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

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

Gu Changjin's voice echoed throughout the long street.

Silence reigned before the Xuanwang Mansion.

Those aristocratic leaders who had originally hoped that the royal family would suppress the new king and plunge Beishuo into chaos again, now all lowered their heads and even held their breath.

Gu Changjin's actions were hardly a rejection of marriage.

This is clearly an open act of humiliation against the royal family, right in front of the imperial procession!

And then there was that line from earlier, "How did you know I was going to rebel?"...

This Xuan King is truly going to rebel!

The powerful families dared not speak up, but the old troops in the army had no such reservations.

An old general from Beishuo, who had lost his left arm, suddenly burst into laughter.

"What utter nonsense about imperial favor!"

"The bodies of 300,000 comrades from Chensha Plain are still warm, and we haven't even received a few cartloads of the imperial court's relief grain. Instead, they've sent over a princess and her lover, who immediately demand to seize control of my Northern Shuo military!"

"Is this what you call favor?"

"Pah!"

Several generals nearby could not suppress their anger and spoke up one after another.

"Your Highness secured your position as the Xuan King through your own efforts!"

"The seven prefectures of Beishuo were pacified by Your Highness and your men!"

"Hanchuan Prefecture was also conquered by His Highness himself! What has Tianjing given us besides a flimsy imperial decree?"

"Now that war has broken out in all thirteen provinces, and the Yellow Heaven Army dares to vie for supremacy, what do we, the men of Northern Shuo, have to fear!"

In the end, the one-armed old general drew his sword from his waist and slammed it heavily to the ground.

"If Your Highness wishes to rebel, then this humble general will rebel with you!"

"If Heaven cannot tolerate Your Highness, then we will defy Heaven itself!"

"That's outrageous!"

The surrounding Northern Shuo Xuanjia soldiers roared in unison.

This time, it wasn't just military generals who responded.

Along the roadside, many people who had originally come just to watch the imperial procession gradually changed their expressions.

Among the 300,000 people who died on Chensha Plain were their fathers and brothers, their sons, and countless families in Beishuo City who would never see their loved ones return.

The imperial court did not send much compensation.

The new Xuan King, however, suppressed the seven prefectures during the most chaotic time, opened the granaries to distribute grain, executed the powerful families who took advantage of the chaos, and even had the grass and wood armored soldiers defend the city beneath their feet.

For the first time, many people had a crystal-clear answer in their hearts as to who truly ruled over them.

"We are willing to follow King Xuan!"

I don't know who shouted it first.

Immediately afterwards, the same sound echoed throughout the entire street.

Those in charge of the aristocratic families, sandwiched in the crowd, grew paler and paler.

Only now did they truly understand that Gu Changjin had taken over more than just the cities and military power of the seven counties of Beishuo.

There is still humanity!

The sound waves merged into the army formation, causing the clouds above the royal city to surge, and even the seven sword-wielding military spirits roared in response.

The Prince of Anling's face darkened completely.

boom!

An aura of the Celestial Realm erupted from his body, causing his purple-gold python robe to flutter even without wind.

The palace guards and royal retainers seemed to have finally found their backbone, and they stood together to protect the imperial carriage.

"Your Highness, you should think this through!"

Prince Anling stared intently at Gu Changjin.

"You have humiliated the imperial family, condoned your subordinates' incitement of rebellion, and even surrounded the princess's carriage with a large army. Once news of this reaches Tianjing, there will be no turning back for you!"

"I'll ask you one last time, what exactly are you...?"

Gu Changjin did not answer.

He simply raised his hand casually.

Aoki, who was standing behind the chariot, vanished instantly.

Clang!

A sword's cry echoed through the long street.

Anling King's pupils contracted sharply, and in a haste, he took out a Azure Dragon King Seal.

The royal seal swelled in the wind, casting a thick layer of azure light that barely blocked the ancient green wooden sword that was slashing down.

Click!

With a single sword strike, the azure light was covered in cracks!

Without further hesitation, the King of Anling pulled out a golden decree that had been prepared beforehand and threw it into the sky along with the Azure Dragon King's Seal.

"The essence of the National Preceptor's teachings is here!"

"Gu Changjin, you're finished!"

The golden imperial edict soared upwards and disappeared into the sky in an instant.

A detached yet authoritative voice followed from the imperial decree.

"King Xuan, Gu Changjin, has committed treason and rebellion."

"Immediately strip him of his royal title and celestial status, sever the destiny of the Northern Northern Region, and condemn him to the abdication of Heaven!"

It was the voice of the Imperial Preceptor, Sikong Xuan!

Clearly, before the Prince of Anling left the capital, Sikong Xuan had already incorporated this decree for suppressing the vassal states into the royal seal.

