Chapter 681: The Past Dynasties' Wang and Xie Families

Chapter 681: The Old Wang and Xie

Guichen might be a man of his word, but Wang Daozhong did not believe it.

He felt that if their side held the upper hand, Guichen might not necessarily "keep the agreement"—after all, he could no longer be the state religion; the state religion was already the Four Symbols Sect. Why bother fulfilling some ancient pact from long ago? But when you’ve been driven from the Yellow River straight to your doorstep within a few days, don’t blame others for abandoning you. A wise man adapts to circumstances; who must die for the Wang family?

That was reality.

Of course, whether Guichen acted out of the pact or reality, no one knew. Their minds were not from the same world, and they could never truly understand each other.

What Wang Daozhong thought of instead was a parting remark from his elder brother: "Keep an eye on Zhao Changhe. He is the true dragon of this era, not Xia Longyuan."

At that thought, Wang Daozhong suddenly felt much more at ease and laughed heartily: "So it’s no wonder I’ve been screwed over by him for the past two years, right?"

Everyone: "..."

Just as the besieging generals, confident of victory, relaxed their focus slightly, Wang Daozhong suddenly swung his sword with all his might to parry Qinghe. But instead of breaking out, he charged swiftly into the formation, his target: Cui Yuanyang!

"Even if I die, I’ll make Zhao Changhe regret it for the rest of his life!"

"Not good!" Cui Yuanyong thrust his sword at Wang Daozhong’s back, but couldn’t match his speed and missed: "Stop him!"

The Cui family soldiers went mad with desperation. Guichen, Xue Canghai, and the others all flew over to try to stop him, but they were all a beat too slow.

No one had expected Wang Daozhong to charge into the formation instead of breaking out!

But as he neared Cui Yuanyang, Wang Daozhong felt no pride—only a sudden chill.

Cui Yuanyang showed no sign of panic. Her eyes were calm, neither sad nor joyful. A spare long sword appeared in her hand as she angled it to meet Wang Daozhong’s wildly descending Heaven-and-Sea-Parting Sword.

What Heaven-and-Sea-Parting Sword was that?

After prolonged combat, he had lost much of his qi and blood; the entire army had collapsed, and his spirit was broken; Qinghe was at his side, preventing him from going all out.

And today’s Cui Yuanyang was also a First Secret Vault cultivator. Her understanding of Qinghe’s sword intent traced directly to its source, surpassing even her father’s. She was far from the helpless little rabbit people imagined.

"Clang!" Her sword broke through Wang Daozhong’s sword qi, and even his sword path couldn’t escape her judgment. She parried it clearly.

"Swish, swish, swish!" Qinghe’s sword, Cui Yuanyong’s, Xue Canghai’s, Guichen’s, and countless blades and spears all pierced Wang Daozhong’s body at once.

Wang Daozhong looked down at the tip of Qinghe’s sword protruding from his chest, then at Cui Yuanyang, his expression somewhat strange.

"Before Brother Zhao left, he told me that acting alone might attract the covetousness of many gods and demons, and there was a high chance he wouldn’t be able to return to the battle. He asked if I had confidence in myself," Cui Yuanyang said calmly. "He always thought I was a little rabbit, but since two years ago, I’ve been training in martial arts just to catch up to him..."

But that wasn’t what Wang Daozhong wanted to say. He felt that the look in Cui Yuanyang’s eyes just now was very strange—indifferent, calm, as if suspended high above, almost like another person.

Perhaps this would be a time bomb buried for Zhao Changhe in the future?

Wang Daozhong showed a faint smile, said nothing, and fell dead.

Cui Yuanyang sheathed her sword in silence, thinking to herself that Brother Zhao might not sigh over the deaths of others in the Wang family, but he might just feel a little reluctant to let Wang Daozhong go...

With Wang Daozhong dead, the other Wang clan elders were instantly overwhelmed by the army, not even a splash raised. The Earth List guest official Yu Deju, wounded by Guichen’s sneak attack, surrendered on the spot. This was the greatest difference between a power struggle and a martial arts vendetta. In a martial arts feud, Yu Deju might have fought Guichen to the death, but in a power struggle, there was nothing worth holding on to, nor any face to be saved.

Wang Zhaoling stood alone before the city gate, looking around. There was no one left on his side.

He turned eastward. The horizon was vast and empty. Zhao Changhe had never appeared.

He suddenly felt that Zhao Changhe might have deliberately chosen not to show up.

Once, he had done Zhao Changhe a favor, voluntarily giving him the "jelly." At the time, he had said that if trouble came in the future, he hoped to leave a way out for his descendants. But giving the jelly was actually ill-intentioned—the jelly contained yin energy that he, as the legitimate son of the Wang family, could not have been unaware of. It was intentional. But at the time, Zhao Changhe didn’t know, and he had indeed agreed.

Regardless of whether the premise was a trap, a promise was a promise. Zhao Changhe was known for his chivalry; if he were here, he would have to keep that promise.

So he didn’t come.

Wang Zhaoling sighed softly, muttering to himself as if to no one: "Perhaps everyone thinks the Wang family has been foolish from start to finish... What do you think?"

He didn’t know who he was speaking to, but Cui Yuanyong’s voice came abruptly from behind: "Actually, no."

