The eight patriarchs on the ground were surrounded by dark clouds, lightning, and thunder, a scene resembling the end of the world. They were all suffering in silence, sitting at home when disaster struck from the sky. Who could they complain to?
In their divine sense probing, it seemed that the entire Northern Desert Empire was shrouded in a mysterious force. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered in the space, not only making it difficult for them to breathe, but also making it seem as if heaven and earth were rejecting them, preventing them from drawing any power from heaven and earth.
Their immense supernatural power rendered them utterly incapable of resisting.
"Senior, we are acquainted with Elder Jiang of the Ziwei Sect. Could you please spare us for Elder Jiang's sake?"
If Jiang Mu were here, he would definitely curse and swear. Although he has a lot of face, how could a celestial being like Meng Fan give him face?
"Jiang Mu? He should be extremely grateful that I'm not holding him accountable."
Seeing that Jiang Mu's influence was ineffective, the old man immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "Senior, could you please let me investigate the matter thoroughly so that we can die in peace?"
The clouds in the sky surged and churned, and it took a while before they made a sound.
"Can."
Upon hearing the sound, the old man quickly got up, flew into the main hall, and glared fiercely at Huangpu Yun, who was prostrate on the ground.
He grabbed Huangpu Yun by the collar and slapped him across the face several times.
Clap clap clap!
After a few slaps, Huangpu Yun's head was swollen like a pig's head.
"You unfilial descendant! How could my Huangpu family produce such a useless piece of trash like you, bringing such a great disaster upon us? Tell me, why did you disobey the ancestral land's command!"
At this moment, Huangpu Yun was in a difficult situation. Facing his ancestor, he dared not resist at all, but knelt down in front of the old man and cried.
"Ancestor, it's not that your descendants disobey your wishes. When General Huang came here to convey your decree, I immediately issued the imperial order. I don't know who dared to disobey the imperial decree and go to the Longgan Dynasty on their own. I'm innocent!"
"You're innocent? Do you think you're more innocent than us?"
The old man was furious when he saw Huangpu Yun and couldn't help but slap him several more times. None of the ministers around dared to utter a sound.
"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to find out what happened. If you're even a fraction late, I'll make you regret ever being born!"
"Yes, yes, Ancestor, please wait a moment, I will investigate this matter immediately."
After speaking, he kowtowed heavily to the sky several times. He could clearly see that the one who held his life and death in his hands was not the ancestor, but this unknown powerhouse, so he did not slack off in his etiquette and flattery.
The old man was quite satisfied with Huangpu Yun's behavior; Huangpu Yun did have some brains.
The unknown powerful figure was horrified. Since they had been given time to investigate the matter, it must mean that the expert intended to spare them. It all depended on whether they could seize the opportunity. Of course, the first thing to do was to change their attitude.
Huangpu Yun had no such scruples when facing his ministers; with life and death hanging in the balance, how could he care about their lives?
He snatched a sword from the guards and strode to a minister, the very man who had just accused him of incurring the wrath of Heaven.
"Tell me, who went to the Longgan Dynasty?"
When the minister saw his emperor draw his sword, exuding a murderous aura, he could hardly utter a word; he was lucky if he didn't faint from fright.
"I...I...I don't know..."
Sizzle!
Huangpu Yun's sword flashed, and without the slightest hesitation, he severed his head.
He walked up to another minister, who was also a member of the eldest prince's faction.
"you say."
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, I truly don't know what happened, I..."
Sizzle!
Another head flew off, staining the hall with blood.
Footsteps sounded, and Huangpu Yun acted ruthlessly, beheading four ministers in succession. When he reached the fifth minister, the man could no longer hold on and shouted.
"Your Majesty, it was the First Prince who secretly plotted to send someone to the Longgan Dynasty a few days ago. This old minister is unaware of the details!"
This minister was quite clever. Although he didn't know who had gone to the Longgan Dynasty, the emperor had killed people from the eldest prince's faction, so it was safe to pin the blame on the eldest prince.
He guessed correctly; Huangpu Yun was now looking for someone to lure out the eldest prince, thus launching an attack.
As expected, upon hearing the eldest prince's name, Huangpu Yun turned around and walked to the eldest prince, placing his sword against his neck.
“Speak, why did you disobey my orders?”
The eldest prince was terrified and his eyes were lifeless; he was unable to answer him.
But he couldn't answer it, while others could.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has embezzled tens of millions of taels of silver from the national treasury, making him a major parasite on our Northern Desert Empire!"
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has trained thousands of assassins and has long harbored rebellious intentions."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been having an affair with Consort Hua of the harem for a long time..."
Seeing the situation clearly, the ministers, regardless of Huangpu Yun's increasingly grim expression, recounted the glorious deeds of the eldest prince.
"Enough. I'm asking you, did you send anyone to the Nalongan Dynasty?"
Seeing that things had come to this point, the eldest prince had nothing more to say. At worst, he would die. He raised his head and said, "It was indeed I who sent people. If it weren't for the presence of such a powerful figure in the Longgan Dynasty, my plan would have been flawless. The victor is king, the loser is villain... I..."
Sizzle!
Huangpu Yun, too lazy to listen to his son anymore, beheaded the eldest prince with a single sword stroke!
"brute!"
Whether this shout was directed at the Longgan Dynasty or at the fact that he had been cuckolded, Huangpu Yun showed no reluctance whatsoever.
Seeing that Huangpu Yun had handled the matter cleanly and efficiently, and that the matter was now clear, the old man immediately stepped outside the hall, bowed, and said in a high voice, "Senior, the matter is clear. It was all because such a scoundrel appeared among my children and grandchildren. I am heartbroken."
At that moment, a beam of light shot in from afar and hovered above the main hall. Who else could it be but Jiang Mu?
Jiang Mu looked around and said loudly, "Senior Meng, the ancestors of the Northern Desert Empire made great contributions to our Azure Profound Continent. Could we ask them to atone for their crimes?"
After a long while, Meng Fan's voice finally came from high above.
"This matter began with gold and silver, and it should end with gold and silver. This is the law of cause and effect. We must pay 300 million taels to the Longgan Dynasty. Those involved in this matter deserve to die. If even one person is missed, the Northern Desert Empire will be overthrown, and not a single member of the royal family will be spared!"
As soon as the words fell, two more figures shot out from the sky. They were the middle-aged scholar in purple robes who had been captured in the Longgan Dynasty and Li San, the Crown Prince's spy. At this moment, the two of them looked numb, clearly knowing their fate.
Seeing that there was finally a way out, the old man and the other eight ancestors knelt down first, their expressions solemn.
"I will obey the instructions of my predecessors."
Amidst the surging blue light in the sky, the clear sky returned to normal, clearly indicating that Meng Fan had withdrawn his supernatural powers. However, the fear imprinted in everyone's hearts could not be eliminated in a short time.
Jiang Mu felt the pressure enveloping Qingxuan disappear and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He came to the eight ancestors and said, "You are all really foolish. I personally went to tell you the importance of this matter, but you are still living peacefully in the ancestral land. Not one of you came out to handle this matter personally. You are lucky to be alive!"
The eight patriarchs immediately wiped the sweat from their foreheads and nodded in agreement.
"Senior Jiang's advice is correct. We are very grateful to Senior Jiang for saving us this time. This time, the eight of us will personally oversee the matter and supervise all those involved!"
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