Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

Shen Mo carried Zhao Ling as they walked step by step up the steps of the imperial palace.

The dragon throne, a symbol of supreme imperial power, was ridiculously large. Zhao Ling's small body shrank inside it, her feet barely touching the ground, dangling precariously in mid-air.

The cloth tiger in her arms had a broken leg, with the cotton stuffing sticking out, looking completely out of place in this magnificent yet blood-soaked hall.

"Sit still," Shen Mo said softly, gently tidying her slightly disheveled sideburns.

Zhao Ling timidly shrank her neck, but looking at Shen Mo's clean face, she felt inexplicably at ease. She nodded obediently, her two small hands gripping the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Below the main hall, there was a deathly silence.

Shi Miyuan knelt on the ground, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. He looked at the headless emperor's corpse, then at the blond girl sitting on the dragon throne, and finally his gaze fell on the Taoist priest in the green robe.

absurd.

It's ridiculous!

"You heretic! You...you are insulting the ancestors of the Great Song Dynasty!"

An elderly imperial censor with white hair suddenly stood up, his finger trembling as he pointed at the dragon throne. "Since ancient times, how can there be any reason for a woman to become emperor? Especially not a mere child! Even if you kill me today, I will never admit to such an absurd thing!"

This old man was named Chen Ziqiang. He was always full of talk about benevolence and morality. When Han Tuozhou's Northern Expedition failed, he was the first to jump out and advocate cutting off Han Tuozhou's head and sending it to the Jin people as an apology.

Shen Mo turned around and looked down at him.

"You won't admit it?"

"Absolutely not!" Chen Ziqiang stiffened his neck, adopting a posture of remonstrating to the death. "I am a veteran of two dynasties, educated in the classics and cultivating a righteous spirit. How could I bow down to a traitor like you! If you dare to lay a finger on me today, the pens of scholars throughout the land will surely condemn you to eternal infamy!"

Seeing this, the surrounding ministers also gained confidence.

Yes, no matter how powerful this sorcerer is, can he really kill all the officials in the court?

If they are all killed, who will govern the country? Who will help him maintain this situation?

"Please reconsider, Taoist priest!"

"Establishing a new ruler is a matter of great importance to the nation and requires careful consideration!"

"Women should not interfere in politics; this is an ancestral family rule!"

For a moment, the hall was filled with noise, spittle flying everywhere. These ministers, who were usually scheming against each other, were surprisingly united at this moment, each one filled with righteous indignation, as if Shen Mo had dug up their ancestral graves.

Shen Mo listened to the noise without changing his expression.

He simply raised his right hand and flicked his index finger lightly.

laugh!

An invisible stream of true energy pierced through the air and disappeared.

Chen Ziqiang, who was giving a passionate speech, suddenly stopped speaking.

A red dot appeared between his eyebrows, and then the red dot rapidly expanded, causing a burst of blood to erupt from the back of his head.

thump.

Chen Ziqiang fell straight down, his eyes, which were full of "righteous spirit," still wide open, as if he couldn't believe that Shen Mo really dared to make a move.

The noise in the hall vanished instantly, like a duck being choked.

[Ding! Villain defeated: Chen Ziqiang (Minister of Rites)]

Good/Evil Points +30000

Shen Mo didn't even glance at the corpse, his gaze sweeping over the next one.

"Who else doesn't admit it?"

The voice was flat, as if asking what to have for dinner.

A dark-faced man, resembling a military officer, gritted his teeth, his hand on the hilt of his sword: "You sorcerer, what kind of skill is it to kill a civil official! I am Wang Quan, the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard, wielding considerable military power. If you touch me, the 50,000 troops outside the city will surely raze me to the ground..."

boom!

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Quan's head exploded like a rotten watermelon.

This time, Shen Mo didn't even raise his hand.

When the innate true energy is released outwards, wherever the intention goes, it becomes a killing move.

The red and white liquid splashed all over the face of the attendant next to him. The attendant screamed in fright, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

[Ding! Villain defeated: Wang Quan...]

Good/Evil Points +25000

"Who else?" Shen Mo stepped forward.

As this step was taken, the floor tiles of the entire Funing Hall trembled slightly.

