Chapter 142: Spare the Blade

Although the soldiers could not see Ye Xin’s face, they could feel the terror. That gigantic black shooting star rolled, roared, and spun ceaselessly, as if it intended to shatter every obstacle in its path.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!" The soldiers instantly snapped to high alert. Row after row of giant element-destroying crossbows adjusted their aim, locking onto the incoming Ye Xin.

Immediately afterward, a thunderous shockwave erupted from the city wall. Giant arrows, each over a zhang in length, surged from the battlements in a dense volley, raining down upon the figures below.

However, Ye Xin was simply too fast. The vast majority of the giant arrows missed their mark completely, and only a few posed any real threat. Casually, Ye Xin waved his God-Slaying Blade, batting away the massive projectiles hurtling toward him.

Had he possessed merely the combat strength of a Supreme Pillar Minister, dealing with the element-destroying crossbows would have been no easy feat. Those crossbows contained immense, boundless force, and a human body's meridians would struggle to endure such violent shock. But Ye Xin’s cultivation had already transcended mortal limits; as long as he remained clear-headed, this kind of weaponry posed no danger to him.

The pupils of the Boundless Heavenly Wolf beneath Ye Xin were now dyed a brilliant crimson, indicating it had pushed its strength to the absolute limit. Before the soldiers atop the wall could even reload a second giant arrow, the wolf lunged to the base of the wall and sprang upward like a soaring eagle, vaulting toward the tens-of-meters-high ramparts.

At the exact instant Ye Xin soared above the city wall, the massive shooting star that had dogged his steps finally slammed into his body, vanishing completely amidst a deafening explosion.

Ye Xin’s imposing aura had already resembled that of a fiend god, but in a fraction of a second, it swelled more than tenfold. The falling blade light materialized into something tangible, stretching dozens of meters outward and cleaving five or six element-destroying crossbows clean in two.

The next moment, Ye Xin dashed forward along the top of the city wall. Wherever he passed, every single priceless element-destroying crossbow was utterly demolished. He himself had no fear of them, but they posed a fatal threat to Xue Baiqi and the others.

Jiuding City was simply too vast. The people gathered at the execution ground could not sense the terrifying fluctuations of elemental energy radiating from Ye Xin; they only caught faint, distant echoes of the commotion and thought nothing of it.

After all, Wen Hongren had once been a heavyweight minister of the court. Several prominent figures had been dispatched to oversee this execution.

At the center of the execution viewing platform sat Guan Hanyu, acting essentially as Tie Xinsheng’s proxy. To his left sat Wang Fang; overseeing executions fell within the direct duties of the Grand Tribune. To Guan Hanyu's right sat Deng Zhiguo.

The expressions of the three men varied. Wang Fang’s complexion was exceedingly gloomy, while Guan Hanyu appeared quite relaxed. He knew he had earned yet another merit today. Meanwhile, although Deng Zhiguo had not been on good terms with Wen Hongren, seeing a former comrade-in-arms about to be beheaded right before his eyes inevitably stirred a sense of shared sorrow.

Below the viewing platform lay the execution stage. Wen Hongren, Shen Yunling, and Wen Rong were all bound tightly with ropes and knelt upon it. Such was the protocol of executions; even though Wen Hongren had once been a pillar of the imperial court, he could not escape humiliation.

Wen Hongren’s expression was haggard. He did not dare look at the wife and daughter kneeling behind him, fixing his hollow gaze instead upon the distant horizon. He could not understand, nor could he accept it—having devoted his entire life heart and soul to the country, why had he come to such an end?! What on earth had he done wrong that Tie Xinsheng was so desperate to be rid of him, unable to wait even a single day?!

Shen Yunling was merely an ordinary official’s wife with little worldly experience, capable only of raising children and keeping a household. Faced with a life-and-death crisis of this magnitude, she was already paralyzed by terror. Were it not for the thick ropes binding her, she would have collapsed long ago.

Wen Rong’s expression remained serene. Even kneeling upon the execution block, her heart stirred not a single ripple—devoid of terror, fear, sorrow, or joy. Only occasionally did she think of that man who had marched off to war. *I am his weakness, and I am willing to be his weakness. Will he come back?*

Searching her own heart, she found her feelings toward Ye Xin quite peculiar. In the love stories she had heard of, men and women ought to be infatuated with one another to the point of death. She felt no such thing—absolutely not—yet neither did she harbor any aversion toward Ye Xin. She merely felt that they were meant to be together.

*To be thinking of such things right here on the execution ground... You call yourself a strange person, but truth be told, so am I...* Wen Rong sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, a vegetable bun hurtled from the crowd, striking Wen Rong squarely and shattering her reverie. Looking up, she saw a leering, vulgar-looking middle-aged man in his forties.

Wen Rong felt no hatred; a person like that was not even worthy of her hatred. She merely glanced at him indifferently, then shifted her gaze away once more. *Will he come back? Since I am a weakness, weaknesses can be abandoned, after all...*

Seeing that Wen Rong was completely ignoring him, the middle-aged man grew enraged. He grabbed another vegetable bun and hurled it, striking her a second time.

Some in the crowd cheered, and soon fruit peels, stones, and even eggs rained down upon the execution stage.

This was the custom of the execution ground, the malicious amusement of the mediocre mob. Since you were about to die anyway, letting everyone else have a little fun could hardly be considered excessive, right?!

Wen Rong received the brunt of the "attention." Wen Hongren was a haggard old man, and Shen Yunling a terrified, middle-aged matron past her prime, neither of whom interested the crowd. But Wen Rong was undeniably a favored daughter of the heavens—exquisitely beautiful and of noble status. Normally, if she passed them on the street, she likely wouldn't even deign to glance at them even if they curried favor with smiles. Now, having the opportunity to humiliate such a proud daughter of heaven, they derived a heartfelt, vicious pleasure from it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" A furious roar suddenly erupted from the crowd. A young man leaped forward, tackled the first middle-aged man who had thrown something, and began raining punches and kicks upon him.

