Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

"This sky belongs to the Great Yin royal family!"

Princess Qiyang's voice fell, but not a single word of response came from in front of the Xuanwang Mansion.

The crowd, who had been cheering and celebrating, fell silent.

In the restaurants along the street, the noble families, former officials of the royal court, and military generals all looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one expected that before the princess even stepped into the palace, she had already demanded the East Garden, the ceremonial guard, and the Grass and Tree Army.

Now that the people in the Prince's Mansion are not going to listen, they have directly invoked the Great Yin Imperial Family and the Heavenly Emperor.

This hardly looks like a marriage of convenience.

They clearly came to take over the Xuanwang Mansion!

Some former military personnel frowned.

Other leaders of prominent families, however, had a subtle glint in their eyes.

When the new Xuan King purged the seven prefectures, he killed many of their relatives and friends by marriage.

If they hadn't acted quickly enough to offer up their tribe's troops, granaries, and property, they would probably have already perished under the blades of the grass-and-wood armored soldiers.

Now, the Tianjing royal family has come knocking on our door... This is getting interesting.

They dared not defy Gu Changjin.

However, if the royal family can suppress this new Xuan King and stir up trouble in Beishuo again, they may be able to reclaim what they have lost.

In the brief silence, a cold snort suddenly came from the back of the wedding procession.

On a royal carriage engraved with azure dragon patterns, a middle-aged man dressed in a purple-gold python robe slowly rose.

This person was given the title of Prince Anling.

He was Emperor Yin's half-brother and Princess Qiyang's uncle.

His personal escort of the princess to Beishuo was not only to demonstrate the importance the imperial family placed on her, but also to suppress the Xuanwang Mansion on behalf of the royal family.

Even though Qi Yang had intervened earlier, he hadn't overshadowed the princess.

But seeing that everyone in the Xuanwang Mansion dared to remain silent, the Prince of Anling finally couldn't sit still any longer.

"How dare you!"

A shout, like thunder, echoed through the long street.

"You all receive the stipends of the Great Yin Dynasty and hold official positions in the imperial court. It is only through the protection of Heaven for generations that you have achieved your current power and influence!"

"Now that Her Highness the Princess has come in person, all she asks for is an eastern garden, a few sets of ceremonial regalia, and a few guards. How dare you make excuses and act against her?"

Prince Anling coldly swept his gaze over the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace and several commanders of his personal guards.

"What's wrong?"

"You won't even obey the princess's orders? Has your Xuanwang Mansion truly harbored rebellious intentions?"

As he finished speaking, his voice suddenly turned somber.

"Or is it that your Prince Xuan is already preparing to rebel?"

What a huge hat!

The expressions of everyone in front of the Prince's Mansion changed.

The Prince of Anling, however, remained aloof and waited for them to kneel down in fear and trembling to beg for forgiveness.

Which of the vassal kings, officials, and cultivators in this world doesn't live under the Great Yin Heaven?

The moment the words "treason" are uttered, it signifies Heaven's rejection, removal from the imperial register, and impending imperial punishment.

Let alone a few officials from the Prince's Palace, even if Gu Changjin himself were here, he should kneel down and explain first!

However, a soft laugh suddenly came from the end of the long street.

How did you know I was planning a rebellion?

The sound wasn't urgent, but thanks to the support of the Azure Sky Roots, it clearly resounded throughout the entire royal city.

The cold arrogance on Prince Anling's face froze instantly.

Princess Qiyang suddenly turned her head.

Pei Zhaoye instinctively gripped the Dao token at his waist, staring in astonishment into the distance.

No?

Is it possible to openly admit to a rebellion in front of the royal wedding procession and the entire city's population?

A dull rumble came from the end of the street.

A black armored chariot, covered in marks of swords and blades, slowly drove past the street corner.

On the chariot, Gu Changjin, clad in black royal armor, sat on the throne, the bloody scent of the Hanchuan battlefield still lingering between his robes and armor.

The terrestrial deity Aoki stood behind him, holding a sword.

Chen Xiao rode alongside, his gaze coldly fixed on the imperial procession ahead.

Behind the chariots stretched an endless line of Northern Shuo Xuanjia armor!

Blood-stained royal flags unfurled in the wind.

Thirty thousand soldiers marched across the long street, the sound of their armor rubbing together creating a continuous din, and the ground of the entire royal city trembled slightly.

No one knows why Gu Changjin was able to return so quickly.

Only he himself knew that after Hanchuan City fell into his control, the teleportation array connecting the various states had been incorporated into the Azure Emperor's Heavenly Register along with the array veins.

Thirty thousand Xuanjia soldiers and the three Grass and Wood Armies that accompanied him on the expedition crossed the state border and returned.

