Above the heavy clouds, the sun was high in the sky, and it was almost noon.
Huang Qizhen, the old man in charge of supervising the execution, came forward with his back hunched, pointed at the sundial in the center of Jiuyoutai, and respectfully asked, "Prince Yan, the time has come. It's time to execute the execution."
Yan Xun smiled faintly, and waved his sleeves, "Master Huang, please come in."
Huang Qizheng stepped forward tremblingly, his old Adam's apple sliding up and down, and his voice spread far away, "The time has come, bring the prisoner and execute him!"
"Execution!"
A huge voice suddenly rang out. Three thousand soldiers lined up on the Golden Wing Square under the Jiuyou Terrace, shouting in unison. The sound was shocking, and birds flapped their wings. Rumbling sounds continued, and the heavy purple-gold door was opened. Twenty soldiers in military uniforms who were on the Western Expedition walked forward slowly with cold faces, holding trays covered with white silk, and stepped up step by step onto the inky black Jiuyou platform.
Wei Jing suddenly snorted coldly, smiled sarcastically, and looked towards the execution platform with cold eyes.
Yan Xun's brows were knitted together in an instant, and a sense of foreboding came to his mind. His hands, which were clasped on the armrests of the seat, were clenched tightly, and veins bulged.
Twenty imperial soldiers from the Dianjiang Hall stood coldly on the Jiuyou Platform. Meng Tian, the first marshal of the empire, walked up to the platform and said in a deep voice to the leading soldiers, "Have you verified the identity of the prisoner?"
The soldier had a blank expression on his face, his eyes looking forward. Upon hearing this, he immediately replied in a sonorous voice: "Reporting to the Marshal, no!"
Meng Tian frowned, "Why?"
"Reporting to the Marshal, no one can tell. Shengjin Palace has issued an order that today's execution officer is responsible for this matter."
Meng Tian nodded, turned to look at Yan Xun who was sitting in the main seat, and said in a deep voice: "Prince Yan, I will trouble you again."
Yan Xun pursed his lips tightly, his brows almost knitted together, a huge sense of uneasiness and fear uncontrollably struck his heart, making it impossible for him to maintain his usual calm and relaxed self. Even answering seemed a bit laborious.
Chu Qiao was standing behind him. She seemed to have sensed something and stretched out her tender white hand to tightly hold the boy's arm.
"Open the box and examine the prisoner!"
Twenty imperial guards walked forward together and opened the white silk on the tray in unison, revealing twenty luxurious treasure boxes made of gold. The golden key was inserted into the keyhole, and the clicking sound was endless. Then, everyone paused for a moment and opened all the lids of the boxes at the same time, exposing the contents inside to the sky!
Yan Xun's eyes suddenly opened wide, veins popped out on his forehead, and he let out a beast-like growl from his throat. He immediately left his seat and tried to pounce onto the podium.
The imperial soldiers on both sides rushed forward nimbly, the sound of swords being unsheathed and the sharp edges flashing. Their movements were as fast as lightning and unstoppable. Almost at the same time, an agile figure blocked everyone's way. With a crisp sound, the child took off a soldier's weapon, raised his brows, and protected Yan Xun in front of him, not letting anyone get close to him.
A strong wind suddenly blew up, and the sky and the earth turned dim. Black clouds piled up and rolled in the sky. Pitch-black crows flew and screamed, flapping their wings and soaring high in the fierce wind. The cold wind and snow bit people's bones, and everyone couldn't help but cover their eyes and use their sleeves to block the unbridled gale.
But there were a few people who kept their eyes open, staring at the bloodthirsty platform. In the dark, there was a martial god in the sky laughing wildly, his voice piercing through the excited hearts of the people and sweeping away all the justice in the world.
Meng Tian, wearing heavy armor, said in a deep voice: "Situ Yundeng, call the name!"
“Yes!” The young general with purple-gold flying birds embroidered on his shoulders stepped forward, pointed at the bloody head in the first golden box, and said loudly in a sonorous tone, “The hereditary prince of Yanbei! The twenty-fourth-generation grandson of Emperor Pero! The Grand Marshal of the Northwest Army of the Empire! The 576th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace! Yan Shicheng, the King of Yanbei, was beheaded on April 16th at the Fire Thunder Plain of Yanbei!”
