Those dozen or so elders were momentarily taken aback, staring at Zong Shou in utter bewilderment.

The next instant, Zong Shou let out another cold laugh: "Uncle Qiu, Uncle Hu, just let them strike and slaughter. Regardless of family background or status, cut them all down. Anyone in Qiantian Mountain City who dares defy me shall be executed without mercy! There can be no favoritism today."

At these words, not only did the dozen elders think they had misheard, but even Qiu Wei froze in place. With his composure and intellect, he momentarily didn't know how to react—whether to offer counsel or obey the command.

Even Hu Qianqiu hesitated uncertainly. He knew the Young Lord intended to suppress the arrogance of the direct lineage of the Celestial Fox clan. But the death of these thousand-plus direct descendants of the Zong clan here was no small matter.

Seeing that those around him remained motionless, and the three thousand Rift Wind Sabermen in the distance made no move, Zong Shou’s brow tightened. In the next moment, he forcefully slapped the Fourth-Rank Wind Riding Steed beneath him. In just a few breaths, he crossed dozens of zhang and arrived before the somewhat panicked members of the Celestial Fox tribe.

With a swing of his Thunderwing Sword, he cleaved one of them in two, severing head from body! Then, the Wind Riding Steed reared up on its hind legs, stomping down with its hooves. The magnificent body of the Fourth-Rank War Steed, carrying the force of ten thousand jin, directly smashed the head of another into a pulp.

Zong Shou abruptly turned back, his eyes blazing with anger: "I said move! Did you two not hear me?"

Qiu Wei finally snapped out of his stupor. Far from being annoyed by Zong Shou's reprimand, his eyes flashed with sharp light and boundless delight.

Hu Qianqiu, however, let out a slight sigh, cracked a smile, and then roared at his subordinates: "You bastards, are you deaf or mute? Didn't you hear the Young Lord? Hurry up and start cutting people down!"

Qiu Wei, ever the refined gentleman, bowed deeply to Zong Shou: "Qiu Wei accepts the order!"

Those dozen or so Zong clan elders were all struck by a surge of anger that threatened their hearts. They pointed their hands toward Zong Shou, their bodies trembling incessantly.

It was the white-haired elder who reacted quickest, his voice trembling as he spoke: "Stop! Stop! Young Lord, have you truly gone mad? Do not forget these are your blood relatives, and their crimes do not warrant death! I ask them to apologize to you, to beg the Young Lord to show mercy and spare their lives!"

The nearly one thousand Zong clan members were now utterly thrown into confusion and dismay.

Many had initially regarded Zong Shou with a degree of disdain. Now, they realized that this frail-looking youth was the supreme authority in Qiantian Mountain City, whose word carried absolute weight. Their lives and deaths were subject to his whim.

Over there, Zong Shou offered a silent smile, the coldness in his eyes gradually receding. Just as the elders of the dozen clans felt a momentary relaxation, believing there was still hope—

Zong Shou’s Thunderwing Sword swung casually to the side again, a brilliant streak of light flashed, and immediately another head flew up, rolling on the ground.

And this sword stroke seemed to act as a signal. The two thousand Iron Tiger Halberdiers and the three thousand Rift Wind Sabermen, their faces expressionless, all acted in unison. They swung their halberds and sabers with crisp efficiency. In an instant, over five thousand heads dropped to the ground. These were all veterans trained on the battlefield; their strikes showed not the slightest hesitation, and many hadn't even managed to cry out in agony.

The small area before Zong Shou was instantly dyed crimson.

For a time, the entire region spanning several li glowed with blood-red light, and murderous intent soared into the sky. The hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers surrounding them, including the private army of the one hundred thousand Shadow Wolf Clan, fell silent.

The people present here were mostly those who held some minor authority in Qiantian Mountain City, many born of nobility. Several had illustrious family backgrounds and extraordinary connections.

Yet, they were now being slaughtered like dogs, all executed on the spot. For almost everyone present, this was an unimaginable psychological shock.

Looking at Zong Shou again, they felt the Young Lord's figure had inexplicably grown taller. His aura remained nonexistent, yet an inexplicable pressure emanated from him, making it impossible for people to meet his gaze.

The dozen elders could not utter a sound, staring blankly at the corpses on the ground. Several of them couldn't help but shed tears.

It was Zong Lan who laughed first and loudest: "I, Zong Lan, have followed the Sovereign since I was twenty-six, campaigning with him for ten years, yet never for a single day have I felt such exhilaration. Well slain! Truly satisfying! The Young Lord is indeed different from the Sovereign. If it were up to me, we should just exterminate all these direct lineage members!"

The red-faced elder’s eyes narrowed at the words. He then shrieked hysterically: "Zong Shou, you are mad! All of you are mad! They are the elite, the very essence of our Zong family! Do you know that? Their bloodline is inherently more noble than all you collateral branches! They are born with three tails! You low-born curs dare to strike! I will appeal to Elder Zong Bo; even if my Zong He dies, I will not let you succeed as clan leader!"

The white-bearded elder’s face was grim, his eyes as cold and sharp as blades, stabbing towards Zong Shou: "The Young Lord is ruthless and cruel, slaughtering his own kin—this is not a blessing for our Zong clan. I, Zong Rui, will also petition Elder Zong Bo to strip you of your status as adopted son! Forget inheriting the Demon King title; you won't even remain the Young Lord!"

As his voice fell, two figures beside him lunged toward Zong Shou like mad tigers, their faces contorted with crazed ferocity.

