Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

The stench of blood had not yet dissipated from the Meridian Gate Square, and the body of the royal elder of Tongyou Realm was already cold.

Holding the ancient sword Duanchen, Chu Chang ascended the white marble steps with a cold expression.

Behind him, fourteen demonic puppets followed like shadows, their heavy footsteps like the drumbeats of death, each one striking the hearts of the remaining members of the Great Yuan royal family.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

"Seize the inner city and confiscate the national treasury!"

Behind them, the elites of the Divine Sword Sect, who were completely bloodthirsty, and countless rogue cultivators poured in like a tide.

Those once high and mighty Imperial Guards and Imperial Attendants of the Great Yuan Dynasty were now as fragile as paper sculptures under the onslaught of the surging crowd. Screams, the clash of weapons, and the rumble of collapsing palaces intertwined to form a lament for the empire's demise.

Before the Golden Palace, the last five hundred Imperial Guards, clad in heavy golden armor, lined up to meet the enemy.

They were the personal guards of the Great Yuan Emperor, and every one of them had the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment, but in the face of the Heavenly Demon Puppet, their last resistance seemed utterly ridiculous.

"roar!"

Lin Wuwen let out a low roar, and his dark golden demonic body transformed into a blur, instantly crashing into the Imperial Guard formation.

It was pure, overwhelming force. Spears snapped, heavy armor shattered, and severed limbs flew through the air. In just a few breaths, the white marble plaza in front of the Golden Palace was completely cleared, leaving only a pile of mangled corpses and a river of blood.

Chu Chang stepped across the threshold and entered the Golden Palace.

Inside the main hall, the light was dim. Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty sat slumped on the dragon throne, his hair disheveled. His once majestic dragon crown was now askew, and his dragon robe was stained with blood and dust. Beside him, the Grand Master of the Great Yuan Dynasty, holding a dimly lit flying sword, stood pale and trembling, protecting the dragon throne.

"Chu Chang...you traitorous scoundrel! You shall die a horrible death!"

As Chu Chang approached step by step, Qian Yuanzi roared hysterically, "Our Great Yuan Dynasty has stood for three thousand years, protected by the great sects of the Tianqian Domain! The Supreme Emperor has already broken through to the Tongyou realm in the forbidden area! If you dare to murder the Emperor, Wanjian Mountain and the Supreme Emperor will surely tear you to pieces and extract the souls of your entire Divine Sword Sect!"

"Mount Wanjian?"

Chu Chang stood ten feet in front of the dragon throne, a mocking sneer playing on his lips: "Duan Feiyun's corpse isn't even cold yet, and you expect them to come to your rescue?"

"As for the retired emperor you mentioned..."

Chu Chang looked up into the depths of the palace, where the sky was completely covered by dark, oppressive clouds of tribulation, with raging thunder brewing within them, the might of heaven overwhelming. "What do I have to fear from a pseudo-Tongyou who, even at the brink of death, dares not emerge from seclusion after the slaughter of his own descendants?"

"You..." Qian Yuanzi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Your Majesty, this old servant will fight him to the death!"

Knowing he had no chance of survival today, the Grand Elder's eyes flashed with madness, and his Purple Mansion within his body expanded wildly in that instant, with violent fluctuations of magical power emanating from his body.

He's going to self-destruct!

The self-destruction of a cultivator at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm would be enough to raze the entire Golden Palace to the ground.

"The moment your magic is sealed, you don't even have the right to self-destruct."

Chu Chang's eyes turned slightly cold, and he lightly slashed with the ancient sword Duanchen in his right hand.

[Taiyin Soul Lock!]

A jet-black light, like a serpent, pierced through the void in an instant, and just as the Grand Elder's body swelled, it entered his brow. The violent magical power, upon touching the Yin energy, was instantly frozen as if by ancient ice, and subsided immediately.

"Click."

The Grand Elder's eyes widened, the light in them vanished instantly, and his body slumped limply beside the dragon throne. His dantian had been completely shattered by Chu Chang's sword.

"No...don't kill me!"