Wang Zhaoling turned to look at him: "Oh?"

"It all began with the gamble between your father and the Sea Emperor. He lost, and that triggered the whole chain of events." Cui Yuanyong said, "Faced with the temptation of breaking through to the Imperial Realm, to be honest, no one can remain unmoved. It represents flight and longevity, a gap like that between mortal and immortal. Its allure far surpasses that of a few Secret Vaults. You and I might have to gamble life and death just to break through a Secret Vault—how much more so for the Imperial Realm?"

Wang Zhaoling laughed: "You sure know how to console."

"That’s the truth. As for what followed, the victor is king and the loser a bandit—nothing more to say." Cui Yuanyong said flatly, "Brother Wang, you were simply born at the wrong time."

Wang Zhaoling fell silent.

If the world had been stable for ten years, he, Wang Zhaoling, would not have been as helpless as he was today... He would have performed far better than his uncle. But unfortunately, his uncle was in charge now, not himself. He was just a junior, and within the clan’s rules, he could do almost nothing.

That Cui Yuanyong could say this was an acknowledgment of him personally, which comforted Wang Zhaoling greatly. He suddenly smiled: "The old clan model is indeed full of outdated and rigid practices. The Cui family’s willingness to disarm and cater to the new emperor may seem like a loss, but perhaps it will bring benefits in the future."

Cui Yuanyong nodded: "Thank you for the kind words. Also..."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhaoxin is doing well now. No one in the Cui family discriminates against her... Well... a few days ago... she became pregnant."

Wang Zhaoling laughed heartily: "Good news. You should have told me earlier."

He took one last look at Wan Dongliu and Xuan Chong, smiled, and said, "I’ll go ahead. By my reckoning, in my next life I’ll be on the Heaven List, and you’ll be on the Hidden Dragon List. Maybe then I, as a senior, will look after you a bit."

Without waiting for a reply, he drew his sword across his throat.

Everyone stared at his corpse, their mood strange.

Wang Zhaoling had once been the star of the Hidden Dragon Banquet, arrogant and overbearing. How glorious! Yet in just over a year, it was all ruins and corpses at the city gate.

Actually, he wasn’t a bad person—not from the banquet onward. It was just that he fell along with the Wang family, crushed by the upheaval of the times, powerless to resist.

It wasn’t Wang Daoning’s fault, nor the outcome of this battle, nor the many wrong decisions Wang Daozhong had made. There was an inevitability within the contingency. Under the tide of the era, the old was bound to be destroyed. If Wang Daoning hadn’t fought for that slim chance, they would have died at Xia Longyuan’s hands sooner or later.

They said they were slaying the dragon, and Xia Longyuan thought he was slaying the dragon too.

Without Zhao Changhe, perhaps someone else would have risen to continue Xia Longyuan’s dragon-slaying act, making the court unable to turn back and the night unable to rest.

"Treat the corpses of the Wang family with care. Do not damage them." Cui Yuanyong finally ordered. "The rest, enter the city."

The special street fighting inside the city was also nearing its end. Several Wang clan elders had retreated to the ancestral shrine, forming a defensive formation at the gate. In the center of the formation was a large brazier, with falling snow sizzling in the fire.

Beside the brazier seemed to be an altar, with a mechanism on it.

Cui Yuanyong and his sister led the crowd forward, stopping at a distance. Cui Yuanyong said, "Gentlemen, we were once connected by marriage, bound by the same breath. I, Cui, can promise to protect the Wang ancestral shrine, not disturb the graves, and let you all live out your years in peace."

An old man slowly said, "Do you want the Wang family’s legacy and the treasures of the secret realm?"

Cui Yuanyong said flatly, "Of course, that is necessary. If you open the secret realm and cease resistance, I will keep my promise just now."

The old man nodded: "Fine. This altar is the gate. You can activate the mechanism yourselves."

Cui Yuanyang sighed: "Very well."

She said "very well," but no one stepped forward.

The old man narrowed his eyes.

From the sky came Zhao Changhe’s voice: "I’ll do it."

Everyone looked up in shock. Zhao Changhe flew in on horseback, reached out, and pressed the mechanism. He smiled faintly: "The Heaven-and-Sea-Parting Art is exclusive and repulsive. If anyone else activates the mechanism with a different technique, the terrifying internal pressure will backlash and reduce the surrounding miles to ashes. Too bad—my Yuanyang already knew this. And even worse—I, too, know the Heaven-and-Sea-Parting Art."

The Wang elders’ faces changed, turning ashen.

Cui Yuanyong turned away, not looking, and said softly, "Obstinate and unrepentant... Kill them all."

Golden light flashed across the sky.

Only two sentences. The battle itself wasn’t described, nor were the deaths of Wang Daozhong and Wang Zhaoling detailed.

"Early in the twelfth month, the allied forces of Cui Yuanyong and Wan Dongliu broke through Langya. Wang Daozhong died in the chaos; Wang Zhaoling committed suicide. The collateral branches scattered and fled. The turmoil of the Wang family came to an end."

"For a thousand years, the Langya Wang clan—here ends its reign."

"Swallows that once graced the halls of Wang and Xie now flit through common homes."