Before they could get close, Zong Lan leaped onto his steed and swept out with his sabre in a move of overwhelming, thunderous power.

With a heavy clang, Zong Lan remained steady on his mount, while those two were swept violently backward, their faces turning purple and blue.

Zong Lan immediately followed with a cold laugh.

"You dare attempt to assassinate the Young Lord? Your crimes are unforgivable! Kill!"

The ** silver-scaled Wind-Treading Beast suddenly surged forward. Man and horse left streaks of afterimages as they crashed between the two assailants. The sabre swung up, instantly cleaving those two Zong clan leaders in half mid-air!

Then Zong Lan swept his blade again, spraying blood, and pointed toward the Zong clan elders, whose faces had turned the color of earth: "What direct lineage? They are nothing but a collection of good-for-nothings! I’ve long been sick of you. If the Sovereign hadn't held me back, I, Zong Lan, would have slaughtered you first! Go ahead and try to depose the Young Lord. At the Clan Assembly, we’ll see who wins. We’ll see if our eight hundred thousand Celestial Fox clansmen are more deeply rooted through you direct descendants, or if my Sovereign has more popular support."

Zong Rui could no longer speak; under the oppressive force of Zong Lan’s blade, even forming words was difficult. Almost no one could have imagined that Zong Lan dared to execute Celestial Fox elders right there on the spot!

Zong Shou, meanwhile, chuckled softly. A Clan Assembly? That was not his intention. There was a far simpler way to resolve this, no need for such tedious means.

Ah, and there was the Zong Bo, he wondered who that was; he’d never met him before.

The Grand Elder led the Council of Elders. Zong Ling managed the clan’s rewards and punishments. Zong Bo, however, was in charge of the Zong clan ancestral temple, genealogy, and property, wielding the greatest authority. This position was always held by the most respected individual in the clan.

Since Zong Shou had never met him and couldn't even recall his name, he simply shook his head: "If any of you remain unconvinced, feel free to summon Elder Zong Bo. Tell him Zong Shou awaits him atop Qiantian Peak..."

After speaking, he paid the elders no more mind. With a slight, knowing smile, he glanced at Ling Fa Kong and Ling Xuan. Both felt a jolt in their hearts and bowed their heads once more.

Though initially unconvinced, feeling this was nearly a disaster for the Shadow Wolf clan, their resentment had largely dissipated. With such severe punishment meted out to the Zong clan members, outsiders truly had no grounds for complaint.

The punishment was severe, but one couldn't claim the Young Lord was unjust.

Finally, Zong Shou turned his gaze to Zong Hao and Zong Shiyuan, who stood further away, a hundred zhang out. The latter was kneeling, while Zong Hao’s expression was erratic. A moment later, upon seeing the field littered with corpses and looking at Zong Yuan, he suddenly grit his teeth. He remounted his horse and galloped into the distance.

Zong Shou’s eyebrow twitched; he was secretly amused. Zong Hao was certainly perceptive, realizing his overwhelming strength and decisively abandoning the effort to surrender, opting instead for a dangerous escape. But he was wary of Zong Shou, coming alone without Zong Yang.

When he saw Zong Shou’s decisive slaughter of nearly a thousand Zong clan members, he instantly knew he had no chance of survival and fled immediately.

But wasn't it too late now?

"Yu Yuan!"

Before Zong Shou could even shout, Zong Yuan’s Dragon Horn Winged Horse burst forth from the ranks of the army.

It had been closely watching Zong Hao. Under Zong Yuan’s urging, the Dragon Horn Winged Horse moved with electric swiftness, instantly closing the gap of dozens of zhang. Then, the Purple Thunder Spear in his hand gathered countless bolts of lightning. As two fifty-zhang-long lightning wings unfurled on either side of the spear shaft, Zong Yuan suddenly hurled it.

The Purple Thunder Spear accelerated to its maximum in an instant. Propelled by electrical energy, its speed increased by more than tenfold. Almost before Zong Hao could react, it pierced through him. Zong Hao’s expression changed, and he dodged with all his might, but his shoulder was still pierced, and the momentum of the spear dragged him forward, effectively pinning him to the ground ahead.

And just as Zong Hao, in agonizing pain, poured all his inner strength into barely resisting the explosive lightning, Zong Yuan’s horse reached him.

A sabre flashed before his eyes, and everything went dark; he felt nothing. This single strike swept from just beside his ear, across his eye socket, slicing open his skullcap and peeling it back, causing white matter and blood to spray.

Zong Hao didn't even look down; he simply roared toward the heavens, venting the endless bitterness, indignation, and resentment in his heart.

The roar subsided only after a long time. Finally, Zong Yuan wheeled his horse back to Zong Shou’s side, dismounted, and knelt subserviently: "Zong Yuan’s great vengeance is complete, my wish fulfilled! From this moment forward, I am the sword in the Young Lord’s hand, ready to be commanded without regret!"

Zong Shou blinked, asking curiously, "I thought you would first ask about the old matter from several years ago—the hidden circumstances of your father’s death..."

"Unnecessary!" Zong Yuan raised his head, his expression indifferent: "I only needed to know that my father's death was caused by Zong Hao and his accomplices! Whether they were directly involved or not, executing them all cannot be wrong."

"Hmm! That has some merit!"

Zong Shou chuckled softly and signaled Zong Yuan to rise. At this point, he had reached Zong Shiyuan, looking down at this close relative and uncle.