Chapter 948: Cleaning Up (I)

Outside the palace.

Li Hao walked through the palace doors, followed by Chen Zhongtian, Chen Yao, Kong Jie, Tyrant Blade, Northern Fist, Thunderleg, Light Sword, Yu Luocha, Panther, Jadelight Sword, and Yuan Shuo.

Yao Si and Hou Xiaochen swiftly arrived as well. They gave up overseeing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, leaving it to a group of Night Watchers. Earthturner Sword and his group also quickly convened.

Li Hao smiled at the palace in the distance and proclaimed slowly, “Kill all those of the royal family—the Skystar King, princes, dukes, and royal children—that are supernaturals!”

His people started at the command. The young man hadn’t been so vicious even toward the nine ministries.

“Did you not hear me? Kill them!” Li Hao repeated without hesitation. The nine ministries had at least done some good in their time, the royal family hadn’t done a whit of it in theirs. All they had in their minds was how to subvert the world. How would he overthrow Skystar in turn if they weren’t dead?

Glances were exchanged in the group before they growled, “Understood, sir!”

Figures darted into the palace and sounds of conflict rang out from all corners! It was in this moment that everyone knew there would be a new master in Skystar once the royal family was eradicated!

One thousand Demon Hunters also marched into the palace; they were met by squads of Black Armaturas. Even further in the distance, a middle-aged man with a crown on his head soared into the air. He looked at Li Hao with a frosty look in his eyes.

These might be the final moments of the Skystar that belonged to the Jiangs.

Li Hao took to the air as well and flew towards the man. The Skystar King coldly watched his approach. He summoned a golden broadsword as opposed to saying anything and sneered at the young man.

“History is written by the victors. Who knows who will win the ultimate prize today? Kill!” The world shook at the king’s bellow. He’d managed to cross into seven elements as well! The void crackled wherever he went.

Clashes reverberated on every side as Silver Moon martial masters erupted with their full strength, instantly slaughtering any royal powerhouse they came across.

The Skystar King said nothing and did nothing. They stood a chance only if they killed Li Hao.

This time, the young man didn’t give any preferential treatment or show any courtesies to this king. This one... was less than his father!

A sharp sword manifested in the air—Stellaris. A variety of auras gathered as a surge of tremendous strength. Sword intent erupted and ripped through the void. Stellaris was unfathomably strong. It wasn’t that impressive against Saints, but against this one...

The sword descended!

Boom!

The firmament tore open as the longsword in the Skystar King’s hand fell apart as dust. A bloody mark trailed down his face; he stared at Li Hao with some incredulity. This highly ambitious sovereign never expected his downfall to be thus.

“You’re the most annoying one yet out of the entire Skystar royal family!” Li Hao snorted. The royal family had given the order to kill the governor general of the three northern provinces. The resulting disorder caused by his absence continued to today. Countless casualties continued to pile up, instilling in Li Hao a deep hatred of the man!

A brief hush stole over the battlefield before fighting resumed.

“The Skystar King is dead, kill!” Shouts rang through rafters as the copy of the Mirror of Wind and Cloud isolated the premises. Only screams, wails, cries, and curses made it to the clouds.

The royal family that had overseen the world for two hundred years met with an extinction-level event today. No one had fathomed that the world would change in this manner less than three months after Li Hao arrived at Skystar City!

......

Panic started gripping the rest of the royal family members when the king died. The slaughter continued. Li Hao hovered over the palace, watching as various heavyweights were cut down. In the distance, some of the princes roared with outrage. Large numbers of Black Armaturas charged through their foes inside the building structures.

“Kill Li Hao!” roared a prince. Utilizing his supernatural abilities, he picked up a palace hall and threw it at the young man.

Li Hao brandished his sword, mountains trembled in its wake. He summoned a mountain to block the attack, splitting the hall open. Rays of sword qi further cut down the prince in the distance.

“Li Hao, the royal family has treated you handsomely and made you the Skystar governor general and Skystar Duke! We helped you establish the Skystar Commander Office! Is this how you repay us??” It was the seventh princess. The mysterious woman who held sway over the Nine Dragons Pavilion could no longer keep her composure.

Her heart wept with sorrow as she shouted with anger!

Li Hao had been a country bumpkin the first time he visited the Nine Dragons Pavilion! Who would’ve thought that he would lead troops to the palace a few months later and execute the Skystar King?

The Jiangs did not fall to the nine ministries, but were defeated by Li Hao instead.

“Treated me handsomely?” the young man asked coolly in return. “It was simply an arrangement of mutual benefit, what gratitude is there to speak of? If we must really get into the details, the White Shark Raiders of the North Sea are backed by the Jiangs. You are patrons of various factions among the four seas.

“Not only that, but you secretly support many of the rebels agitating through the dynasty. The biggest group of them in the three northern provinces is called the Heaven Reclamation Army. Their name is a nod to restoring a dethroned monarch. Your family should be supporting them from the shadows.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“The Jiangs have done right and wrong over these two hundred wrongs, but your wrongs greatly outnumber your rights. You are far more villainous than the nine ministries! The ministries had their moments of clarity, but the Jiangs were muddle-headed and incompetent apart from when you conquered the world. You tell me, seventh princess, can the Jiangs be spared?”