Meanwhile, the other four Grass and Wood Army units originally stationed in the four directions of Beishuo had already converged on the royal city in accordance with the king's order as soon as he sensed the princess's carriage entering the city.

At this moment, all seven armies arrived!

The grass-and-wood armored soldiers, who had previously shown no reaction to Princess Qiyang's orders, turned around and knelt on one knee the moment they saw the black armored chariots.

"Welcome, My Lord!"

The unified voices were like a slap in the face to Princess Qiyang and Pei Zhaoye.

Gu Changjin did not order a halt.

Seven thousand armored warriors made of grass and wood passed by the chariots from both sides and split into the surrounding streets and alleys, quickly surrounding the entire wedding procession.

Thirty thousand Northern Shuo Xuanjia soldiers then sealed off the outer long street, city gates, and the void.

The palace guards' expressions changed drastically, and they all raised their weapons to protect the royal carriage and the Prince of Anling in the center.

Before they could even form a battle formation, the seven thousand armored warriors simultaneously plunged their longswords into the ground!

boom!

Countless roots run through the earth's veins of the royal city.

Seven sword-wielding plant and tree warrior spirits, each over a thousand feet tall, slowly coalesced beneath the sea of ​​clouds!

Seven enormous, expressionless faces simultaneously looked down at the wedding procession.

Before the seven emerald-green giant swords could even strike, their terrifying sharpness had already caused the palace guards' formation to tremble and crumble.

Princess Qiyang's royal aura, which had originally resonated with the heavens, suddenly froze at this moment.

The feeling she had when she entered the city—a feeling of mountains and rivers bowing down and all things welcoming her—suddenly vanished completely.

The sky above remained a pale blue, but it seemed as if her calls could no longer be heard.

It seemed as if all Gu Changjin had to do was utter the word "kill".

Today, not a single member of this imperial procession will be able to leave the Northern Shuo Royal City alive!

On both sides of the street, the heads of those aristocratic families who had just been hoping that the royal family would suppress the new king turned pale instantly.

They finally remembered something.

This new Xuan King has never bowed his head to the royal family!

Prince Anling's lips twitched twice.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

He suddenly coughed, as if he hadn't heard Gu Changjin's earlier words, "to rebel."

"Your Highness Xuan has returned just in time."

"What I was saying just now was that your subordinates in the palace are really lacking in discipline. Her Highness the Princess is about to become the Princess Consort of Xuan. All I asked them to do was to tidy up the East Garden and send a few guards, but they dared to stand still and not move."

"Such a lack of respect for hierarchy deserves severe punishment from His Highness Prince Xuan!"

With just a few words, he wanted to lightly brush aside what had happened earlier.

Gu Changjin looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"What a big face."

"Why should my subordinates listen to you?"

He slowly rose from his throne.

The seven sword-wielding military spirits raised their heads, and the azure sky behind them covered the entire royal city, even forcing the aura of the heavens that originally belonged to the Dayin royal family to retreat step by step.

"In the lands of Beishuo and Hanchuan... I am the supreme ruler!"

Hanchuan?

Many people in the royal procession were taken aback.

Gu Changjin is clearly just the Northern Shuo Xuan King, so when did Han Chuan Prefecture become his territory?

Prince Anling seemed to realize something, and his face turned completely gloomy.

"Your Highness, the Xuan King!"

"Be careful what you say!"

"Today you led a large army to surround the princess's carriage, and you even claimed to be the ruler of two states. Do you truly intend to rebel?"

He pointed at Princess Qiyang, his voice growing increasingly stern.

"The old Xuan King, as the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Suppression of the Rebellion, caused the complete annihilation of 300,000 troops in Chensha Plain. His Majesty did not punish the Xuan King's lineage; instead, he granted you the right to inherit the title and betrothed you to his most beloved Princess Qiyang!"

"Such compassion, such favor—is this how you repay the heavenly family?"

"Have any sympathy for me?"

Gu Changjin interrupted him directly.

"The seal of the Grand Commander for Pacifying the Rebellion did not fall into my hands, nor did I lead the 300,000 troops to Chensha Plain."

"What do I have to do with the crimes committed by the old Xuan King Gu Cangyue?"

"As for the so-called arranged marriage..."

Gu Changjin's gaze passed over Prince Anling, first landing on Pei Zhaoye, and then on Princess Qiyang in the cloud carriage.

That undisguised disdain gradually turned Princess Qiyang's face ashen.

Gu Changjin smiled.

"This kind of scum dares to call itself a favorite of the emperor?"

"Does such a lowly servant girl deserve to be paired with my majestic and heroic figure?"