Jun Zhantian's face was ashen, his entire body radiating killing intent. He strode off the Rally Platform, mounted his horse in one swift motion, and prepared to gallop away. There were several locations he was determined to witness turn to ash with his own eyes, the only way to bring solace to his grandson’s spirit, which he believed was watching from the afterlife!

Suddenly, in the deepening darkness, the very fabric of the night seemed to ripple, and a shadow darker than the gloom itself materialized, spectral and silent. Though standing right before them, everyone present still couldn't quite discern the figure's true features.

"Shadow? What brings you here? Did His Majesty send you?" Jun Zhantian looked up and asked.

"This is a decree from His Majesty." Shadow raised his hand, and a delicate, weightless piece of white paper drifted into Jun Zhantian's grasp. The face hidden in the mist seemed to curve into a smile, yet it only made him appear infinitely more uncanny and terrifying. His voice instantly sharpened into an invisible thread, piercing directly into Jun Zhantian's ear: "His Majesty says your grandson is not yet dead! And he sent me to bring you these two words: Balance!"

He heavily stressed those two words: Balance. His voice was dry, rough, and hinted at considerable reluctance, as if speaking more than a few necessary words at once was profoundly unnatural for him.

"Mo Xie isn't dead?" A surge of inexplicable, wild ecstasy flooded Jun Zhantian. He instantly remembered the mysterious individual he had commissioned for help—could it be that person who had spirited his grandson away? He took a quick step forward, urgently pressing, "Shadow, is my grandson’s injury severe?"

Shadow turned to leave the moment he finished speaking, seemingly unwilling to linger for even a second, appearing utterly uninterested even in the foremost military figure before him. But hearing Jun Zhantian’s question, he reluctantly forced out a few more syllables: "Not dead. Gravely wounded!" With that, he twisted his head, glanced briefly at Jun Wuyi standing next to Jun Zhantian, let out a faint snort, and vanished with a swoosh.

The hope that had just ignited in Jun Zhantian’s chest was instantly doused by a bucket of icy water, leaving him feeling utterly chilled to the bone! That final look Shadow had cast toward Jun Wuyi felt like a stark reminder: even if Jun Mo Xie survived his injuries, he might not be much stronger than Jun Wuyi.

The near-dead stillness that had settled in Jun Zhantian’s heart warmed only to be slammed back into frigid despair! Could it be that the only remaining heir of the Jun family would also end up crippled?! Thinking this, the old man’s suppressed fury erupted—a wild, hysterical conflagration!

Before this night, the families that frequently opposed his grandson were those of Meng and Li!

Damn it all! Regardless of whether you were involved today or not, you two will serve as the example. Bad luck for you!

Jun Zhantian cursed inwardly, mounted his horse, and ground out through clenched teeth, "The army follows me! We ride out to raze their estates!"

...Heaven pity them, the look Shadow had given Jun Wuyi held none of the 'reminder' Jun had so confidently interpreted. In truth, there was an entirely different reason for it...

This night was destined to be one of slaughter!

As Jun Zhantian’s towering rage unleashed, a crimson wave of bloodshed descended upon the entire Imperial Capital!

Warhorses thundered through the city streets as flames erupted from the manors of numerous high-ranking court officials, punctuated by the clash of steel and shrieks of agony.

Even before Shadow made his move, legions of figures in black, appearing like phantoms suddenly risen from the dark, had already vaulted silently over walls and into the residences of various officials...

In some households, there was no time even to mount a defense; heads were severed in swift strokes, spraying gore everywhere...

Meng Zhiyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Li Qiao; both aligned with the Li and Meng factions, and further staunch supporters of the First Prince, had always been at odds with the Jun family. Tonight, they were the first to suffer the reckoning.

The war drums were still beating relentlessly when, inside the compounds of the two families, several masked figures in black vaulted in. They slaughtered the gate guards and servants, cutting a path of corpses straight into the main halls and bedchambers. The two unfortunate officials never managed to utter a word before their heads were struck off. Then, not a single member of their entire households was spared, followed swiftly by towering columns of fire reaching for the sky...

When the Imperial Censor Tie Yan heard the drums, he, an old censor who had opposed Jun Zhantian for years after his own son, fighting alongside Jun Zhantian, was executed for defying military law, felt a righteous fury boiling up. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to bring Jun Zhantian down. He threw on his robes and scrambled from bed to draft an impeachment memorial against Jun Zhantian that very night. He was only halfway through his writing when the doors and windows simultaneously shattered inward with a deafening crash. Several masked figures, moving like specters, stormed in, snatched the unfinished memorial, read it over with a cold sneer, and savagely crumpled the parchment into a tight ball, shoving it down the poor old man's throat. Then, with a swish, they cleaved him in two—neck and memorial alike!