“It’s just a matter of the victors being proclaimed king, Li Hao!” shrilled the seventh princess. Her form was bathed in blood. “Any royal family is always marked by heartlessness! The world may be in disorder now, but it was in even more of a disarray before the Jiangs took power!

“The ninety-nine provinces clashed against each other in endless friction and countless people died every year. After my family conquered the world, peace reigned for at least two hundred years. Why do you not speak of such feats?!

“Compared to an era of pandemonium, the people could at least eke out a survival after Skystar Dynasty was formed!”

The seventh princess refused to accept such denouncement! The world had wavered uneasily two hundred years ago. Battles raged across the land as feudal lords vied bitterly for supremacy. The situation was much more chaotic then.

The Jiangs had at least stopped that age of endless wars. Why did Li Hao not speak of that?

“And that is why the Jiangs enjoyed two hundred years of being treated as royalty.” Li Hao remained calm. “Effort is rewarded by gain. The first Skystar King did indeed establish a grandiose and noble enterprise. He brought into being a dynasty that unified the central plains. This great accomplishment shall never be overlooked.

“Yet, you Jiangs also lived in the lap of luxury for two hundred years ,did you not? And now, the unrest in the world is because of your family!”

“If it wasn’t for the nine ministries suppressing my grandfather, if it wasn’t for the three great organizations agitating in the four corners, if it wasn’t for your Silver Moon martial world stirring up trouble, this world would still be a peaceful world!” the seventh princess angrily retorted. “You won’t necessarily be any better than my family, Li Hao! You’re just being used to cover up scandal! Even though my family has fallen, what goes around comes around. You will not escape the reckoning of ending a dynasty!”

Li Hao did not respond to those accusations. Who knew if what she said would really come to pass? The Jiangs were unwilling to accept this outcome and felt that this was a process that every dynasty underwent. He didn’t want to engage with that line of thinking, nor did he know where to begin.

Such was history.

Although the mistakes of the past were recorded in every book, generations of emperors and kings continued to repeat them. It was quite a marvelous phenomenon. Apart from the first emperor of a dynasty, any sovereign should have read a few books of history. How could they not see what was written about the end of the prior dynasty?

And yet, what was meant to be would come to be. After all, they would one day become part of history and be one of those recorded in the books.

As Li Hao grew lost in thought, Yu Luocha slammed her palm down and hit her target so badly that they vomited blood. “Have you run your mouth enough yet?”

The seventh princess blathered too much!

Unable to stop coughing up blood, a vicious look appeared on the seventh princess' face. “Bitch! None of you will end up any better than my family. Just wait and see!”

Her longsword stabbed the air, sending killing intent soaring to the sky.

Yu Luocha readied a response, but Liu Long suddenly appeared and struck with his ax, breaking the sword. Up until now, he’d led the Demon Hunters that’d stayed close by Li Hao as the young man’s personal guard.

The seventh princess took a few steps back, her expression shifting.

Standing with his back to Yu Luocha, Liu Long regarded the princess coolly. “I’ll kill her!”

Yu Luocha was rather surprised by the action. Liu Long typically kept a low profile and didn’t compete for rewards or honor. Why was he fighting her for merit today? The seventh princess was quite strong; he was much weaker than her.

Liu Long didn’t say anything. He simply struck with his ax and kept up a fierce offensive. The Nine Forged Force erupted with towering waves. His killing intent was shocking! Several dozen Demon Hunters assembled into a formation on the ground below to supply a steady stream of blood qi.

The seventh princess was a ruthless character. Though her longsword was broken, a searing radiance shone from her delicate hands and she slammed a palm strike at Liu Long. This was the captain of Li Hao’s personal guard. If she could kill him... it would bring a certain kind of pain to the young man.

The two sides clashed repeatedly, exchanging a dozen blows in the blink of an eye!

Liu Long roared and summoned the waves, hacking with his ax. His sternum was the first to break as even his armor slightly caved in from the impact. However, he was able to chop off his opponent’s arm.

The seventh princess grunted with pain as an unforgiving light dawned in her eyes. “To think that a nobody like you can also kill me...”

Liu Long panted heavily and struck again without responding; his blow was even more valiant than his last. He forced his opponent back until the seventh princess crashed to the ground with a loud impact. She coughed up blood before Liu Long smashed her into the crowd.

“Hurry up and kill me,” she vomited blood. “How dare you humiliate me??”

Even Li Hao was surprised in the distance. Liu Long was a quiet character who kept to himself. Why was he attacking the seventh princess today? That had been Yu Luocha’s target.

“Kill her!” Liu Long growled. An armored warrior walked out of the Demon Hunters, summoning a water dragon that took the shape of a sharp sword. It ran through the seventh princess’ heart, drawing a look of surprise from the woman.

Why...?