Chapter 1234: Public Execution

"Reporting to Hall Master He, I am Wu Rufeng, Vice Hall Master of the Master Hall in Qingyuan City."

Master Wu quickly stepped forward.

"I know you..." Hall Master He nodded.

Although the Qingyuan Empire was considered quite weak among the eight empires under the alliance, it was still an independent unit, and he knew something about the person in charge of a hall.

"It is like this: the matter of Vice Hall Master Tian Qing, Hall Master Gou, and many masters being killed has been fully clarified, and I have come specifically to report to you!"

Master Wu said.

"Oh, you've found out? Let's hear it!"

Hall Master He's expression turned serious.

A subordinate branch, with its hall master killed, was a major incident; he had been paying close attention, but the Master Song he had sent had yet to report back.

Ordinary communication jade tokens could only transmit messages within a million kilometers; for longer distances, one had to rely on large-scale communication arrays like this one.

After Master Song went to Qingyuan City, he had never activated the array, so Hall Master He was not clear on the specifics.

"It is like this... Vice Hall Master Tian Qing was a sovereign of the Qingtian lineage of the Alien Spirit Clan, reborn through a strand of divine will..."

Master Wu spoke the words he had prepared.

It was basically not much different from the truth, only omitting the matter about the ruthless person.

"An alien clan emperor, lurking in the continent for over two thousand years, planting over a hundred spies in the Master Hall, and no one discovered him?"

Hall Master He clearly found it hard to believe.

Once this matter got out, it would definitely cause more of a stir than killing ten Gou Hall Masters.

This was a dereliction of duty by the Master Hall!

"Yes... Fortunately, under Master Zhang's leadership, we succeeded in killing him!" Master Wu flipped his wrist, and two corpses fell to the ground: "This is his corpse!"

Hall Master He hurriedly looked over, and before long, his expression turned grave: "It is indeed the corpse of a Heterodox Human Emperor Clan member; otherwise, such a splitting secret technique could not have been used..."

As the hall master of the Imperial Alliance's Hall of Masters, he knew more details about the Heterodox Clan, aware that only those with imperial bloodline could perform this splitting secret technique.

Being able to execute it had already confirmed the other party's identity.

"Not only that, Master Zhang also killed all ten kings of the Qingtian lineage..." Master Wu continued.

"Killing an emperor and kings... alone, annihilating a branch of the Heterodox Clan... although it's only the lowest bloodline rank of the imperial clan, it's still terrifying!"

Hall Master He nodded, and the more he spoke, the more astonished he became. He couldn't help but say: "No wonder he managed to pass the hall trial; such talent and insight are indeed formidable, already comparable to some holy sons... I wonder... where is Master Zhang now?"

"Emperor Qingyuan, Chu Tianxing, pledged allegiance to the Qingtian Emperor and arrested his student. He is now rushing back to rescue the person..." Master Wu explained.

"What a pity..."

Unable to meet the other party, Hall Master He sighed slightly, then continued, "Alone, he annihilated a sovereign and ten kings of the Qingtian lineage of the Alien Spirit Clan, and foiled their plan to invade the human race, sparing countless masters from disaster... The merit is so great it's beyond compare! I now directly bestow upon him the position of specially invited elder of the Imperial Alliance Master Hall..."

"Yes!"

Master Wu and the others clenched their fists.

The specially invited elder of the Imperial Alliance sounded simple, but in reality it represented an extremely high status and dignity.

Under normal circumstances, only a true eight-star master was qualified to hold this position.

Master Zhang was actually specially invited; with this identity alone, not to mention themselves or even the acting hall master, even if the hall master of the Qianchong Empire Master Hall came, he would have to call himself a junior and dare not overstep in the slightest.

"I will have someone prepare the special invitation certificate as soon as possible. When you return to Qingyuan City and activate the communication wall, you should be able to receive it!"

Hall Master He smiled.

"Thank you, Hall Master He!"

Master Wu quickly bowed.

"No need to be polite. To be able to kill the Alien Spirit Clan and thwart their actions—such great merit; a specially invited elder is nothing! Wu Rufeng, this time you assisted Master Zhang in accomplishing this matter, and your merit is also boundless... From today onward, you are officially appointed as the hall master of the Qingyuan Empire Master Hall, and you will receive an opportunity to study at the Imperial Alliance!"

Hall Master He continued.

"Yes..."

His face flushed, Master Wu trembled with excitement.

Becoming hall master was nothing to him; the most important thing was the opportunity to study.

This kind of study would involve personal instruction from an eight-star master, greatly enhancing his cultivation and insight—something countless people could only hope for but never attain.

The reason Hall Master Gou had thought about retiring peacefully was that he hoped to obtain such an opportunity after retiring without incident.

Unfortunately, due to serious dereliction of duty, this one condition meant he had no chance.

"As for the war masters who cooperated with Master Zhang in venturing into dangerous places and contributing to the killing of Qingtian Sovereign, I will also report this matter to the War Master Hall branch of the Imperial Alliance and grant you rewards!"

After finishing with Master Wu, Hall Master He looked at Hall Master Xing and the others.

"Thank you..."

Hall Master Xing quickly bowed.

