Chapter 404: Chapter 398: Eliminating the Clan Hierarchy_1
「Thousand Birds Domain!」
Within the Bear Clan territory, Xiong Xuekun’s face was僵硬 upon receiving the news. His hands trembled uncontrollably. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined the imperial court truly intended to exterminate the clan stratum.
"Clan Leader, quickly escape!"
"That damned Qin Wudao, he wants to kill us all!"
Several elders urged, abandoning their clothes bearing the Bear Clan’s emblem, ready to flee.
They were well aware of the Qin Dynasty’s might, so the thought of rebelling had never crossed their minds. Their sole hope now was to flee the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court and preserve their lives.
"Right, we must escape immediately!"
Upon regaining his senses, Xiong Xuekun hastily packed a few items, changed his clothes, and prepared to escape with his legitimate son.
"His Majesty has decreed that the Clan Leader and elders of the Bear Clan are sentenced to death. Perhaps you gentlemen should stay!"
Just as they were about to leave, the Void suddenly ripped open, and two masked men emerged. They rode warhorses, wore black armor, and clutched scimitars.
With their appearance, the sky above the Bear Clan dimmed, and a crescent moon appeared.
The sun and moon shone together!
The Yan Yun Eighteen Cavalry!
"Run!"
Xiong Xuekun’s pupils constricted, and his hair stood on end. He roared at his legitimate son, unsheathed his sword, and flew towards the sky.
The red Sword Qi flickered in the sky, carrying a trace of determination and a hint of regret! Sword Intent is the heart of man!
At this moment, Xiong Xuekun began to regret. He should not have been endlessly greedy, for, in the end, it led to the downfall of his family and himself.
He knew that facing two members of the Yan Yun Eighteen Cavalry who possessed Emperor-level cultivation left him no chance of escape. He could only hope his legitimate son would survive.
"Young Master, let’s go!"
Several elders, protecting the young man, hurriedly tried to escape.
The pitiful young Clan Leader of the Bear Clan was dragged away by the elders before he even had a chance to speak.
The young Clan Leader of the Bear Clan wailed, "SOB SOB... Let me go! I don’t need to run! The imperial decree only said to execute the Clan Leader and elders, not me..."
Seeing the fugitives, the two Yan Yun cavalrymen split up. One pulled on his reins, transforming into a streak of black light that tore through the sky and vanished.
"Halt!"
Xiong Xuekun soared into the sky, his Sword Intent surging like a tidal wave. He condensed it into two streams of Sword Qi that shattered the Void, successfully intercepting the two Yan Yun cavalrymen.
"Slay!"
The two Yan Yun cavalrymen squinted, their cold, indifferent voices carried by the long wind to the Heavenly Universe, drowned in murderous intent.
Two crescent moon scimitars sliced through the air, their snow-white blades coated with a sanguine glow, like fresh blood flowing, heralding the coming slaughter.
Above the Nine Heavens, the bright moon radiated a glorious light.
The pale moonlight, shining even more brilliantly than the sun, exuded an incredible coldness. Even the wind of the Void turned into a piercing, bone-chilling gust.
Countless white Sword Qi emanated from behind the Yan Yun cavalrymen, stretching to the horizon, shrouding the universe and emitting a piercing sword hum.
It was as if the entire world was filled with nothing but Sword Qi!
"Barbarian Bear’s Mad Sword!"
Xiong Xuekun roared, circulating his Spiritual Energy to its peak, condensing a red Sword Qi. Within its sharpness lay a terrifying, savage power.
The Void surrounding the Sword Qi shattered into pieces!
"Slay!"
"Slay!"
The two Yan Yun cavalrymen began to charge. The thudding of their warhorses’ hooves echoed in the Void as they swung their scimitars high.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The Sword Qi trailing them also surged forward, resembling a celestial river cascading from the Nine Heavens, poised to engulf everything.
Xiong Xuekun gritted his teeth and unleashed his Sword Qi to meet the overwhelming sea of blades.
BOOM!