As long as Gu Changjin commits any act of disloyalty, the Prince of Anling can use the royal bloodline to send him to the heavens, first deposing him from his position, and then suppressing his body!

Several Northern Shu generals' expressions changed drastically. They tried to intercept the imperial edict, but it was too late.

A flash of golden light, and it completely merged into the sky.

The fear on Prince Anling's face vanished instantly, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Gu Changjin, do you really think that occupying two states means you can contend with the imperial family?"

"Once Heaven strips you of your royal title and celestial status, and severs the fortunes of the two states, your cultivation and military might will be..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Everyone is waiting.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths...

Several breaths passed, but not only did the heavens not rage, not even a single thunderclap sounded.

The sky is still the same sky.

The seven sword-wielding military spirits still looked down upon the royal carriage.

Gu Changjin stood perfectly fine on the Xuanjia chariot, his cultivation not only not suppressed, but even the hem of his clothes did not move.

The smile on Prince Anling's face gradually froze.

"How...how is this possible?"

The royal attendants and palace guards behind him were all frozen in place.

Their greatest confidence in coming all the way from Tianjing to Beishuo was never the Celestial King's cultivation level, nor the thousands of palace guards.

It is the heavens.

It is the heaven that, as long as the imperial decree is issued, all the vassals under heaven must bow their heads, and the fortune of the land will suppress all disobedience on behalf of the imperial family!

But now, the imperial edict for suppressing the vassal states, personally crafted by the Grand Preceptor, has already been sent up.

But the heavens didn't even glance at them.

The royal officials who had been hesitating about whether to intervene and protect the emperor silently took a step back.

Even the palace guards, who had been raising their weapons high, lowered them without realizing it.

They suddenly realized that in this royal city, the royal family was no longer the one that could decide everything.

Others couldn't see it, but Gu Changjin could see it clearly.

The moment the decree disappeared into the sky, it was entangled by countless green roots hidden beneath the heavens and silently dragged into the depths of the blue sky of the two states.

Moreover, in order to conserve the Heavenly Fortune, Emperor Yin did not re-condense the Xuanwang Heavenly Talisman for him at all.

There was only a title of nobility, but no imperial decree to anchor it.

This decree is meant to be abolished, but what can it actually abolish?

Don't you like to save money?

Now, saving money has actually brought benefits.

The Prince of Anling was still not giving up, and the Azure Dragon King Seal in his hand trembled repeatedly.

"Prince Xuan, if you surrender now and return to the capital with me to plead guilty, I may still speak to His Majesty on your behalf..."

puff!

The ancient green sword pierced through the last layer of azure light, flashing past the neck of the King of Anling.

His voice abruptly stopped.

A fine head shot into the sky, crashed onto the main street of the royal city, rolled for more than ten feet, and finally came to a stop in front of Princess Qiyang's cloud carriage.

On the long street of the Northern Shuo Royal City, the head of a prince of the Dayin clan rolled past for the first time.

Princess Qiyang stared blankly at the face that still showed traces of astonishment, completely dumbfounded.

The Imperial Uncle is dead?

Did Heaven not punish us?

This was completely different from everything she had imagined when she came!

Gu Changjin glanced at her indifferently.

"Aoki."

"Slap him in the face."

"I find it too dirty to do it myself."

"Yes, my lord."

Aoki stepped forward to the cloud carriage.

Princess Qiyang finally came to her senses and screamed, "How dare you! I am the Duke of Da Yin..."

Snapped!

The first slap silenced her, cutting off any further words she might have said.

Snapped!

The second slap disheveled her hair.

Snapped!

The third slap landed, and several bloody teeth flew out of her mouth.

One crisp slap after another echoed through the long street of the Xuanwang Mansion, where you could hear a pin drop.

By the time the eighteenth sound fell, Qi Yang's once bright and delicate face was swollen high, and she could no longer be seen as a noble lady from an imperial family.

Pei Zhaoye's face turned pale, and he silently retreated.

A cloud-script escape talisman suddenly lit up in his sleeve, and he transformed into a beam of white light, about to escape from the royal city.

But as soon as the white light rose, the seven military spirits simultaneously lowered their gazes.

An ancient green wooden sword followed closely behind.

A flash of sword light.

Pei Zhaoye's fleeing figure was severed on the spot, and his head flew high into the air, his blood splashing all over Qi Yang's face.

Aoki casually grabbed the head's hair bun, turned around, and stuffed it into Princess Qiyang's arms.

Qi Yang instinctively hugged him, and when she looked down, she met Pei Zhaoye's still-closed eyes.

Aoki remained expressionless and spoke calmly.

"A bitch and a dog, a perfect match!!!"