"Spare me~"
*Splat!*
Before Xiang Lexin could beg for mercy, he was crushed to death by a True Essence Grand Hand Seal, like squashing a cockroach.
"Sect Master, spare my life!"
With Xiang Lexin dead, other Qingfeng Villa disciples who recognized Yang Hong quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Sect... Sect Master? Sect Master, spare my life!"
"Sect Master, calm your anger~ Sect Master, spare me~"
Plea after plea rose, and disciples who didn't know Yang Hong also quickly knelt to beg for mercy.
Although they didn't know why the Sect Master was killing Xiang Lexin, they had all heard Yang Hong's angry roar just now, and they had seen the Seven-Colored Spirit Gathering Sword appear.
Xiang Lexin's insubordination was an undeniable fact.
Xiang Lexin deserved to die, but his death did not seem to appease the Sect Master's rage. All the Qingfeng Villa disciples were trembling in fear, begging for mercy.
"All of you, shut up."
"..."
With Yang Hong's simple command, the entire plain fell silent. No one dared to speak, not even to gasp for breath.
Rumor had it within Qingfeng Villa that the Sect Master, Yang Hong, possessed unfathomable strength, far surpassing that of ninth-stage Mahayana realm cultivators, and could even contend with immortals from the Upper Realm.
While they had never witnessed his full power, the mere fact that he could set up and activate a planar array spanning millions of miles was enough to instill fear and submission in them.
"Li Longjiang, who was it that persecuted you?"
"Qin Renyi."
This time, Li Longjiang did not hesitate, immediately naming a person.
As his words fell, the Qingfeng Villa disciples immediately turned their gaze towards a middle-aged man in white, with a sunny and heroic appearance. This man was in the Spirit Severing realm and possessed an excellent aura.
All the Qingfeng Villa disciples who looked at him were shocked and disbelieving.
"Sect Master, this disciple does not know this mortal at all. The Sect Master may have been misled. I beg the Sect Master to investigate clearly."
Seeing many eyes upon him, this disciple immediately cried out in grievance.
"Investigate? Investigate my ass!"
Yang Hong sent another True Essence Grand Hand Seal, and a pile of minced meat appeared on the ground again!
He was the Sect Master of Qingfeng Villa. In the plains under his jurisdiction, he was being attacked and threatened by mortals, and the presiding official was attacking him with an array. What was there to investigate?
Kill those who deserved to be killed; that was the most effective course of action.
Watching Yang Hong's decisive and ruthless actions, the young girl Jiujiu, standing beside him, had a flushed face and clenched fists, looking somewhat excited, with little stars appearing in her eyes as she gazed at Yang Hong.
Yang Hong, however, did not notice this scene. He stared at the trembling Qingfeng Villa disciples and said coldly:
"What position did this Qin Renyi hold? Who are his relatives? Step forward yourselves, and I may spare your lives."
"Sect Master, spare my life. This disciple is Qin Liangxin, and Qin Renyi is my father."
"Sect Master, spare my life. This disciple is Wu Daode, his disciple."
"Sect Master, spare my life..."
As Yang Hong's words fell, over three hundred cultivators stood up. The highest cultivation was in the Spirit Severing realm, held by two individuals, both sons of Qin Renyi. The lowest were a dozen youths no older than sixteen, all in the Foundation Establishment realm, who were his great-grandsons.
"Good~ Good~ Good!"
Seeing their cultivation levels, Yang Hong couldn't help but admire Qin Renyi's prolific procreation. He had ten sons, over seventy grandsons, and more than a hundred great-grandsons.
Moreover, their cultivation was quite good, growing even faster than core disciples of ninth-grade sects.
It was obvious that this fellow had embezzled a considerable amount of sect resources.
Indeed, someone among the kneeling disciples revealed Qin Renyi's position.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, Qin Renyi is a disciple of Chief Official Xiang and also the internal affairs supervisor of Jiuyan Plain."
"Heh heh~ No wonder."
Yang Hong chuckled, opened his palm, and the three hundred and sixty-two people were directly suspended in the air. Amidst the horrified gazes of other cultivators, the cultivation of all Qin family members, regardless of their level, began to dissipate, being peeled away.
"As I said I would not kill you, I will not kill you!"
While their cultivation was being rapidly stripped away, he continued,
"Xiang Lexin's family, step forward voluntarily, and you will be spared death. Otherwise~ kill!"
"Sect Master, spare my life. My father has always been diligent in guarding Jiuyan Plain, and he has absolutely no corruption, nor would he dare to be negligent. We truly did not know about Qin Renyi's corruption."
Xiang Lexin's family was much smaller, only eleven people. The highest cultivation among them was actually only late Nascent Soul, which was quite pathetic.
"Yes, Sect Master, my father has always been dedicated to protecting Jiuyan Plain and has never made any mistakes. We brothers would never dare to violate any sect rules."
The eleven people stood up, also loudly defending themselves with voices full of unspeakable grievance.
"Heh heh~ Dedicated to protecting Jiuyan Plain?"
Hearing their rebuttals, Yang Hong laughed, then said coldly:
"I'll give you an opportunity. Before sunset, investigate the case of cultivators on Jiuyan Plain arbitrarily harming mortals. For every one hundred mortals who die, one of you will commit suicide, until you all perish!"
"..."
The eleven members of the Xiang family immediately knelt down, trembling and not daring to utter a word.
With the expansion of Qingfeng Villa in Lihuo Plain, coupled with Yang Hong's domineering and protective nature, the number of innocent mortals and even rogue cultivators who had died exceeded a thousand.
How were they supposed to investigate this?
"Heh heh~ It seems you know the score."
As his voice fell, Yang Hong brought down his palm, and another pool of blood appeared.
Looking at the even paler disciples, he had no intention of stopping.
"Disciples of the Enforcement Hall, stand up."
"Yes!"
Eighteen disciples stood up, scattered across the plain. Although their backs were straight, their legs were involuntarily trembling.
"Recite the Five-Kill Order of the sect rules."
Upon hearing Yang Hong's command, the eighteen disciples of the Enforcement Hall paused for a moment, then loudly recited:
"Those who betray the sect, kill!"
"Those who kill fellow disciples, kill!"
"Those who bully the weak, kill!"
"Those who arbitrarily kill mortals, kill!"
"Those who cultivate demonic arts, kill!"
The voices of the eighteen were not loud, but they made the 63,204 Qingfeng Villa disciples on the plain tremble and prostrate themselves even lower.
"Very good. You still remember this Five-Kill Order. Then I give you one day to execute all cultivators within Jiuyan Plain who have violated the Five-Kill Order, including non-Qingfeng Villa cultivators."
"Notify Qiu Kun, the twelve Seven-Colored Plains under Qingfeng Villa's jurisdiction are to simultaneously implement the Five-Kill Order. In ten days, all cultivators who have violated the Five-Kill Order are to be executed. If he fails, I will personally take his head."
"Yes~ As you command!"
Upon hearing Yang Hong's command, the eighteen disciples of the Enforcement Hall were stunned. The Sect Master had such a bloodthirsty nature!
Was this still the same Sect Master who was a kind old man and a doting protector?
Had he been possessed?
Although the eighteen disciples of the Enforcement Hall responded in unison, they exchanged glances. Finally, a disciple in an outer disciple's robe with a Harmonious Transformation realm cultivation flew over, knelt on one knee, and said:
"Sect Master, are you sure it's a complete execution? This might~ perhaps result in many, many fellow disciples being executed."
Yang Hong glanced at this disciple, then turned to look at the other disciples with expectant eyes, a smile curving his lips as he said:
"..."