Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"Clang—"

A crisp metallic clang suddenly rang out in the deathly silent square.

Li Chengqian casually untied the freshly forged, still oily dagger from his waist and tossed it at Lu Zhaolin's feet like trash.

The scabbard struck the bluestone slab, bounced twice, and finally lay silently before the heads of the various aristocratic families.

"Don't say that I killed you without warning, and don't say that I didn't give you a chance."

Li Chengqian sat on his horse, looking down at the trembling "nobles" with a playful expression on his face, like a cat toying with a mouse.

"According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, treason and betrayal of the country is a serious crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family and death by a thousand cuts. But I am a kind-hearted person and cannot bear to see scenes of bloodshed."

He extended a finger and gently shook it.

"Let's play a game."

"See this knife? It's a brand new one I just forged. It hasn't been sharpened yet, and it's quite dull."

Li Chengqian pointed to the hunched-over, lame old man standing in the shadows.

"That's my housekeeper, Old Xu. He's getting old, his legs aren't good, he has rheumatism, and he's not very strong."

"With so many of you, just pick one at random."

A burly head guard of the Zheng family swallowed hard and stepped forward with a stiff upper lip. He was a highly skilled fighter hired by Master Zheng at great expense, and was known for his "hundred-man kill" record.

A ruler's word is his bond.

Li Chengqian yawned, looking impatient. "Hurry up and choose. I'm sleepy and need to go back to sleep."

"Okay! I'll do it!"

A fierce glint flashed in the instructor's eyes, and he lunged forward to pick up the horizontal sword from the ground.

It feels heavy in your hand; it's definitely good quality iron!

His confidence soared, and he brandished the knife twice, creating a whistling sound. Then, he gripped the knife with both hands, assumed a defensive stance, and stared intently at Xu Xiao.

"Old man! I'm sorry to offend you!"

The coach's loud shout was to bolster his own courage.

however.

Xu Xiao did not move.

He simply raised his eyelids slowly, and his old eyes, which were originally cloudy and seemed to be full of eye discharge, suddenly lit up in that instant.

It was like two will-o'-the-wisps that had been burning in the depths of hell for a thousand years, suddenly erupting.

"hehe."

A hoarse chuckle escaped his lips, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing against each other.

Xu Xiao made a move.

There are no fancy moves, no unnecessary actions.

He simply and casually took a step forward.

"boom--!"

An indescribably terrifying aura of mountains of corpses and seas of blood exploded around that hunched body!

For a moment, everyone seemed to be hallucinating.

What they saw was no longer a lame old man, but an ancient demon god who was tens of thousands of feet tall, with his feet on piles of white bones and a long river of blood flowing behind him!

That murderous aura was tangible.

It is cold.

It's so sticky it's impossible to breathe!

"ah--!!!"

The instructor, who was holding a sword and was originally ready to fight to the death, didn't even see how Xu Xiao drew his sword before his defenses were completely broken by this terrifying aura.

He let out a shrill scream, the sword in his hand clattered to the ground, and he collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed, his crotch instantly soaked.

I peed.

I was so scared by just one look that I peed my pants.

"Useless...good-for-nothing."

Xu Xiao curled his lip, and without even drawing his knife, he simply tapped the instructor's neck lightly with the scabbard.

"Click."

The instructor's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The entire room fell silent.

The noble families who had just been clinging to hope were now like ducks with their necks choked, unable to utter a sound.

fear.

A fear that runs deep in your bones.

They finally understood why this old man was called "the butcher".

This isn't a human being.

This is clearly the King of Hell in human skin!

Fight him?

Is it because they think they can't be reincarnated fast enough?

"It seems nobody wants to play this game anymore."

Li Chengqian sighed with some regret and shook his head, "You guys were useless when I gave you the chance."

His gaze swept over the group of "nobles" who had completely collapsed, without a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Since neither literary nor martial methods work."

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless."

Li Chengqian raised his hand and waved gently towards the darkness behind him.

"Click! Click! Click!"

A series of synchronized, mechanical footsteps echoed from the darkness all around.

Three thousand heavily armored Snow Dragon Riders, though not on horseback, still exuded an imposing aura. Wielding longswords, they slowly pressed forward like a black tide.

With each step they took, the ground trembled.

That oppressive feeling, as heavy as a mountain, and that fierce aura forged in the crucible of countless battles, instantly crushed the pitiful pride of the hundreds of aristocratic scions in the square into dust.

What kind of thousand-year-old family is this?

What noble bloodline?

Before this mighty torrent of steel, capable of sweeping across the world, they are as fragile as withered leaves in late autumn.

Ants.

They really are ants.

Lu Zhaolin closed his eyes in despair.

He knew that this time it was truly over.

There is no room for maneuver, and no possibility of turning the tide.

Faced with absolute power, all conspiracies and schemes, all connections and relationships, become pale and powerless jokes.

"Boring."

Li Chengqian glanced at the group of useless people who were so scared they couldn't even cry anymore, and felt utterly bored.

He turned his horse around, not even bothering to take one last look.

"Old Xu, I'm leaving this to you."

Li Chengqian had his back to everyone, his voice languid, carried far away on the night breeze.

"Be quick, don't waste the time."

"besides……"

He pointed to the horizontal sword that the instructor had thrown away on the ground, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"When you make your move, don't use that knife."

"That's the culmination of industrialization, a product of science."

"Used to chop off the heads of these trash..."

"Dirty".

Having said that, he spurred his horse on, and the Jade Lion of the Night let out a soft neigh, carrying the boy who had dominated everything, disappearing into the darkness before dawn.

Xu Xiao stood there, watching Li Chengqian leave.

Only after the crown prince's figure had completely disappeared did he slowly turn around and look at the group of trembling noblemen.

A ferocious and cruel smile slowly appeared on that face, which resembled the bark of an old tree.

He slowly drew the cold knife from his waist.

The blade gleamed, reflecting countless terrified and distorted faces.

"Your Highness is merciful and does not wish to see blood."

"But this old man..."

Xu Xiao licked his lips, his eyes blazing with ghostly fire.

"I love the sound of bones breaking."

"Pfft—!"

The first cut landed.

Followed by.

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream, like a lament from hell, suddenly rang out above the Cui family mansion.

That night.

No one is destined to sleep.