As expected, Xiong Xuekun was no match for the Yan Yun cavalrymen. The moment his Sword Qi contacted the sea of blades, it fractured inch by inch.
After shattering his Sword Qi, the sea of blades continued to flow, ultimately engulfing Xiong Xuekun!
The Yan Yun cavalrymen ceased their charge. The all-pervading Sword Qi dissipated, and so did Xiong Xuekun. This ambitious Clan Leader of the Bear Clan, who had once dominated a region, finally met his end, with no corpse left behind.
"Quick! Keep up! Surround the Bear Clan!"
At that moment, a blood-red cloud drifted over from the distance, and with it came an urgent voice.
The sound of galloping horse hooves grew louder, drawing nearer from the distance.
The two Yan Yun cavalrymen exchanged glances and rode their warhorses in the direction the Bear Clan elders had fled. Their speed was so great it was imperceptible to the naked eye.
Moments later, an army of one hundred thousand soldiers appeared at the gates of the Bear Clan’s estate. The general leading them was Song Jiang.
"By His Majesty’s command, execute the Bear Clan’s upper echelons! All clan property is to be confiscated!"
Song Jiang unsheathed his sword and issued the order indifferently.
One hundred thousand clansmen, weapons in hand, stormed into the Bear Clan’s estate. They began to massacre the high-ranking members of the Bear Clan and carried out vast amounts of treasure, piling it up like a small mountain at the main gate.
During this process, some resisted, but without exception, all were slain.
Sounds of pleading, roaring, screaming, and cursing echoed through the ancient buildings, silently narrating the downfall of a clan.
「Many miles away, on a flat official road.」
Two Yan Yun cavalrymen raised their scimitars and let them fall. Several large heads dropped to the ground, blood spurting out and dyeing the green willows on both sides of the road red.
Among them was the young Clan Leader of the Bear Clan!
Scenes like this occurred in more than twenty thousand clans within the territory of the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court. The Liang Mountain army, like fierce tigers descending a mountain, raised their blades for slaughter. Heads rolled, rivers of blood flowed, and the carnage was enough to chill one to the bone.
The vast clear sky, spanning countless miles, was veiled by a curtain of blood!
Within a single day, hundreds of millions of clan members were reduced to commoners. Under the surveillance of government offices, they were gradually relocated to other places.
「Days later, outside the Great Wall, in the desert of quicksand, a blood-soaked land attracted a multitude of vultures to hover overhead.」
Xiang Yu led his army in neat formation. Everyone was stained with fresh blood. Before them lay tens of thousands of corpses.
At the very center of the corpses, Xun Yu, riddled with arrows and bleeding profusely, gripped his war spear with his right hand, struggling to prop himself up from the ground.
His gaze was unfocused, yet he retained a final shred of lucidity.
It’s all over... Everything is over! Any scheme is useless before absolute power!
Looking at the corpses of his clansmen, Xun Yu coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. He then glanced at the Great Wall, thousands of li away, his heart filled with boundless resentment.
He had already escaped the territory of the Qin Dynasty, yet he was still slaughtered by the army led by Xiang Yu.
It was the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court that had destroyed his family and ruined his life.
Unfortunately, he no longer had a chance for revenge!
A thousand zhang away, Xiang Yu held a Jiaolong Bow. He drew it with all his might until it resembled a full moon, condensing a blood-red arrow that burned with fiery heat.
WHIZZ!
The arrow tore through the air like a rainbow, completely extinguishing Xun Yu’s life force.
"Move!"
Xiang Yu slung the bow onto his horse, shouted, and galloped away.
The million-strong Overlord’s Iron Cavalry brandished their weapons, forming a torrent of steel as they departed the slaughter ground.
This campaign against the clans lasted for two months, successfully dealing them a heavy blow.
Furthermore, the mass migration of countless clan members marked the decline of the clan hierarchy. The Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court was poised to enter a brand new era.
In this era, there would be relative fairness and limitless hope!
Every young person could shine brilliantly in their youth, scripting their own legends!