Seeing his last protector collapse, Qian Yuanzi completely broke down. He tumbled off the dragon throne, crawling on all fours to Chu Chang's feet, kowtowing repeatedly: "I can give you the throne! I can give you all the treasures of the national treasury! Please spare my life! I'm willing to be your dog!"

Looking at the obsequious and utterly disrespectful man before him, Chu Chang felt a flash of disgust in his eyes.

"The great destiny has come to an end; it is time for you, the emperor of the mortal realm, to descend."

Chu Chang didn't even use the Broken Dust Ancient Sword; he simply tapped it lightly with his right index finger.

A wisp of gray, chaotic energy shot into Qian Yuanzi's forehead in an instant.

Qian Yuanzi's cries abruptly ceased. His body, eroded by the chaotic energy, instantly lost all vitality; his flesh withered rapidly, eventually turning into a shriveled ancient corpse, which collapsed before the vast landscape he once ruled.

Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty is dead!

…………

…………

With the deaths of the emperor and his retainers, the shouts of battle outside the Golden Palace gradually subsided.

Countless disciples of the Divine Sword Sect and rebel generals poured into the main hall. Looking at the Yuan emperor and his ministers lying in pools of blood, and then at Chu Chang standing with his hands behind his back, they all knelt down on one knee.

"Supreme Deacon, divine might! The Great Yuan Dynasty has been destroyed!"

"Long live the Supreme Deacon!"

Chu Chang ignored the shouts of the crowd, his gaze fixed on the forbidden area of ​​the Imperial Ancestral Temple deep within the palace.

Rumble!

In the sky, the first Heavenly Tribulation Lightning had finally been prepared. A bolt of purplish-red divine lightning, as thick as a bucket, tore through the void, carrying the pressure of destroying all things, and fiercely struck the forbidden area of ​​the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"boom!"

The roof of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was shattered in an instant.

A figure exuding a terrifying aura soared into the sky amidst the lightning. It was an old man dressed in an ancient bright yellow robe. Although his face was aged, his eyes shone with divine light, and his entire body was filled with surging magical power, faintly resonating with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

The Great Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Qian Bailie!

"Who dares to destroy my Great Yuan?!"

Qian Bailie roared, his voice amplified by his magic, echoing throughout the entire capital city of Qian. While resisting the heavenly tribulation, he scanned the imperial palace with his venomous divine sense.

When he saw the corpses of the royal descendants lying in front of the Golden Palace, and Chu Chang standing in the main seat, his eyes instantly turned red.

"Traitor! You have ruined the fate of my dynasty! Prepare to die!"

Ignoring the fact that the heavenly tribulation had not yet ended, Qian Bailie risked being struck by the heavenly lightning. With his right hand, he grabbed at the void, and a giant hand, a hundred feet long, formed from pure Tongyou magic power, slammed down on the Golden Palace with the force of the sky collapsing and the earth sinking.

"Protect the Supreme Deacon!"

The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect's expression changed drastically, and he shouted loudly.

The power of the Netherworld is something that even a beginner cannot withstand.

"All of you, step back."

Chu Changqing's cold voice rang in everyone's ears.

He swayed, not retreating, but instead rising into the sky to meet the giant magical hand and the descending heavenly tribulation thunderclouds.

"Fourteen Heavenly Demons, form the formation!"

Chu Chang let out a low shout.

Fourteen demonic puppets instantly teleported, distributing themselves in fourteen different locations in the void. The demonic energy within them instantly connected, outlining an enormous black demonic net in mid-air.

[The Heavenly Demon Slaughtering God Formation!]

The moment the magic net opened, the giant hand with supernatural magical power slammed into it, producing a dull thud, but it failed to shake the magic net in the slightest. Instead, it was quickly dissolved by the corrosive demonic energy attached to the magic net.

"What?!" Qian Bailie was shocked.

"To dare to be distracted and attack under the heavenly tribulation is truly courting death."

Chu Chang coldly stared at Qian Bailie, who was at the center of the tribulation. The ancient sword Duanchen in his right hand began to tremble violently at this moment, not only because the chaotic true essence in Chu Chang's body was being poured in frantically, but also because the ancient sword immortal ruins under Qianjing had been completely revived after sensing the tribulation and Chu Chang's sword intent.