After that, he walked to the second box and continued in a cold voice: "The hereditary king of Yanbei! The 25th generation grandson of Emperor Pero! The Northwest Subjugation Envoy of the Empire! The 577th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace! Yan Ting, the eldest son of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, was beheaded on April 14th at Xunlieyuan in Yanbei!
"The hereditary king of Yanbei! The twenty-fifth generation grandson of Emperor Pero! Deputy Envoy of the Northwest Subjugation of the Empire! The 578th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace! Yan Xiao, the third son of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, was beheaded on April 16th at the Fire Thunder Plain of Yanbei!
"The hereditary princess of Yanbei! The twenty-fifth generation granddaughter of Emperor Pero! The 579th tablet in the Chengguang Ancestral Temple of Shengjin Palace! Yan Hongxiao, the eldest daughter of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, committed suicide in Honghu Lake of Weishui on April 16th, when she was at the end of her rope!
"The hereditary king of Yanbei, the 24th generation grandson of Emperor Pero! Deputy commander of the empire's northwest army! The 580th tablet in the Chengguang ancestral temple of Shengjin Palace! Yan Shifeng, the cousin of Yanbei King Yan Shicheng, was beheaded on the ninth day of the fourth month on the Shangshen Plateau of Yanbei!
"The land of Yanbei is hereditary..."
The long roll call finally ended, and the turbulent wind swept across the underworld unscrupulously. Meng Tian stood on a high stone platform, looking down at Yan Xun who was supervising the execution, and said in a deep voice: "The roll call is over, please ask Prince Yan to examine the prisoner!"
With a loud bang, a strong wind suddenly blew up and broke a towering ancient tree next to the Jiuyou Terrace. The huge branches flew up with a whistling sound and smashed in the center of the Golden Wing Square.
The wind was howling in the air, and all the strange and mysterious eyes were instantly focused on the young man on the execution platform!
Even if all the iron in the nine provinces were gathered together, it would not be possible to forge such hatred!
Yan Xun slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were blood red!
Thunder rumbled in the pitch-black sky, and the north wind howled like a mad beast. Layers of black clouds almost pressed down the ground, and sand and rocks flew everywhere. It was as if one were blind.
The current patriarch of the Meng family, the iron-blooded soldier in charge of the mobilization of the empire's military supplies, continued in a deep voice without changing his expression: "Prince Yan, please examine the prisoner."
A gust of wind suddenly arose from the ground, and the black flags in the field fluttered in the wind, rustling like fire. The golden dragon waved its claws ferociously, as if it wanted to break through the flag and fly out. The young man clenched his teeth, his eyes were red, his face was pale and purple, and his fists were clenched, as if a huge fire was spreading in his chest.
Suddenly, Yan Xun roared angrily, and like a rising man-eating leopard, he punched an imperial soldier, snatched a sword in an instant, and with the sword swiftly wielding like a flying rainbow, he rushed out of the crowd like a mad tiger and slashed towards the Jiuyou platform.
There was a burst of exclamations at once, and the imperial guards in khaki cloaks rushed forward one after another, so densely packed that they looked like boiling water in the underworld. Chu Qiao stood behind Yan Xun, her brows furrowed, her eyes slightly turned, and suddenly kicked a soldier on the calf, using the force to leap up and grab the flag rope on the execution platform. There was a loud bang, and countless black dragon battle flags instantly covered the sky, hiding everyone in them.
“Catch him!” Wei Jing’s face turned pale. He was the first to climb up from under the flags and pointed at Yan Xun who was already running off the stage and shouted, “This ambitious Yanbei dog must not be allowed to escape!”
The soldiers on the Golden Wing Square had already rushed to him. Chu Qiao grabbed the furious young man and threw the sword. With a crisp crackling sound, the high braziers beside the Jiuyou Terrace fell over, charcoal fire spread all over the ground, kerosene splashed everywhere, and burned on the snow on the ground.