"Alright, send someone to deliver the corpse as soon as possible. A careful study of the Alien Spirit Clan sovereign's body will greatly help us in defeating the Alien Spirit Clan!"

Hall Master He waved his hand.

Alien Spirit Clan sovereigns rarely left the extraterrestrial battlefield, and each had numerous life-saving techniques. The difficulty of killing one was unimaginable. Even the headquarters had few sovereign corpses to study.

"Yes!"

Nodding, Master Wu arranged for an elder to deliver the corpse, then respectfully took his leave of Hall Master He.

"Now that we've reported, let's hurry back to Qingyuan City!"

Having reported the matters to the Master Hall above, Teacher Wu called out, and the group borrowed a sacred beast from Jibei City, swiftly flying toward Qingyuan City.

...

After flying continuously for six full days, Zhang Xuan finally saw the buildings of Qingyuan City appear on the horizon.

On the way back, he had received a message from Sun Qiang.

There were two messages in total.

First, they went to the imperial city to rescue Liu Yang, and after being rescued, the latter, in a fit of rage, killed Chu Tianxing!

Second, Liu Yang ran away from home and disappeared.

"According to the timeline, they killed Chu Tianxing late at night, just as the Cruel One's will was being worn away... Chu Tianxing had sacrificed his soul to the Cruel One; with the Cruel One dead, he naturally couldn't survive..."

Upon receiving the message, he already understood what had happened.

This emperor of the Qingyuan Empire had sacrificed his soul to the Cruel One, willingly becoming his puppet; once the latter died, he naturally couldn't live!

Thus, it was very likely that he wasn't killed by Liu Yang, but rather... his soul perished, leading to the death of his physical body.

If that were the case, it wasn't a big deal—at most, it was just a reckless rescue. Given his influence in the Hall, it shouldn't cause any major issues.

"But... why isn't Sun Qiang replying to my messages?"

His eyes narrowed, feeling anxious.

Although based on what the other had said, it wasn't a serious matter, after receiving the message, he had been sending messages continuously—seven or eight of them—and Sun Qiang hadn't replied... What had happened?

Also, where had Liu Yang gone? Had they found him after all these days?

Full of doubts, as soon as he arrived above Qingyuan City, he immediately controlled the flying sacred beast and flew straight toward the residence of the War Master Hall.

"Dean, you're back..."

As soon as he landed, Ruohuan Gongzi came to greet him.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing his anxious expression and agitated emotions, Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Something big has happened..."

Ruohuan Gongzi hurriedly said: "Liu Yang killed Emperor Chu Tianxing, and the entire Qingyuan Empire is in an uproar... A master teacher surnamed Song issued a verdict: at noon today, in the square outside the imperial palace, Sun Qiang the steward and many poison masters involved in the rebellion are to be publicly executed..."

"Execute Sun Qiang and the poison masters?"

His pupils contracted, and Zhang Xuan's face turned ashen.

The sun was high in the sky; it was almost noon!

In other words, Sun Qiang and the others could be beheaded at any moment!

"Yes, all the members of the Xuanxuan Society have gone there, planning to rescue them from the execution ground... I'm the only one left here, waiting for you to return..."

Ruohuan Gongzi said hastily.

"Rescue them from the execution ground?" Zhang Xuan's brows jumped.

These guys were really bold.

Although they were formidable in combat at the same level, their cultivation was too low—not even a Half-Saint among them. How could they rescue anyone?

They would probably be caught by the soldiers as soon as they approached, never to escape.

"To the square!"

Knowing that time was of the essence and that if these reckless fellows really stirred up trouble, things would become irreparable, Zhang Xuan grabbed Ruohuan Gongzi and flew straight toward the imperial palace.

As he flew, he asked questions.

"Who is this master teacher surnamed Song you mentioned? Why does he want to execute Sun Qiang?"

Almost all the master teachers in the Qingyuan Empire Master Hall were his students, sharing a half-teacher bond. Why would they investigate the true cause of the emperor's death and execute Sun Qiang?

"It is said that this Teacher Song is a quasi-eight-star master teacher from the Qianchong Empire, of very high status. As soon as he arrived, he took over the Qingyuan City Master Hall, and everyone follows his orders..."

Ruohuan Gongzi explained.

"Someone from the Qianchong Empire?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes. After Chu Tianxing's death, countless ministers, nobles, and even soldiers have been besieging the Master Hall, causing trouble for several days now. He must have been under pressure and made this judgment!"

Ruohuan Gongzi continued.

Zhang Xuan frowned.

That made sense. If an emperor of a nation was killed and no clear explanation was given, wouldn't everyone in the empire feel insecure?

"What about Liu Yang?"

He couldn't help asking.

"Liu Yang has been missing since that day. The Master Hall sent out all its master teachers but couldn't find him... We don't know where he went either! The reason Teacher Song wants to publicly execute Steward Sun and the others is simple: to use public opinion to force him to appear, capture the real culprit, and give the Qingyuan Empire an explanation!"

Ruohuan Gongzi continued.

"Mm."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The emperor had been killed, and so many guards had been poisoned...

If not handled properly, it would certainly lead to greater conflicts and stir up bigger waves.

"But no matter how it's handled, if they want to kill Sun Qiang and the others, they'll have to... step over my dead body!"

Raising his brows, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.