Chapter 350: Patricide and Clan Extermination
The Queen's gaze was cold and deep, tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "Your Majesty, Gui'er has now grown up. It's time for you to abdicate and yield the throne!"
The strength in her hands increased further, each finger like an iron claw digging into the scalp of the Yunwu Commandery King.
"Roar!"
The Yunwu Commandery King let out a furious roar, mobilizing all his true qi. White strands of true qi emerged from the centers of his palms, converging into a small vortex. With a sudden strike, he slammed his hands into the Queen's chest.
"Boom!"
The Queen's chest seemed to cave in. Spitting blood, she flew backward, her body crashing into a golden pillar before falling to the center of the hall.
Although the Queen was also a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist, she was only at the initial stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, far inferior to the Yunwu Commandery King. Even if he was already poisoned and injured, she was no match for him.
Zhang Tiangui let out a cold snort. Reaching to his waist, he drew a pitch-black short sword and charged forward in a burst. Leaping into the air, he thrust the sword straight at the Yunwu Commandery King's heart.
Seated on his throne, the Yunwu Commandery King immediately circulated his qi, activating his protective Heavenly Gang barrier. A white true qi light shield formed, blocking Zhang Tiangui's thrusting short sword.
"Boom!"
The black short sword struck the light shield, pressing it inward and sending ripples spreading outward in all directions.
As he continuously channeled his true qi, blood gushed from the wound on the Yunwu Commandery King's head, streaming down from his hairline. His face was covered in blood, making him look quite ferocious. He let out a fierce roar. "Why? I ask myself, have I treated you mother and son poorly? Why do this? Why... why... cough, cough..."
The poison within the Yunwu Commandery King's body took effect. A sharp pain struck his chest as his five viscera and six bowels began to corrode. His face turned deathly pale, and beads of sweat emerged on his forehead.
His true qi became chaotic, and the power of his protective Heavenly Gang barrier gradually weakened.
Zhang Tiangui snorted coldly and laughed. "Why? Isn't it simple? Because I want to be the king of Yunwu Commandery. As long as you live, you're a stumbling block in my way. With the Young Master's support, I will unite the entire Heavenly Demon Ridge under Yunwu Commandery and turn it into a top-tier commandery. Only I can achieve this—you cannot."
Although the Yunwu Commandery King didn't know who the Young Master Zhang Tiangui referred to was, Zhang Tiangui's words made him tremble with grief and anger. A look of desolation filled his eyes. "I would have passed the throne of Yunwu Commandery to you sooner or later. Why... why must you commit patricide?"
Zhang Tiangui laughed loudly, his tone mocking. "Patricide? Hah! Do you really think I'm your son? How could there be a man as foolish as you in this world?"
"What did you say?"
The Yunwu Commandery King's eyes bulged, bloodshot veins spreading across them. It was as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Let me tell you the truth, my King."
From outside the hall, a middle-aged man walked in, appearing to be around forty years old. He wore a purple official robe and had a goatee on his chin. He was the National Master of Yunwu Commandery, Xue Jingtian.
"National Master, without my permission, how dare you enter the palace?" the Yunwu Commandery King roared angrily.
Xue Jingtian smiled. "Your Majesty, you've been in seclusion for years. How would you know that this forbidden palace is a place I can come and go as I please, without needing any permission or denial? To tell you the truth, Gui'er is actually the son of Jingxuan and me."
Hearing this, the veins on the Yunwu Commandery King's face bulged completely. He roared, "No... impossible... you are her elder brother... how could it be... impossible... that is incest... you..."
Xue Jingtian paid no attention to the Yunwu Commandery King. He helped the injured Queen to her feet and tenderly wiped the bloodstains from the corner of her lips, speaking softly, "Jingxuan, once the Yunwu Commandery King is dead, we can be together openly, without having to avoid him or fear him. Are you happy?"
The Queen nodded gently, leaning into Xue Jingtian's embrace.
Only then did the Yunwu Commandery King finally understand why the Queen had tried to kill him. Because the person she had loved all along was never him.
The Yunwu Commandery King had always trusted Xue Jingtian completely, as he was the Queen's elder brother. But he never dreamed that they would commit such an abominable act of incest, hiding it from him for a full twenty years.
Twenty whole years.
Pitiful, hateful, lamentable, regrettable.
"I only regret that I failed to see through you back then..." the Yunwu Commandery King stared at the Queen, heartbroken.
The Queen stared back at the Yunwu Commandery King, speaking with righteous indignation. "For the prosperity of my family, I had no choice but to marry you. To be honest, I am grateful to you over the years. If not for the resources of Yunwu Commandery, my brother and I would never have reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Gui'er would never have received such strong cultivation from a young age, even becoming an inner disciple of the Cloud Platform Sect Residence. Out of gratitude, I will grant you a whole corpse."
"Bitch!"
The Yunwu Commandery King was furious beyond measure. His true qi surged violently, sending Zhang Tiangui flying backward.
That powerful force also knocked the Queen and Xue Jingtian stumbling backward, all the way out of the hall.
"Impressive! Even poisoned by the Blood Shadow's venom, he's still this strong."
