Chapter 90: Attacking the Capital

"Ambush?"

Chu Chang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction where Zhao Tianqiong had fled, a profound smile flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"I intentionally let him escape just so he could report to the Xiao Family and the Dayuan City Lord's residence. If they weren't gathered together, it would be too troublesome for me to wipe them out one by one."

Chu Chang turned around and issued an order to Sect Master Lin Wuwen.

"Sect Master Lin Wuwen, collect the corpses of all Cultivators above the Golden Core Stage from the Zhao Family, including the inner core of that Rank 4 Divine Ox, and take everything. Also, don't leave even a shred of the Zhao Family's treasury behind."

"Yes, Master."

Half an hour later.

The once prosperous ancestral grounds of the Zhao Family had now turned into a deathly silent ruin. All resources had been looted clean, and the remaining ordinary Disciples had scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing for their lives.

The warship roared to life once more.

This time, Chu Chang no longer hid his tracks. Instead, leading a vast army of Heavenly Demon Puppets and Divine Sword Sect Cultivators, he headed straight for Dayuan City in an extremely arrogant manner.

With the fall of the Zhao Family, Dayuan City was in complete Chaos.

Inside the City Lord's residence, the Dayuan City Lord and the Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family looked at the battered and dying Old Ancestor of the Zhao Family, their expressions grave to the extreme.

"That Chu Chang… does he really have nine Purple Mansion Realm Heavenly Demon Puppets?!" the Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family asked with a trembling voice.

"It's absolutely true! Even Sect Master Tie Kuangtu and Great Elder Zhao Wuji have been refined into living corpses by him!" Zhao Tianqiong said, coughing up blood, his tone filled with fear. "Dayuan City Lord, if we don't ask the Great Yuan Dynasty's honored guests to intervene, our Dayuan City will change hands!"

The Dayuan City Lord, a middle-aged man wearing dragon-patterned robes sitting in the main seat, looked into the Void Realm with cold, sinister eyes.

"What are you panicking about? This is Dayuan City. I am protected by the laws of the Great Yuan Dynasty, and I have a sub-array of the Great Yuan Dynasty's national protective Formation in my hands! As long as he dares to step half a step into Dayuan City, I can execute him on the spot for the crime of treason!"

However, what the Dayuan City Lord did not know was that the duanchen ancient sword Chu Chang had obtained from the Iron Sword Sect was currently emitting increasingly warm fluctuations.

The entrance to the ancient sword immortal ruin, which had long been coveted by various factions, seemed to point directly beneath Dayuan City.

Dayuan City, as a second-tier grand city second only to the imperial capital of the Great Yuan Dynasty, spanned a hundred miles and had a population of ten million.

The city walls, cast from basalt mixed with obsidian, towered into the clouds and were covered with dense defensive Talismans.

Yet at this moment, this steel behemoth that had stood for hundreds of years was trembling violently.

"Rumble!!!"

In the sky, three massive bluestone warships loomed like dark clouds.

At the front of the warship's deck, Chu Chang stood with his hands behind his back. Beside him, Sect Master Lin Wuwen, Sect Master Tie Kuangtu, Great Elder Zhao Wuji, and the other nine Heavenly Demon Puppets were lined up. The surging Death Qi and demonic light intertwined, dyeing the entire sky an eerie ink-green.

On the city walls, the Dayuan City Lord wore purple-gold dragon robes, his face ashen.

Beside him were the Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family and the battered Old Ancestor of the Zhao Family, Zhao Tianqiong.

"Chu Chang!"

The Dayuan City Lord used the city defense Formation, his voice echoing in the sky like thunder: "I am a frontier official personally appointed by the Emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty! Your Divine Sword Sect is merely a Sect outside the territory of the Great Yuan Dynasty. If you dare to attack the city today, it is open treason! The million armored cavalry and imperial honored guests of the Great Yuan Empire will surely raze your Divine Sword Sect to the ground and execute your nine clans!"

"Treason?"

Chu Chang looked down at Dayuan City, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"The dynasties of this Mortal world are nothing but fleeting dust in my eyes. Do you think I care about the threats of a Mortal emperor?"

He slowly raised his right hand, and the rusty duanchen ancient sword at his fingertips emitted a slight buzzing sound.

With the appearance of this sword, a muffled sword hum faintly came from deep beneath Dayuan City, resonating with it.

"Underneath this city, a corner of the ruin is indeed sealed. Since that is the case, there is no need for this city to exist."

A trace of indifference flashed in Chu Chang's eyes. Having cultivated until now, he knew well that indecision was a taboo in war. Since the Dayuan City Lord, the Xiao Family, and the Zhao Family chose to resist stubbornly here, he would simply remove this tumor of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

"Attack the city. Those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish."

Following Chu Chang's order, Sect Master Lin Wuwen behind him let out a shrill, piercing cry.

"Boom!"

The nine Heavenly Demon Puppets shot out simultaneously, turning into nine beams of destruction, slamming fiercely into Dayuan City's protective Formation, the "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Formation."

Crack!

