted to drag Jincheng down with him." Zhou Zhenbei muttered to himself calmly, revealing no emotion.

"Unfortunately, in front of that old monster Jin Qiong, it was ultimately just an ant trying to shake a tree."

Zhou Zhenbei knew perfectly well that Ao Cangbai had not, and dared not, reveal his identity before his death.

Their cooperation was already secretive, and the Ao family had borne all the public anger. If Ao Cangbai wanted to preserve even a trace of the Ao family's bloodline, he would never have implicated him, the General of Zhongzhou, at the last moment.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!