A commotion rippled through the crowd. The patrolling guards immediately rushed over, only to catch sight of the dragon-scale emblem pinned to the young man’s chest—the insignia of the Dragon Soaring Martial Academy. Wisely, they backed away. Those students were not to be messed with; not only did they tend to stick together, but there was no telling which of them might become a powerful figure in the future. Why invite trouble for oneself?

The disturbance spread, and quite a few people seemed to be getting into physical altercations. Looking over, Wen Rong saw the ferocious expression of Li Chonglou, the tear-streaked face of Wen Tian, and several other students from the Fifth Battalion. Nearly every one of those students had grabbed hold of someone and was beating them fiercely. Because they were powerless to change the outcome, they could only use this violent method to protect and to vent their pent-up emotions.

The barrage of objects thrown onto the stage rapidly dwindled, for whoever threw something received a beating. Watching Li Chonglou and Wen Tian, Wen Rong smiled faintly.

"That little bitch can still laugh? Truly shameless, motherfucker!" someone shouted. He didn't dare throw anything, but hurling a few curses should be safe, right? As for whether there was any logical connection between smiling and being shameless, he couldn't care less.

Yet retribution arrived with astonishing speed. The next instant, he felt his hair being yanked. Through a hurried, blurred glance, he caught sight of an exceptionally plump girl; then stars burst across his vision, and his body slumped limply to the ground.

Li Chonglou delivered a vicious kick, then straightened up and looked toward Wen Rong on the stage. He had always fancied himself a great hero, which was why he couldn't stomach the scene he had just witnessed and had been the first to strike! If Wen Rong had committed crimes, and if state law could not tolerate her, then let her be executed according to the rules. But humiliating her in such a manner was not the act of a hero!

High up in a nearby building overlooking the execution ground, Wen Yuanren’s eyes were bloodshot as his fingers gripped the railing so tightly they turned white. The Wen family had tried to dissuade him from coming, but he insisted. He had to witness and remember everything that transpired here. His lips constantly murmured the exact same phrase: "Tie Xinsheng, do not let me catch an opportunity... Never let me..."

Beside Wen Yuanren stood Duke Po Shan of the Daoren Kingdom, Ning Gaowu; Zhou Polu of the Daluo Kingdom; and Wu Qiushhen of the Daxi Kingdom. They had all arrived and witnessed Wen Yuanren’s ferocious expression.

Coming from three different nations, they ought to have been complete strangers, yet they conversed like old friends.

"Has Tie Xinsheng reached a point where he can no longer afford to lose, needing to vent his spleen on those on the sidelines?" Zhou Polu remarked indifferently.

"It doesn't seem quite that simple," Wu Qiushhen said. "Still, you have a point. Serving as a minister in the Great Wei Kingdom is hardly a blessing."

Duke Po Shan, Ning Gaowu, raised his head to look at the setting sun and muttered, "The time has come..."

Sure enough, three executioners stepped onto the platform. Leading them was the golden-badge executioner Yue Hu. He narrowed his eyes, swept his gaze across the three kneeling figures of Wen Hongren and the others, and broke into a strange smile. "This one's mine." Yue Hu pointed his finger at Wen Rong’s back.

"Boss, take your pick," another executioner laughed heartily.

"What a waste..." the second executioner shook his head. "Boss, I still don't get why you stopped us last night."

"The Grand Superintendent wants to make an example of them. If this little bitch spent all day crying and wailing like she wanted to die, how would I answer to the Grand Superintendent?!" Yue Hu scoffed coldly.

"The time has come!" Guan Hanyu’s booming voice rang out from the viewing platform.

Two executioners strode behind Wen Hongren and Shen Yunling, seized their hair, and yanked their bodies upright. Yue Hu also drew his bone-chopping saber, gazing with a smile at the back of Wen Rong’s neck.

The crowd drew in a collective, synchronized breath, tension and eager anticipation mingling as they awaited the blooming of blood. Wen Tian, Li Chonglou, and the others wore grief-stricken expressions, and a few of the students simply couldn't bear to watch, lowering their heads deeply.

At this moment, Li Chonglou could never have imagined how this righteous act of defiance today would alter his destiny. Yet he was acting entirely on his own volition; regardless of the future, he cared not a whit.

Up in the tall building, Wen Yuanren’s breathing abruptly turned harsh and ragged, sounding much like an asthma attack.

On the other side, Duke Po Shan Ning Gaowu suddenly frowned. "Eh? What is this..."

"Show mercy beneath the blade..." A bizarre voice drifted in from afar, though unfortunately, none could recognize that it was sung in the style of traditional Peking opera.

*Who? Who dares to cause trouble at the execution ground?!* A wave of commotion swept through the crowd. Even Guan Hanyu, Wang Fang, and Deng Zhiguo on the viewing platform stood up, craning their necks toward the direction of the voice.

A massive Boundless Heavenly Wolf emerged from a narrow alley, strolling leisurely toward the execution ground. Ye Xin sat astride its back, the God-Slaying Blade slung across his shoulder. His smile was gentle and refined, yet the condensed killing intent radiating from him surged straight into the heavens. The bright silver armor he wore, as well as the fur of the Boundless Heavenly Wolf, were nearly dyed a dark crimson—a grim testament to the fact that Ye Xin had just killed people, many, many people.

"Ye Xin? You..." Guan Hanyu drew in a sharp breath, his heart erupting with fury. *What on earth was Wei Juan playing at?!*