In the terrified gazes of countless Loose Cultivators and Mortals in the city, that blue water curtain light shield, which was said to be able to withstand the continuous bombardment of a Peak Purple Mansion Realm expert for three days and three nights, supported by the combined attack of nine fearless Puppets with Physical Bodies comparable to Magic Treasures, shattered like a mirror after only three breaths.

"No! This is impossible!" The Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family's eyes were splitting with rage.

"City Lord, save me!" Zhao Tianqiong, his old wounds not yet healed, was terrified to his core seeing Sect Master Tie Kuangtu's iron fist, which was like that of a demon god, smashing towards him.

Puchi!!!!

Sect Master Tie Kuangtu's fists, bolstered by the Heavenly Demon Puppet Technique and Geng Metal Evil Qi, were invincible. With one punch, he smashed Zhao Tianqiong's defensive Magic Treasure along with his Physical Body into blood mist. The pillar of the Zhao Family had fallen.

"Fight them to the death!"

The Dayuan City Lord knew there was no way out today, and roared as he sacrificed the City Lord's Seal, which turned into the size of a mountain and smashed towards Chu Chang.

Chu Chang was expressionless, simply pointing his fingers like a sword and slicing gently at the Seal. The sharpness of the duanchen ancient sword, driven by Chaos True Essence, turned into a gray thread, instantly splitting the City Lord's Seal in two.

The next moment, Chu Chang's figure flickered, and he appeared in front of the Dayuan City Lord. In the other's horrified gaze, his palm had already clamped onto the City Lord's neck like lightning.

"You… you madman… the imperial capital… the imperial capital will avenge me…" The Dayuan City Lord's face flushed red as he struggled to speak.

"I am going to the imperial capital now to send your Emperor to meet you."

Chu Chang exerted force with his five fingers.

Crack.

The Dayuan City Lord, dead.

With the main general dead, the city's garrison and the remnants of the Xiao Family instantly collapsed. Chu Chang directed Sect Master Lin Wuwen and the other Puppets to slaughter the Xiao Family and the remnants of the City Lord's residence; any Cultivator who had participated in the "blood food" matters was not spared.

For a time, blood flowed like a river in Dayuan City, and the entire city was shrouded in a terrifying smell of blood.

Deep underground in the Dayuan City Lord's residence, there was an extremely secret chamber.

This place was sealed by layers of Formations, but under Chu Chang's violent Divine Sense sweep, these Formations were like nothing.

Chu Chang stepped on the shattered bricks and walked into this secret chamber.

In the center of the chamber was a dried-up blood pool, with countless twisted demonic patterns carved around it. This was the ironclad evidence of the Dayuan City Lord's residence secretly colluding with the Divine Sword Sect to refine "Demonic Marrow."

And in the center of the blood pool, a black wooden box was enshrined.

Chu Chang stepped forward and flicked his fingertip, opening the wooden box.

Inside lay half a yellowed sheepskin map fragment and a Golden Dragon sound-transmitting Jade Slip unique to the Great Yuan Dynasty imperial family.

When Chu Chang picked up this half of the map fragment, the duanchen ancient sword in his Storage Pouch trembled violently again.

He unfolded the map fragment and compared it with the information he had previously obtained from Sect Master Lin Wuwen, his pupils constricting slightly.

"So that's how it is…"

What was drawn on this map fragment was the complete map of that ancient sword immortal ruin. And in the center of the map, it was clearly marked that the core entrance to the ruin was right beneath the forbidden grounds of the Great Yuan Dynasty imperial palace!

"Sect Master Lin Wuwen, the Iron Sword Sect, the City Lord's residence—the reason they colluded in secret was not just to Cultivate Demonic Techniques, but to use the blood Qi of Mortals and low-level Loose Cultivators to wear down the Taiyi Golden Light Formation guarded by the Great Yuan Dynasty imperial family in the imperial capital."

Chu Chang read the information in the imperial Jade Slip, his expression gradually turning cold.

It turned out that the Great Yuan Dynasty imperial family had known about the existence of this ruin from the very beginning. They were even one of the masterminds behind this Demonic Technique! Every year, more than half of the Loose Cultivators who disappeared from various local cities were sent to the imperial capital as "blood food" to nourish the Demonic Path Formation guarding the ruin.

"The entire Great Yuan Dynasty, from top to bottom, is already rotten to the core."

Chu Chang put away the map fragment, cold light flashing in his eyes.

He had originally only wanted to seize the broken sword and find the ruin. But now it seemed that since the Great Yuan Dynasty imperial family was the mastermind behind this, he had to destroy this Dynasty to safely open the ruin and seize the Heaven-Defying fortune within.

"To destroy a Dynasty, my current combat power is not enough."

Although Chu Chang was confident, he was not arrogant. The Great Yuan Dynasty had been established for a thousand years; there must be Nascent Soul Stage old monsters sitting in the imperial family, and the imperial capital must have a national-level protective Formation.

He needed to make more thorough preparations.