The remaining dozens of ministers unconsciously took a few steps back, their faces ashen.

They finally realized a terrifying truth.

The person in front of me doesn't care about the laws of the court, public opinion, or whether the Song Dynasty will fall into chaos.

He came here to kill people.

"You...you can't do this..." a plump minister stammered, "If you kill us all, the Song Dynasty will perish! The Jurchens will be attacking soon!"

"If they die, they die."

Shen Mo said calmly, "Anyway, the Song Dynasty is in your hands, so it's no different from being destroyed. As for the Jurchens... if they come, I'll just kill them."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand again.

The fat minister screamed and turned to run, but as soon as he took a step, both his legs broke at the knees, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, howling in agony.

Shen Mo did not kill him immediately, but looked at the remaining people.

"I'm in a hurry."

"Who's in favor, and who's opposed?"

Dead silence.

A suffocating silence.

The pungent stench of blood in the air assaulted everyone's senses. The two corpses lying on the ground were the best example of this "truth."

Shi Miyuan was trembling all over.

He was the prime minister, the backbone of the court. But he was also the one most afraid of death. He had amassed so much wealth, acquired so many mansions, and kept so many beautiful concubines, yet he hadn't had enough of enjoying life.

Looking into Shen Mo's unwavering eyes, his mental defenses completely crumbled.

This evil Taoist priest is truly daring to kill everyone!

"My lord...my lord..."

Shi Miyuan's teeth chattered, his knees bent little by little, and finally he crashed heavily onto the blood-stained gold brick.

"Your subject, Shi Miyuan, pays his respects to the Empress! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"

That shout was like flipping a switch.

The ministers who had been holding firm now dared not insist on upholding the "books of sages" and "righteous spirit" once they saw their leader kneel down.

Splash!

Everyone in the main hall knelt down.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

The voices were uneven; some were crying, some were trembling, and some were even dry heaving.

On the dragon throne, Zhao Ling was startled by the sudden commotion and instinctively tried to hide behind Shen Mo.

"Don't move."

Shen Mo reached out and pressed his hand on her shoulder, a warm current flowing from his palm dispelling the chill within her. "Sit up straight. From today onwards, you are the emperor, and they are the servants. If anyone disobeys, tell me."

Zhao Ling nodded as if she understood, and tried to straighten her back. Although she was still holding the tattered cloth tiger in her hand, there was less fear in her eyes.

Shen Mo turned around and looked at the group of people kneeling on the ground.

Of course he knew what these people were thinking.

Shi Miyuan lowered his head, his forehead touching the ground, but a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

"You wicked Taoist... I'll let you be arrogant for now! Once you're gone, this palace will be mine again! I'll kill this little brat, install a puppet, and it'll still be my domain! I'll settle this score a thousandfold, ten thousandfold, with the help of the righteous martial arts world and the experts of the Jin Kingdom!"

Not only him, but the ministers and vice ministers kneeling beside him were also having their own plans.

A delaying tactic.

As long as he survives, there will be plenty of opportunities to turn the tables later. No matter how powerful this demon is, he's still just a mortal; he can't possibly stay in the palace for twelve hours a day, can he?

Poisoning, assassination, turning the Imperial Guards against their cause... there are plenty of methods.

"You're all thinking about how to kill me, aren't you?"

Shen Mo's sudden voice startled everyone.

Shi Miyuan suddenly looked up, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Daoist... Daoist Master is joking, how could we dare..."

"Whether you dare or not, you know the answer in your hearts."

Shen Mo was too lazy to waste words with them.

He walked to the center of the main hall, where a golden pillar with a coiled dragon, as thick as two people could hug, stood, supporting the dome of the entire hall.

"I know you're not convinced."

"I know that as soon as I leave, you will try to undermine her power, or even kill her."

Shen Mo reached out and gently pressed his hand on the golden pillar.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

next moment.

boom!!!

An indescribably terrifying surge suddenly erupted from Shen Mo's palm.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a sickening metallic twisting sound.

The incredibly hard, pure copper dragon pillar, wrapped in gold leaf, began to soften and dent under Shen Mo's palm, just like dough.

The innate true energy is indestructible and can even turn iron into mud.

Shen Mo dug his five fingers deep into the bronze pillar, then suddenly grabbed and pulled.