Another Censor, Zhou Mengcheng, who had petitioned to have Jun Wuyi stripped of his post after he was defeated, wounded, and crippled, was found deep in drunken slumber atop his concubine. He was dragged out naked, and the manhood between his legs was brutally hacked off with a single stroke. A sword thrust into his heart followed, and his naked corpse was left hanging from the great tree in his own courtyard, his eyes wide open in eternal, unfulfilled rage, staring at the inferno engulfing his estate...

Two other officials, Qian Wanguan and Wu Yun of the Ministry of Rites, who had betrayed the Jun family and defected to the Second Prince’s banner, saw their residences were farther out, near the city gates. Hearing the Jun family’s mobilization drums, they instantly sensed impending doom. Knowing Old Master Jun’s methods well, they made the wise decision to pack quickly and attempt to flee the city under the cover of darkness to let the storm pass. Yet, by the time they reached the city gate, they were instantly surrounded by the Iron Cavalry of the main army!

The officer leading the detachment shouted, "Seize the assassins!" while arrows rained down like a storm. Denying any chance for explanation, he immediately gave the order: Execute them! Over a hundred people of the Qian family were turned into quivering pincushions at the South Gate, their faces unrecognizable from the brutality...

On the other side, nearly sixty members of the Wu family were slaughtered at the West Gate. Their corpses were hacked into unrecognizable shreds, drenched in lamp oil, and set ablaze. The stench of burning flesh soon permeated the Nine Heavens...

Beside the charred remains of these two families, two tall wooden placards were erected: This is the fate of assassins!

And there was one more solitary official, Censor Shen Zhongyun. He rose in the middle of the night to use the privy, only to be found at dawn with his bare buttocks pointed skyward, his head rammed deep into the latrine pit, having been suffocated for I know not how long...

These officials, normally figures of immense power and prestige, were at this moment nothing more than lambs caught in a wolf pack’s encirclement!

For a time, the entire capital felt as if it had descended into the apocalypse! Old Master Jun’s wrath had utterly engulfed the Imperial City! What transpired tonight far exceeded even the Emperor's expectations, causing him to immediately smash everything within sight in a fit of fury upon learning the details...

The full might of the Jun family’s secret forces, their relentless, demonic, bloodthirsty slaughter, shocked the entire high echelon of the capital with blood and lives on this turbulent night. It stabbed many to the quick, leaving countless others gripped by paralyzing dread. Everyone began to ponder, to calculate: Faced with such irresistible power, what was the correct course of action? Should they begin considering the necessity of switching allegiances?

Especially the three Princes—each immediately summoned all their advisors for emergency, late-night deliberations. The sheer scale of the Jun family’s influence made all three Princes intensely covetous: If such a force were under their command...

But even as their councils convened, three separate royal compounds suddenly burst into flames. Then, a barrage of severed heads, still dripping fresh blood, was hurled into their midst, nearly scaring the three noblemen out of their wits. The palace guards conducted frantic searches but couldn't find even a shadow of the perpetrators; instead, they were herded back by the military patrols like ducks.

However, there were exceptions among the established noble clans of the capital, namely the Li, Meng, and Song families. With their deep reserves, their internal experts reacted swiftly to the sudden assault by the black-clad figures, engaging them in fierce combat. Still, billowing smoke and fierce torrents of flame erupted from their estates.

Inside a secret chamber of the Li family, several individuals listened to the shouts and killing outside, growing restless and eager to break out. Among them was a man clad in white robes, appearing to be in his mid-thirties, with a sharp, cold, and undeniably arrogant mien. Judging by his bearing and aura, he was the White-Robed Profound Heaven expert who had been present when Old Master Tang Wanli murdered Qin Hu to silence him.

The door opened, and the Li Family’s Eldest Young Master, Li Youran, stepped in.

"Youran, let me out; the strongest of these black-clad assailants is barely at the Jade Heaven realm—nothing to fear! Any one of us could stop them instantly. I truly don't understand why you are being so slow, even with our own home being attacked! If they insist on courting death, we shall oblige these foolish wretches!" The white-robed man frowned, his expression bordering on rage. Having always been high-minded and proud, when had he ever been forced to hide in a secret room like a coward?