Tumor of the Dynasty

During his conversation with the Yunhuang royal family during the day, Gu Changyuan heard them talk about the current situation of the dynasty.

The dynasty had been established for ten thousand years. By the time it was passed down to the current emperor, it remained, on the surface, one of the few great dynasties in the Southern Continent.

However, after the upper realm's Immortal Dynasty was heavily damaged by the Imperial Court, its interior was actually already riddled with holes.

What gave the royal family the biggest headache were the great aristocratic families entrenched within the dynasty.

These families had intermarried for generations, forming complex and deeply intertwined networks. Having operated in their respective territories for hundreds or even thousands of years, their foundations were profound and their wings were fully fledged.

Relying on the Half-Immortals guarding their families, they nominally respected the royal family as their master, but secretly acted as they pleased.

It wasn't that the royal family didn't want to touch them, but rather that they didn't dare to.

Firstly, these families possessed many experts and profound foundations. If the royal family forcefully tried to exterminate them, the losses would be too great, and the royal family itself would suffer severely.

Secondly, a single pull would move the whole body. The alliances and intermarriages between these families made their relationships extremely complex. If the royal family targeted one family, the others would feel that they would be targeted next, prompting them to unite against the royal family.

If that time came, the entire Yunhuang Dynasty would face more than just internal strife and external threats; it would directly fracture.

After hearing this at the time, Gu Changyuan merely nodded and didn't say much.

But later, when discussing the details of their cooperation, he mentioned casually, "Those families, I'll take care of them for you in passing."

The Yunhuang Emperor was taken aback at the time, thinking he was joking or just being polite, and didn't take it seriously.

Who would have thought that during a simple stroll down the street, he would encounter the young master of the Ning family acting tyrannically.

He even ended up alarming the other party's Half-Immortal ancestor.

In that case, he might as well go all the way and wipe them out directly.

He had to make a move sooner or later anyway; a day early or a day late made no difference.

It would also serve as a good opportunity to let the Yunhuang royal family witness such a devastating blow with their own eyes, making them even more resolute in their choice to join the Holy Land.

Gu Changyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the four women beside him.

There were no significant changes in their expressions.

Gu Changyuan's smile remained unchanged, and his tone was as casual as ever:

"Let's go. Since it's a mess here, we'll just change to another street."

As he spoke, he and the four women flickered and vanished directly from the street polluted by blood and smoke.

In the next instant, the figures of the five appeared on another street in Twilight Cloud City.

......

Following Gu Changyuan's annihilation of the Ning family with a single spear strike, the other families in Twilight Cloud City could no longer sit still.

The news seemed to have grown wings, spreading to every aristocratic mansion, big and small, throughout the city in an extremely short amount of time.

The patriarchs who had originally been drinking, making merry, or discussing matters in their respective mansions all turned deathly pale at the exact same moment.

Anyone who could casually wipe out the Ning family could just as easily wipe out the other families.

The Ning family's ancestor was a Half-Immortal, and their own family ancestors were also Half-Immortals; the Ning family had a grand clan protection array, and so did they.

The Ning family hadn't even lasted the time it takes an incense stick to burn against that man. How long could they possibly last?

With such a massive threat hanging over their heads, they naturally couldn't sit still.

The patriarchs of various families sent out people one after another to investigate what had happened and how the Ning family had provoked that fiend.

After inquiring from multiple sources and repeatedly verifying the facts, it was finally confirmed that it was caused by the Ning family's young master courting death.

Those patriarchs all breathed a collective sigh of relief, but then their hearts leaped into their throats once again.

They were relieved because they knew the reason: it wasn't a hitman hired by the royal family, nor was it a targeted purge against the great aristocratic families. It was just an accident, a result of the Ning family seeking their own doom.

Their hearts leaped because—the Ning family was already dead.

And within their own families, there were similarly many clansmen who were arrogant, domineering, and completely disregarded the law on a daily basis.

If they were not restrained, what if one day they also bumped into that fiend...

Those families immediately issued orders for all family members, especially those who were usually arrogant and domineering, to keep a low profile during this period.

No, not just keep a low profile, but it was best to stay behind closed doors and not go out at all.

The more ruthless families let their clan rules do the talking.

If anyone stirred up trouble outside during this time, they would instantly be stripped of their status in the clan, have their cultivation crippled, and be expelled from the family.

The Yunhuang royal family naturally received the news as well.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Garden.

The Third Princess, Qi Qianyun, was currently sitting by a stone table, her hands propping up her cheeks as her gaze fell upon the starry sky above.

The night breeze blew through the garden, rustling the loose hair on her forehead.

A dark shadow appeared silently in the garden, kneeling on one knee.

Qi Qianyun withdrew her gaze from the starry sky and let it fall upon the dark shadow. Her tone was calm:

"Is it confirmed? The Ning family has been wiped out."

The shadow nodded, and a cold, clear female voice sounded from it:

"It is confirmed.

This subordinate personally went to the original site of the Ning family mansion to inspect it. The entire mansion has been completely reduced to ruins.

There are no signs of life remaining."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"This subordinate took a patrol around the city.

Within Twilight Cloud City, those Ning family members who were not in the mansion.

Those doing business, banqueting in restaurants, or spending the night in brothels, were also all killed.

According to witnesses, after that massive spear descended upon the Ning family mansion, countless smaller spears fell from the sky, precisely locking onto the aura of every single Ning family member in the city and executing them on the spot.

There were no accidental casualties, and no innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire.

Within Twilight Cloud City, from top to bottom, no one from the Ning family survived."

Qi Qianyun took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

She inhaled so deeply, as if trying to suppress all the shock within her chest.

Originally, she had some resistance to the sudden decision for the entire Yunhuang royal family to join the Heavenly Human Holy Land.

As the royal family of a nation, to join someone else's faction and have an existence above them that they needed to look up to—this feeling was inevitably somewhat uncomfortable for her, who had been raised as an heir apparent since childhood.

She was not an irrational person. She clearly knew what joining the Holy Land meant for the Yunhuang Dynasty.

It meant safety, it meant resources, it meant the survival and continuation of the royal family. Logically, she completely agreed with this decision.

But emotionally, deep down in her heart, there was always a small voice saying.

Why must we depend on others? Can't we rely on ourselves?

After this incident, that tiny bit of resistance completely dissipated.

With a single strike, the Ning family, which had troubled the royal family for hundreds of years, was directly annihilated, uprooted completely, leaving not a blade of grass behind.

Not only that, but at the same time he struck, he was able to precisely lock onto the auras of all the clan members in the city, killing them all together without any accidental casualties or anyone slipping through the net.

This level of strength was no longer as simple as just being an "expert."

Qi Qianyun withdrew her gaze and let it fall upon the starry sky once again.

In those bright eyes, there was something more that hadn't been there before.

It wasn't just Qi Qianyun; the situation was largely the same with the other princes and princesses.

After hearing the news of the Ning family's annihilation, everyone's first reaction was shock, their second reaction was silence, and their third reaction was.

The last trace of hesitation about joining the Holy Land completely vanished at this moment.