Sizzle—!

He tore off a large piece of copper weighing several hundred kilograms and threw it on the ground, creating a large crater.

Immediately afterwards, he changed his palm into a fist and punched the already damaged pillar.

The punch missed the pillar.

But the instant the fist struck the pillar, a visible cyan ripple pierced through the body.

Click... Click...

Fine cracks instantly covered the entire pillar, then spread to the floor, walls, and even the overhead beams of the hall.

The entire Funing Hall was shaking violently, and dust was falling in abundance.

"This..." Shi Miyuan and the others were terrified, thinking that this evil Taoist was going to bury them all here.

But the shaking stopped quickly.

Although the pillar was covered in cracks, it miraculously did not collapse; it just looked precarious, as if a gust of wind could blow it down.

Shen Mo withdrew his hand, turned around and walked back to the dragon throne.

He looked at Zhao Ling and gently touched her forehead with his finger.

A wisp of highly refined innate true energy silently entered the little girl's body.

This true energy was extremely weak, yet incredibly resilient. Like a seed, it sank deep into her dantian, merging with her life force.

Zhao Ling felt a warmth on her forehead, followed by a feeling of warmth throughout her body, and the chill that had been lingering over her for some time completely dissipated.

"Remember this warmth," Shen Mo whispered. "As long as you live, it will always protect you."

After speaking, he turned around and coldly swept his gaze over the kneeling crowd.

"I left a strand of true energy within her body."

Shen Mo's voice echoed in the hall, not loud, but it made everyone feel suffocated.

"This true energy will protect her life. If she is well, this true energy will remain as still as water."

He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold.

"But if she suffers even the slightest injustice, or experiences any physical abnormality—poisoning, injury, illness, or even just excessive shock…"

Shen Mo raised his hand, and a flash of blue light appeared in his palm.

hum-

Everyone in the hall felt a jolt in their eardrums as an invisible killing intent instantly enveloped the entire area.

"This true energy will sense it and immediately detonate."

Shen Mo pointed to the top of his head, then to the surroundings, "At that time, with her as the center, all living things within a radius of several miles will be strangled by the true energy."

"Regardless of friend or foe, young or old, noble or lowly."

"No one in this palace will escape."

At this point, Shen Mo's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Including you self-proclaimed wise ministers, including those assassins lurking in the shadows, including everyone who wants to harm her."

"If she dies, you will all be buried with her."

"If she gets hurt, you will all be killed in the process."

"Even... if she cries, you will all be executed along with her."

After the last sentence was uttered, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Shi Miyuan's face was ashen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He finally understood the sorcerer's methods.

This isn't establishing an emperor; it's putting a dog leash on them all!

And that little girl is the other end of the chain.

She can only live if they live.

If she dies, everyone dies.

"You...how could you..." a minister began, his voice trembling, but was silenced by a glare from Shen Mo.

"You'll soon find out whether I can or not."

Shen Mo said calmly, "If you don't believe me, you can try. Let's see if my true energy is more powerful, or if your schemes are more ingenious."

He walked over to Zhao Ling and reached out to pat her head.

"Remember, from this day forward, you are the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty."

"If they dare to bully you, just cry."

"The louder they cry, the faster they die."

Zhao Ling nodded as if she understood, and hugged the cloth tiger in her arms tightly.

Shen Mo straightened up and took one last look at the trembling nobles and dignitaries.

"Take good care of her."

"otherwise……"

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

A flash of green.

Everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and the Taoist priest had vanished from the main hall.

Only the corpses scattered on the ground, the pungent smell of blood, and the cracked, seemingly collapsing golden dragon pillar proved that what had just happened was not a nightmare.

a long time.

Shi Miyuan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his purple robe soaked with sweat.

He looked at the little girl on the dragon throne. Although the resentment in his eyes was still there, there was a deep-seated fear in them.

"A madman... a complete and utter madman..."

He muttered to himself, but dared not harbor the slightest disloyalty.

Because he knew that the sorcerer could do what he said he would do.

The true energy hidden within the young emperor's body was like a sword hanging over everyone's heads.

Anyone who dares to touch her will die.

No, it's not just about touching her.

Even making her unhappy could kill everyone.