"boom!"

A clear, crisp sword cry suddenly rang out from deep underground in Qianjing.

Immediately afterwards, countless tiny yet extremely condensed ancient sword energies shot out from the cracks in the ground. Instead of attacking Chu Chang, they seemed to be summoned and merged into Chu Chang's Tai Chi diagram.

"cut!"

Chu Chang gripped his sword with both hands and slashed out.

This sword strike condensed all of his Chaos True Essence at the peak of the Tongyou realm, fused with the baleful energy of the Heavenly Demon Slaughtering God Array, and even borrowed the sword energy from the ancient sword immortal's remains that had been sealed underground for thousands of years.

A beam of light, a thousand feet long, neither black nor white, faintly imbued with chaos and ancient sword intent, instantly tore through the void, directly severing the tribulation clouds between heaven and earth, and also striking Qian Bailie's protective shield.

"No! I have already attained the realm of the spirits, how could I be defeated by someone like you!"

Qian Bailie let out a desperate roar.

That sword light was too fast and too sharp. His protective magic treasure shattered completely the moment it touched the sword light, followed by his newly formed Netherworld Body.

Under the dual attack of ancient sword intent and chaotic energy, Qian Bailie's Tongyou didn't even have a chance to escape before being directly crushed into the most primitive fragments of spiritual energy, dissipating into the void.

The lightning in the sky lost its target and gradually began to recede.

The clear sky reappeared, and countless drops of pure spiritual energy fell like rain upon the ruined city of Qianjing.

The last guardian of the Great Yuan Dynasty, the Supreme Emperor Qian Bailie, who had reached the Tongyou stage, has fallen!

With Qian Bailie's demise, the entire capital city of Qian fell into a deathly silence.

Whether it was the stubborn forces fiercely resisting within the city or the bandits plundering the streets and alleys, they all stared blankly at the dark figure in the sky that resembled a god.

One sword cleaves through the netherworld!

What an astonishing power this is!

"The Supreme Deacon is invincible under heaven!"

The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect was the first to react, kneeling down in mid-air, his voice filled with trembling and fanaticism.

"The Supreme Deacon is invincible!"

"Long live the Divine Sword Sect!"

A deafening roar resounded throughout and around Qianjing City. At this moment, the old order of the Great Yuan Dynasty was completely shattered, and a new era with Chu Chang at its absolute core was ushered in.

Chu Chang landed gracefully and stood on the city tower of Qianqing Gate, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the chaos below.

Although the war was over, the chaos in the city had only just begun. With no one to restrain them, a large number of rogue cultivators began to loot and plunder the city, burning down many ordinary shops and causing cries of despair to rise and fall.

"Those who disrupt my rules shall be executed."

Chu Chang's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

He turned around and issued a series of ruthless orders to the sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect:

"First, the entire enforcement hall of the Divine Sword Sect will be mobilized, along with the surrendered rebel soldiers, to patrol the entire city in units of ten. Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to rape, plunder, or indiscriminately kill mortals will be executed on the spot, regardless of their status."

"Second, seal off the imperial palace, the national treasury, and the residences of princes and nobles. All property must be registered and recorded. Anyone who dares to hoard property will have their entire family executed."

"Third, issue an order to all leaders of forces and heads of noble families in Qianjing City to kneel before the Meridian Gate Square within half an hour. Those who fail to do so will have their entire families exterminated."

"yes!"

The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect straightened his expression and immediately accepted the order and left.

Soon, the somewhat out-of-control Qianjing City was quickly quieted down under the bloody suppression of the Divine Sword Sect's iron cavalry and the Heavenly Demon Puppet.

Dozens of rogue cultivators, including those at the Purple Mansion and Foundation Establishment levels, who attempted to rob the place amidst the chaos, had their heads crushed by Lin Wuwen and his puppets right there on the street, their bodies hung high on a flagpole at the crossroads. Faced with such ruthless methods, those with ulterior motives instantly abandoned their greed and became incredibly docile.

Half an hour later.

The Meridian Gate Square was filled with a dense crowd of kneeling people.