"Pass the order down: empty out all Spirit Stones, Spirit Medicine, Magic Treasure embryos in Dayuan City, as well as the treasure vaults of the City Lord's residence and the Xiao Family."

Chu Chang walked out of the secret chamber and issued orders to the Elders of the Divine Sword Sect.

"Yes, Grand Executive!"

At this moment, the Elders of the Divine Sword Sect did not just revere Chu Chang; they regarded him as a god. To wipe out even the City Lord's residence just like that—this Grand Executive's courage and strength had exceeded their imagination.

Supported by vast resources, Chu Chang brought the corpses of the five Purple Mansion Realm experts who had fallen in this battle—the Dayuan City Lord, the Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family, Zhao Tianqiong, and others—to a Yin-gathering Spiritual Vein deep beneath Dayuan City.

"Heavenly Demon Soul Control, Flesh and Blood Reshaping!"

Chu Chang once again started a crazy journey of Puppet refining.

This time, he not only wanted to use the ordinary Heavenly Demon Puppet Technique, but also to fuse the Demonic Path secret techniques looted from the Dayuan City Lord's residence, completely integrating the Physical Bodies and Divine Souls of these Purple Mansion Realm experts into the Evil Qi of the underground Spiritual Vein.

Rumble.

For seven full days, the sound of wailing ghosts constantly came from beneath Dayuan City.

Seven days later, when Chu Chang walked out from underground again, behind him, in addition to the original nine Puppets, there were five more "Heavenly Demon Great Evils" emitting monstrous fluctuations.

The Old Ancestor of the Xiao Family and the Dayuan City Lord were among them.

Now, Chu Chang possessed eight Purple Mansion Realm Puppets and six Golden Core Stage Puppets under his command! Such a lineup was almost equivalent to the sum of the top combat power of nearly half the Great Yuan Dynasty.

"Grand Executive, the resources have all been organized. We obtained 1.5 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, 8 million Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 3,000 Talismans above Rank 3, and 50 city-defense ballistae!" An Elder stepped forward to report, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Very good."

A sharp glint flashed in Chu Chang's eyes.

"Equip all these city-defense ballistae and Talismans onto the Divine Sword Sect's warships. We are going to the imperial capital."

During these seven days while Chu Chang was consolidating resources and refining Puppets, the news of the fall of Dayuan City had spread like wings throughout the entire Great Yuan Dynasty.

Great Yuan Dynasty imperial capital, Qianjing.

This thousand-year-old city was now under martial law, with the Royal Imperial Guard wearing golden armor covering the city walls. In the sky, royal Cultivators riding white cranes patrolled from time to time, and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall.

The Emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, Qianyuanzi, sat on the dragon throne, his face as gloomy as water. The civil and military officials below were all trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Divine Sword Sect's Chu Chang… not only wiped out the Iron Sword Sect and the Zhao Family, but even dared to wash my Dayuan City in blood, and even killed my City Lord!"

Qianyuanzi slammed the dragon throne, his voice filled with endless Killing Intent: "He is rebelling! He wants to overturn my Empire!"

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

An old man in a white robe stepped forward; he was the Grand Honored Guest of the imperial family, with Peak Purple Mansion cultivation.

"Although that Chu Chang's methods are strange and he can control multiple Purple Mansion Puppets, he is only one person after all. Our imperial capital has the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder National Protection Formation. This Formation was personally laid down by the Founding Emperor, and its power is comparable to a Rank 5 Formation. Even a great expert at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage would not be able to break it easily. Moreover…"

The old man lowered his voice: "The Grand Emperor is at the critical moment of coming out of seclusion. As soon as the Grand Emperor breaks through to the Nascent Soul Stage, that Chu Chang coming to the imperial capital will just be throwing himself into a trap."

Hearing the words "Grand Emperor," Qianyuanzi's expression eased slightly.

"Pass my decree: Seal off the imperial capital for a hundred miles, activate all city defense Formations, and provide enough Spirit Stones! I want that Chu Chang to have no way back!"

Three days later.

On the horizon outside Qianjing, dark clouds accompanied by strong winds were drifting slowly at an extremely oppressive speed.

Looking closely, those were not dark clouds at all, but warships and the light of Flying Swords covering the sky.

The three main warships of the Divine Sword Sect led the way, and behind them followed dozens of warships captured from Dayuan City and various major factions. Thousands of Divine Sword Sect Disciples and the Loose Cultivators who had attached themselves to them were murderous, surrounding the entire imperial capital tightly.

Chu Chang stood on the dragon head of the main warship, the strong wind blowing his black clothes until they fluttered loudly.

He looked at the massive imperial capital ahead, shrouded in the shadows of nine golden thunder dragons, and deep in his eyes, the light of Chaos flourished.

"A Rank 5 defensive Formation, and a trace of an Early Stage Nascent Soul aura faintly emerging from seclusion…"

Chu Chang's mouth curled slightly, revealing a cold and fiery Battle Intent.

"Great Yuan Dynasty, let it end here today."

He flipped his wrist, and the duanchen ancient sword let out an earth-shattering long cry, pointing directly at Qianjing!