"Wang Liren!"
Wu Yue's pupils contracted sharply as he saw Ye Ling swaggering into the grand hall, gritting his teeth, "You actually dare to come!"
Ye Ling looked at Wu Yue, who was hiding at the back of the crowd, and chuckled, "I gave you a chance to live. Now it's your own fault for not cherishing it, so you can't blame me."
"Do you think you can still be as arrogant as last time?" Wu Yue glared at Ye Ling. "All the top experts of my imperial guard are gathered in this Weiming Hall. No matter who comes here today, they will not leave alive!"
"Guards, chop off Wang Liren's head!"
"Yes!"
As Wu Yue shouted, two imperial guards immediately drew their sabers and charged towards Ye Ling and Bai Lan, their speed as fast as lightning.
However, before the two imperial guards could even see Ye Ling make a move, their chests caved in with palm-sized dents. Then, they were sent flying out like cannonballs, smashing violently against the wall and turning into two pools of bloody pulp.
A collective gasp of cold air filled the hall, and many imperial guards' hands, holding their sabers, began to tremble slightly.
What kind of monstrous power was this?
The two imperial guards who had just turned into pulp were among the top ten strongest individuals present!
In other words... if any other imperial guard present were in their place, they would have met the same fate!
Ye Ling's strength far exceeded their imagination!
Ye Ling smiled at the crowd ahead and said, "The late Emperor had a will that the throne would be inherited by the Eldest Princess Wu Mei. Wu Yue's ascension to the throne is an act of usurpation, and his heart deserves to be punished."
"I, considering that you are all unaware and that cultivation is not easy, can grant you a reprieve."
"Those who leave Weiming Hall within ten breaths will be spared."
As soon as Ye Ling finished speaking, the entire Weiming Hall fell into dead silence, and everyone's thoughts began to stir.
The opponent's strength was too overwhelming. Everyone could foresee that staying in Weiming Hall meant certain death.
But if they left, and Wu Yue survived this crisis, they would surely suffer a fate worse than death!
Wu Yue, however, was completely panicked. He quickly said, "Don't be scared by him! There are only two of them. All of you, attack together and capture him quickly!"
"Wang Liren is just a paper tiger, a mere weakling!"
Wu Yue roared hysterically, but this time, not a single imperial guard dared to step forward.
Seeing this, Wu Yue was so enraged that his lungs almost exploded. He kicked the backside of an imperial guard in front of him and cursed, "You useless wretches! All of you, attack! Anyone who doesn't, I'll exterminate their entire clan!"
As soon as Wu Yue uttered this, the expressions of the imperial guards present changed again.
Their reverence for imperial power ultimately outweighed their fear of death, and they re-gripped their sabers.
Ye Ling continued, "After today, Wu Yue will no longer be the emperor, and his words need not be taken seriously... Also, you have five more breaths to make your choice."
As Ye Ling spoke again, the imperial guards who had just managed to tighten their grip on their sabers began to feel their hands and legs go weak again.
"I, I seem to have heard that Princess Wu Mei is the late Emperor's designated successor. Perhaps we are aiding and abetting evil!"
An imperial guard finally couldn't bear the immense pressure from Ye Ling. He used the gossip he had heard as an excuse for his cowardice, quickly detached himself from the group of imperial guards, and fled the hall.
"You scoundrels! Come back here!"
Seeing someone deserting, Wu Yue's heart suddenly tightened. He fiercely drew the saber from an imperial guard beside him and hurled it at the deserter's back.
Deserters are executed!
Once one person broke ranks like this, Wu Yue feared his forces would collapse!
However, the saber thrown with all of Wu Yue's might was easily swatted away by Bai Lan. The imperial guard successfully escaped outside the hall, unharmed.
"A wise choice." Ye Ling smiled as he saw someone choosing their allegiance. "You have three more breaths."
In fact, if Ye Ling wanted to act, he could have dealt with everyone in the hall in the blink of an eye, without needing to say so much.
The reason he was making these imperial guards choose sides now was to leave some foundation for Wu Mei.
Otherwise, if he massacred the entire palace, Wu Mei would become an emperor with no subjects.
With the first imperial guard escaping the hall, and Ye Ling's time running out, many imperial guards immediately chose to abandon Wu Yue and flee the hall.
As the last three breaths passed, two-thirds of the people in Weiming Hall had disappeared.
Ye Ling looked at the vast crowd behind him and said to Wu Yue with a smile, "It seems you don't have much popular support!"
Wu Yue looked at the imperial guards who had fled outside the hall, his face darkening to the extreme. "You traitors, once I overcome this tribulation, I will surely exterminate your nine generations!"
"The rest of you, attack! Kill Wang Liren!"
Wu Yue roared sternly. The remaining imperial guards were basically Wu Yue's confidantes and no longer hesitated. They immediately swarmed Ye Ling and Bai Lan, intending to tear Ye Ling to pieces.
They believed Wu Yue's words, that Ye Ling was merely putting on a brave front.
If they all attacked together, they might be able to capture Ye Ling!
"Unfortunately, you have chosen the wrong side." Ye Ling looked at the imperial guards rushing towards him. "Life will not give you a second chance."
As Ye Ling spoke, he took a step forward, and a sudden gust of wind blew into the hall.
Ye Ling raised his hand and clenched it. The wind became a sword, and the wind that blew into the hall transformed into blades.
Instantly, all the imperial guards in Weiming Hall were covered in wounds, and then they were cut to pieces by the wind-formed blades.
The hall was dyed crimson with blood. The once crowded Weiming Hall now appeared incredibly spacious.
Wu Yue stood alone amidst a pile of minced meat, staring blankly at Ye Ling and Bai Lan, his eyes filling with endless fear.
"Wh-why is this happening? My imperial guards..." Wu Yue kept retreating, his body trembling violently, his mind completely consumed by fear.
The imperial guards and forbidden troops outside the hall, seeing the blood-soaked hall, felt their legs go weak. They were immensely grateful for having made the right choice.
If they had stayed in the hall, they would probably have become those bloody fragments!
"Next, Wu Yue... it's your turn."
Ye Ling chuckled and slowly walked towards Wu Yue.
"You, you don't come any closer!"
Seeing Ye Ling approaching, Wu Yue retreated repeatedly, accidentally slipped, and fell to the ground with a plop, splashing blood.
"The time I promised hasn't passed yet. I can give you a spot in the Ten Thousand Dynasties Martial Competition. You can't kill me!"
"It's no longer necessary." Ye Ling's lips curved into a faint smile. He walked up to Wu Yue, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up. "No one can save you today."
"Your Excellency, show mercy where you can. Wu Yue cannot die."
Just as Ye Ling was about to crush Wu Yue's neck, a clear, cheerful young voice echoed in the hall.
Hearing this voice, Ye Ling and Bai Lan looked towards the hall's entrance in unison. They saw a young man dressed as a scholar, holding a folding fan, leisurely and gracefully making his way through the forbidden troops and imperial guards into the hall.
Seeing the young man, Wu Yue's eyes, which had been filled with despair and fear, suddenly surged with infinite joy.
He shouted, "Bai Xiaosheng, save me quickly!!!"