The heads of the remaining second-rate aristocratic families of the Great Yuan Dynasty, the leaders of major merchant guilds, and the surrendered civil and military officials all knelt tremblingly on the blood-stained white marble floor. They didn't even dare to look up at Chu Chang, who sat on the makeshift dragon throne above them.

Chu Chang looked down at the crowd below and slowly spoke: "For three thousand years, the Great Yuan Dynasty has oppressed its people and plundered their wealth. Today, the Great Yuan Dynasty is gone, and its laws are null and void."

"From this day forward, the Great Yuan shall be renamed the Divine Sword Territory. All citizens within this territory, whether mortals or independent cultivators, shall be protected by the Divine Sword Sect. The exorbitant taxes imposed on the people by the imperial family shall be waived for three years from this day forward. All surviving mortal children who were abducted shall be sent back to their places of origin and raised by the Divine Sword Sect at its own expense."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers from Qianjing outside the square erupted in thunderous cheers.

Many people wept with joy, knelt down, and kowtowed frantically in the direction of Chu Chang.

"Master Chu is merciful!"

"Long live the Divine Sword Sect!"

In this cultivation world where power resides in the individual, those in power rarely care about the lives of mortals. Chu Chang's series of actions instantly won him the hearts of millions of mortals and low-level rogue cultivators in the Great Yuan Dynasty.

Chu Chang's methods were much colder towards the heads of powerful families.

"As for you."

Chu Chang coldly looked at the heads of those aristocratic families: "Hand over 50% of your family's cultivation resources to fund the military. At the same time, send your family's elite disciples to join the Divine Sword Sect's Enforcement Hall to assist in pacifying the remaining rebels in various counties. Anyone who harbors disloyalty will be exterminated."

"We...will humbly obey the Immortal Master's decree!"

Although the heads of the powerful families were heartbroken, after witnessing Chu Chang's skill in slaying Tongyou with a single sword strike, who dared to utter a single word of dissent? They all kowtowed to express their loyalty.

Three days later.

After three days of ruthless reorganization, the smoke of battle in Qianjing City has gradually dissipated.

The bloodstains on the streets were cleaned up by magic, and the damaged houses began to be rebuilt with the help of the monks. The shops that had been closed for several days reopened, and although the mortals were still somewhat fearful, life had begun to return to normal. In fact, thanks to the abolition of the exorbitant taxes, the streets had a vitality that had never been there before.

The banners of the Divine Sword Sect have been planted throughout the imperial city.

Deep within the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

This place has been designated as an absolute forbidden area by the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect.

Chu Chang walked alone through the dilapidated palace and arrived at the entrance to the underground palace where Qian Bailie was in seclusion.

At the entrance to the underground palace, the heavy sealing array originally set up by the royal ancestor had been completely shattered. An extremely pure golden sword aura, carrying endless sharpness, was continuously gushing out from the depths of the earth.

The Broken Dust Ancient Sword resonated with an unprecedented intensity in Chu Chang's hands. The rust on the sword began to peel away piece by piece under the nourishment of this golden sword energy, revealing a blade as bright as autumn water.

"These ancient sword immortal ruins underground seem to have a very deep connection with my Broken Dust Sword..."

Chu Chang stared at the bottomless black hole, muttering to himself.

The Great Yuan imperial family has perished, but the master of this land has clearly attracted the attention of even stronger figures in the Tianqian Domain. The death of Duan Feiyun of Wanjian Mountain and Qian Bailie's failed tribulation will soon unleash a massive upheaval in the Tianqian Domain.

To survive the coming storm, he must acquire all the inheritance of this underground ruin in the shortest possible time.

"Sect Master," Chu Chang said without turning his head.

"Your subordinate is here!" The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect had been waiting behind them at some point and bowed respectfully.

"I will be going into seclusion to explore the underground ruins. During this time, you will be in charge of the Divine Sword Territory. If any powerful beings from other realms invade, activate the Chaos Yin-Yang Array and wait for me to emerge from seclusion."

"Yes! Your subordinate swears to protect the Divine Sword Territory with your life!"

Chu Chang nodded, his figure flickered, and he transformed into a gray stream of light, instantly disappearing into the depths of the earth where golden sword energy was gushing forth.