Become a king right from the start, beginning with receiving rewards from all the heavens.

Ninety-eight officials of various ranks were thus escorted back to the state capital by the Heavenly Punishment Division.

This scene silenced all forces and made the Sima family feel as if the sky had fallen.

When they heard Six Fingers' words, everyone pricked up their ears and quieted down, afraid of missing the next answer.

"I have been informed that the Deputy Director is here because their clansmen resisted the Heavenly Punishment Division's pursuit, and some even attacked my Heavenly Punishment Division's guards."

"Therefore, in accordance with the imperial laws and the authority of the Heavenly Punishment Bureau, those people were killed on the spot!"

At this moment, the people of the city seemed to suddenly smell a strong stench of blood rising into the sky.

Those are ninety-eight families. Although they are not particularly large families, they are all considered prominent families in the local area.

"Devil... executioner!!"

"Your Heavenly Punishment Division are demons in human skin, indiscriminately slaughtering the innocent with impunity!"

An elder of the Sima family couldn't help but roar angrily, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Even their ancestors were pale-faced and looked incredulous.

puff! !

Suddenly, one of the clan elders vomited a mouthful of blood, unable to bear it any longer.

He clutched his chest and staggered backward before falling!

"Half of the Sima family's millennia-old foundation has collapsed..."

The patriarch muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused, staring blankly at the Heavenly Punishment Division.

The powerful figures in the city looked at the members of the Heavenly Punishment Division with deep apprehension and fear!

"These people are the core of the Sima family's control over Lingwu Prefecture. Don't underestimate them just because they don't wield much power; their positions are extremely crucial!"

...

"Yes, although the Sima family still has quite a few officials in Lingwu Prefecture, the rest are basically marginalized."

"Their political careers are basically over..."

At this moment, people finally realized that in the face of a violent institution like the imperial court, the so-called heritage of aristocratic families seemed so pale!

Six Fingers looked at the Celestial Realm expert he had suppressed, then glanced in the direction of the Sima family.

He knew in his heart that the Sima family had been caught off guard tonight because the attack was too sudden.

The forces and allies behind them didn't have time to react, and may still be unaware of what happened in the state capital.

However, we can't stay here any longer. We have to return to the capital city tonight, otherwise it will be troublesome if the Heavenly Sword Sect comes to the prefecture city.

After all, the other party is a force in the cultivation world, and has a Dragon Transformation Realm expert in charge, so they won't be shackled like the Sima family.

So he waved his hand and gave the order.

"Everyone, listen up! Take these people back to headquarters immediately!"

The group immediately took the prisoner and flew towards the teleportation array.

At this moment, perhaps out of fear, or for other reasons, no one from the Sima family dared to stop Six Fingers from leaving.

They watched helplessly as their Celestial Realm was picked up and carried away by someone else.

...

In the Prince Ren's residence, Xia Zhaoyan did not cultivate tonight, but waited for news from the south.

He knew that his actions this time were somewhat risky, and strictly speaking, they broke the rules of officialdom!

But as I said before, we will never engage in a war of words with them if we can resort to physical force!

At this moment, a flash of light appeared in Shi Feixuan's hand, and then she spoke softly.

"Your Highness, Six Fingers and the others have returned!"

"Alright! Have them prepare overnight."

"During tomorrow's court assembly, take these people to the Meridian Gate and behead them!" Xia Zhaoyan gave the order directly!

...

That night, Lingwu City was destined to be anything but peaceful, even though everyone from the Heavenly Punishment Division had left.

The various factions here were still communicating and discussing in the air, with each powerful figure secretly exchanging ideas.

Some people have even secretly made preparations to seize the benefits left behind by the Sima family at any time.

Anyone with eyes can see that the Sima family brought this upon themselves!

"Hmph, knowing full well that they lack the power and status, they still insist on challenging King Ren. Do they think they can dominate the Great Xia just because they have the Heavenly Sword Sect behind them?"

There are many powerful people here who dislike the Sima family, but in the past, no one dared to stand up and resist because of the Sima family's strength.

"Exactly, but even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and besides, the core of the Sima family hasn't been damaged. We'll see how they retaliate next!"

When the Heavenly Sword Sect on Lingwu Mountain learned of the news, it was almost dawn.

"Emperor Taizu, the Sima family's official power in Lingwu Prefecture is basically crippled!"

Should we continue to support the Sima family?

The Sima family has lost its official reach, and now only the one in the imperial court remains, but he is too far away to exert influence and has no real power.

But can the Sima family, whose official connections have been severed, still bring benefits to the Heavenly Sword Sect, and can they still allow members of the sect to enter officialdom?

"Of course we should support it!" The founding emperor opened his eyes, and a sword beam shot out from his pupils, emitting a hissing sound.

"This time, the Heavenly Punishment Division only clipped the wings of the Sima family; next time, they might really take action against them."

...

Before dawn, all the court officials had gathered in the square in front of the Chaotian Hall.

At this moment, everyone was still processing the intelligence they had just received.

Many people secretly observed Renwang with complicated expressions. No one expected that he would be so decisive and ruthless!

Overnight, an official force run by a powerful family was wiped out.

One of the figures had a burning rage in his eyes, as if he wanted to tear Xia Zhaoyan to pieces.

Xia Zhaoyan looked over, his eyes completely indifferent.

Although the Sima family members held high positions in the court, they had little real power and were simply figures who could be easily removed at any time!

"All officials, please come forward for an audience!"

...

As Emperor Xia spoke, announcing the official start of the court session, everyone couldn't help but look at the Sima family members.

Sure enough, the man immediately got up and went to the center.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to report!"

Emperor Xia also knew about what happened last night, and even now, his heart is still filled with complex emotions.

In short, he was happy for King Ren, but also worried that his son's murderous intent might cause problems during his tribulation.

"I would like to ask the Prime Minister, why have you suppressed the memorial jointly submitted by local officials?"

To everyone's surprise, this guy didn't make trouble for what happened last night, but instead directly brought up the memorial jointly submitted by all the officials.

"What memorial?" Emperor Xia asked indifferently, as if he truly knew nothing about it.

"Your Majesty, it is a petition jointly submitted by the officials of Lingwu Prefecture, seeking to overturn the injustices and exonerate countless members of the Zhang and Lu families!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia immediately looked at Meng Zhou and asked, "Prime Minister, is this true?"

Meng Zhou calmly approached the central government building. "Your Majesty, this is indeed true!"

"However, I believe they are deliberately distorting the facts, and the reason they are doing this is because someone is deliberately instructing them to do so."

"The purpose is to smear Nioh and Tenpoji!"

Meng Zhou's words caused many people to frown.

Because they discovered something: with the Prime Minister on his side, Prince Ren was even more difficult to deal with than before!

Before anyone could react, Meng Zhou continued.

"As everyone knows, the Zhang family has disregarded the laws and authority of the imperial court, daring to attack the head of the Heavenly Punishment Department. Their crime is tantamount to treason!"

"And the Lu family, knowing full well that the other party was a serious criminal, brazenly harbored him. Shouldn't they be wiped out as a warning to others?"