“Let’s go!” Chu Qiao yelled, grabbing Yan Xun and trying to flee towards Zhuwu Street. However, the young man suddenly gained amazing strength, pushed her away and flew towards the heavily guarded Jiuyou Platform!
“Yan Xun!” Chu Qiao’s hood fell off, her long black hair fluttering in the wind. She frowned and shouted, “You’re crazy! Come back!”
Suddenly, blood splattered everywhere and corpses were scattered all over the place. Prince Yan has lived in the imperial capital of Zhenhuang for many years. He is a reckless and unrestrained person. No one has ever seen him really angry and take action. Even young nobles like Zhuge Huai find it difficult to know his depth. But at this moment, looking at the young man's agile and swift figure like a leopard, and his ferocious and bloodthirsty eyes like a wolf, even those soldiers who had been fighting on the battlefield and drinking and eating meat among the dead for years could not help but feel a chill.
That is a kind of power, not martial arts, not wisdom, not brute force to move mountains and conquer the world, but a deep hatred, firm belief, and the madness and determination to kill anyone who stands in your way, and even Buddha!
The wind was howling, the grass was broken, and the towering ancient trees were broken and made a humming sound in the wind, like the mournful cry of ghosts. The young man's black hair blocked his eyes, his shoulders were stained with blood, his fur coat had slipped off, veins bulged on his wrists, his eyes were like those of a wild beast in despair, he held a bloodthirsty long knife in his hand, and walked up to the Jiuyou platform step by step.
The soldiers on both sides hesitated and half-bent their waists cautiously. They didn't know what was wrong with them. Thousands of elite soldiers of the empire faced this young man with crazy eyes, but no one dared to move. A huge murderous aura permeated the air, causing the carrion-eating eagles and hawks in the sky to circle up and down, thinking that there was some gluttonous feast below.
With a light "puff" sound, the young man's feet stepped on the last step. As long as he took one more step forward, he would be able to step onto the Jiuyou Platform.
At this moment, Meng Tian's voice sounded coldly and slowly, "Is Prince Yan here to examine the prisoner?"
Yan Xun slowly raised his head, a drop of blood slowly flowing down his well-defined chin. He didn't know whether it was someone else's or his own. The boy's voice was low and hoarse, like a devil crawling out of hell, "Get out of the way!"
There was a loud rumbling sound suddenly, and in the bright winter day, there was rumbling thunder. Snow was flying all over the ground and dancing with the raging wind. The young man slowly raised his bloodthirsty sword, pointed it at General Meng Tian, and coldly spat out one word, "Get lost!"
With a dull thud, the imperial general suddenly leaped into the air and kicked the young man right in the chest. In an instant, Yan Xun was like a kite with a broken string, blood spurting into the air. He spun in the air, landed on the high stone steps, and rolled to the ground like a gourd!
"Yan Xun!" Chu Qiao yelled and rushed forward with her sword swung. The soldiers finally reacted at this time and immediately surrounded her. After all, Chu Qiao was small and weak, and she was short. How could she withstand the siege of so many people? After just a few fights, her arms and thighs were injured in many places. Her body went limp, and more than a dozen sharp swords were placed on her neck, making her unable to move at all.
“Yan Xun!” Chu Qiao cried out in grief, her eyes bloodshot, her hands held behind her back, unable to break free.
Time passed so quickly, yet so quietly. The whistling wind was like a ghost demanding its death, raging and galloping across the vast square. Inside and outside Zhenhuang City, the empire's superiors, nobles, elders, officials, generals, soldiers, and ordinary people watching on the periphery all held their breath and looked up at the young man with bloodstained clothes lying in a pool of blood. It seemed like so much time had passed, and yet it seemed like just a moment. The young man lay on the ground, his fingers moved slightly, and then he grabbed the snow hard, clenched his fist, and climbed up. His eyes were like a stubborn lone wolf. He staggered to his feet little by little, his body swayed slightly, and then he leaned on his sword and walked towards the platform again step by step.