Zhang Tiangui flew back, crashing through the hall's wall and landing outside.
The Yunwu Commandery King chased after him. When he stepped outside the hall, he was stunned. Only then did he realize that blood had already flowed like a river outside, with sounds of slaughter everywhere, along with fleeing eunuchs and maids.
"Chengzhong."
On a distant palace wall hung a corpse—that of Wan Chengzhong, the number one figure in the Yunwu Commandery army. A heavy sword had pierced through his chest, nailing him to the wall. Blood dripped drop by drop to the ground.
A steel-blooded man of the military had died like this.
Wan Chengzhong had always followed the Yunwu Commandery King. He was the King's best brother and the soul of the Yunwu Commandery army.
Wan Chengzhong's death was another heavy blow to the Yunwu Commandery King.
"Boom!"
A corpse of an old man fell from above, landing right in front of the Yunwu Commandery King. Blood splattered everywhere, some even splashing onto his face.
"Ninth Great-Uncle!"
The Yunwu Commandery King rushed to the old man's corpse, trying to lift him, but found that the old man had already stopped breathing. His body was limp and couldn't be raised.
The old man's bones were all broken, turned to powder. His body was covered in blood, with not a single intact piece of flesh.
This Ninth Great-Uncle was the number one expert of the royal clan, having reached the mid-level Heavenly Extreme Realm in martial arts. Yet he had still died tragically, shattering the Yunwu Commandery King's last hope.
The Four Directions Commandery King, Jinchuan, and a group of experts from the Four Directions Commandery all stepped forward, surrounding the Yunwu Commandery King.
Wan Chengzhong and the Ninth Great-Uncle had died at their hands. Without their help, the palace's defensive system wouldn't have been breached so quickly.
"Yunwu Commandery King, you've reached a dead end!"
The Four Directions Commandery King looked pityingly at the Yunwu Commandery King standing in the center, feeling an indescribable satisfaction. He had lost his own commandery throne because of the Yunwu Commandery King's son.
Now, the Yunwu Commandery King was losing his throne because of his own son, and even his life.
Wasn't this a satisfying turn of events?
The Yunwu Commandery King's gaze swept over the figures opposite him—Xue Jingtian, the Queen, Zhang Tiangui, the Four Directions Commandery King... Finally, knowing he couldn't escape death today, he let out a loud laugh instead. "You... all of you are good... very good... Someone will settle the blood debt of tonight with you one by one. Even if I die, you won't live long."
Zhang Tiangui curled the corner of his mouth and sneered. "You're not still hoping that Zhang Ruochen will come back to avenge you, are you? Let me tell you the truth—Zhang Ruochen will never return!"
"Why? What have you done to him?" the Yunwu Commandery King roared.
"The Young Master of the Black Market First Class Hall has personally taken action. How could Zhang Ruochen have any chance of survival? Yunwu Commandery King, don't despair. After you die, I'll send your remaining six sons down to see you. Hahaha!" the Four Directions Commandery King laughed.
"Pfft!"
The Yunwu Commandery King spat out a mouthful of blood. His body tilted backward and fell heavily to the ground.
In a single night, he had suffered too many blows. His two most outstanding sons—one was not his own, and the other had been murdered.
The Yunwu Commandery King finally collapsed. The poison had completely spread, flowing into his heart. He stared blankly at the sky, muttering repeatedly, "Chen'er... Chen... er..."
"Boom!"
Zhang Tiangui charged forward and struck the Yunwu Commandery King's head with a palm, shattering his skull.
The Yunwu Commandery King was completely dead.
"Even in death, you're still thinking about Zhang Ruochen. Too bad Zhang Ruochen probably went to hell before you. Yunwu Commandery King, what a pitiful life you've led."
Zhang Tiangui looked coldly at the corpse on the ground, wiping the blood from his hands with his sleeve. He turned around and asked the Black Market martial artists, "Have you captured Zhang Ruochen's biological mother, Consort Lin?"
Seeing Zhang Tiangui kill his own father with his own hands, the Black Market martial artists felt a strong sense of fear. One of them stepped forward cautiously and reported nervously, "Reporting... reporting... Your Highness, Consort Lin has escaped!"
"What?"
A cold light flashed in Zhang Tiangui's eyes. He walked up to that Black Market martial artist, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up. "Consort Lin is just an ordinary person. You couldn't even kill an ordinary person?"
That Black Market martial artist said in terror, "Your Highness, it was an assassin from the Underworld Gate. That assassin took Consort Lin away, and we couldn't stop him. His swordsmanship was extremely superb, killing forty-three of our experts in a row and charging straight out of the palace gate. No one could block him. Even Commander Guo Shisan died under his sword..."
"Crack!"
Zhang Tiangui didn't want to hear any more. He directly crushed that Black Market martial artist's throat, threw him to the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Send people immediately to pursue Consort Lin. Spare no expense—that woman must die. The rest of you, follow me to the Lin Mansion. Tonight, first destroy the royal clan, then slaughter the Lin family. Those who follow me shall prosper; those who oppose me shall perish."