Although the rebellion within Weiyang Palace had been quelled, the Huo family's desperate struggle had been far more frenzied than anticipated. Huo Guang knew that, as long as Xu Pingjun was alive, Liu Bingyi would be vulnerable, not to mention the popular support they had gained through their deep affection for each other. Late one night, a troop of elite cavalry bearing the banner "Escorting the Empress to the Palace" intercepted Xu Pingjun's carriage at Ba Bridge outside Chang'an as she was secretly returning to the palace from her humble abode.
The leader of the troop was Huo Shan, a member of the Huo family. His eyes flashing with bloodlust, he said to Xu Pingjun, "Your Majesty, the general requests your presence. Please find another place to sit.' Behind him were five hundred carefully selected followers of the Huo family, each capable of taking on ten men. The dozen or so imperial guards escorting the carriage were instantly surrounded.
"Protect the Empress!" The sound of swords being drawn pierced the desolate wilderness.
Xu Pingjun sat in the carriage, gripping the broken sword tightly; her knuckles were white from the force of her grip. She could hear the rapid hoofbeats outside and could sense the overwhelming killing intent: 'Huo Shan, I showed your Huo family some respect, but you rejected it yourselves.'
A cold voice came from the depths of the dark forest, followed by heavy, rhythmic footsteps that seemed to pound on everyone's hearts. Liu Bingyi, clad in jet-black, dragon-patterned armour, slowly emerged from the mist, carrying the reforged Emperor's Sword in one hand. Behind him, the five Shadow Guards appeared and disappeared like the Grim Reaper descending, and the temperature in the air seemed to plummet.
[System 3.0 notification: 'Asura Killing Field' mode activated].
Host status: Martial Power has temporarily exceeded the upper limit, reaching 2000%!
Perception: Within a one-mile radius, all movements are under control.
"Kill him! He's on his own!' Huo Shan roared, brandishing his longsword, and commanded his men to charge. Liu Bingyi raised his head, his golden double pupils gleaming eerily in the darkness.
'Instant Kill.' His figure vanished, and the next second, the ten leading Huo family cavalrymen — horse and rider — were sliced in two by an overwhelming sword pressure, sending blood mist into the air.
Liu Bingyi appeared in the centre of the blood mist, his sword tip untouched by blood. [System Skill: Imperial Domain – Gravity Crushing]
Liu Bingyi slammed his longsword into the ground. The ground instantly cracked around him. Huo family private soldiers within a hundred metres felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them. They collapsed to their knees with thuds and were unable to lift their heads.
'The rest of you are next,' said Liu Bingyi coldly. The five Shadow Guards instantly transformed into five streaks of light and charged into the enemy ranks.
Golden threads weaved through the crowd, each slicing off a head; fiery fists carrying scorching true energy shattered the chests of any who dared to resist.
Water, wood and earth each fulfilled their roles, completely sealing off escape routes. This was no longer an assassination, but a one-sided 'cleansing'. Before Liu Bingyi had activated "System 3.0", the Huo family's prized assassins were as insignificant as ants. Liu Bingyi walked towards Huo Shan step by step. Huo Shan, with his bones shattered by the weight of the attack, stared in terror at the godlike emperor: 'You... you are not Liu Bingyi... you are a ghost...'
'I am the soul of the Han dynasty.' Liu Bingyi swung his sword and Huo Shan's head rolled down the Ba Bridge into the water. He turned around and personally lifted the carriage curtain. Seeing Liu Bingyi covered in blood, Xu Pingjun was first stunned, then she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. 'Bingyi...'
'Pingjun, I'm sorry. I'm late.' Liu Bingyi held her tightly in his arms. His long sword was pointing diagonally at the ground, casting a chilling shadow in the moonlight.
[Ding]
Result: The forces outside the Huo family palace have been completely wiped out. Xu Pingjun has been safely rescued. Loyalty and favourability have both skyrocketed. News of the host's reputation has spread throughout the underworld, completely intimidating the remaining powerful clans.
The blood on Ba Bridge had barely dried when Liu Bingyi re-entered Chang'an City, hand in hand with Xu Pingjun and surrounded by his shadow guards. He wouldn't keep a low profile this time; he ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guards to proudly display the banners of the Huo family assassins so that everyone in the city would see the true face of the 'Regent Minister'.
The once bustling scene outside the Grand General's Mansion was gone. Thirty thousand elite Northern Army soldiers, led by Chang Hui, surrounded the fortress.
'His Majesty has decreed that the Huo family is plotting a rebellion — the evidence is irrefutable!' With sword drawn, Lei Zhen stood at attention, his voice like thunder as he pierced the sky: 'Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!'
Inside the mansion, Huo Guang's confidants were still trying to put up a last stand against the high walls, but faced with System 3.0's Dragon Soul Pressure, those private soldiers could not even draw their bows, their hands trembling.
Liu Bingyi pushed open the heavy gate and walked alone into the back garden of the Huo mansion.
Huo Guang sat beneath the old locust tree. The 'Sunset Bow' lay across his knees, its string broken. His hair had fallen out overnight and his skin was withered and shriveled like dead wood — a double torment of poison seeping into his bones and misfortune.
'You've come,' said Huo Guang without looking up, his voice hoarse as sandpaper scraping the ground.
'I've come to see the general off on his final journey.' Liu Bingyi stood three steps away, the iron sword at his waist emitting a low metallic clang as if thirsting for blood.'Liu Bingyi, do you think you've won?' Huo Guang suddenly let out a chilling laugh. 'Do you think the witchcraft case back then was really just because of those straw figures? Do you think your grandfather, the Crown Prince, committed suicide simply because my father caused the Wei family to lose power?" Liu Bingyi's brow furrowed slightly and a high-frequency, chaotic sound suddenly emitted from the system in his mind.
'That's because... in the blood of your Wei family lies something even the gods fear!' Huo Guang suddenly raised his head, his eyes pitch black. 'System... heh, you call it a system? In our time, it's called the 'Shackles of Destiny'. For the past twenty years, I haven't been usurping the throne; rather, I have been locking you, this monster, away for the sake of this world!'
[Warning! Violent fluctuations detected in host's emotions.]
[Warning! Detection of key historical fragment reconstruction.]
Liu Bingyi felt a sharp pain in his brain as fragments of memories that did not belong to him flooded in: a blood-red sky, a massive bronze temple and countless identical 'hosts' lying beneath the dragon throne.
'Bingyi, don't listen to him!' Just as he was about to explode, a gentle yet firm voice echoed in his mind. It was his mother, Wang Wengxu. 'Mother's authority has been activated, opening the "Realm of Clarity"!'
Liu Bingyi's eyes instantly regained their clarity. Looking at Huo Guang, he smiled coldly and said, "If I am a monster, it's because you self-proclaimed 'Mandate of Heaven' forced me into this state. Since these shackles cannot bind me, I will melt them down and forge my Great Han Sword!"
Liu Bingyi swung his sword. There were no fancy moves, just a simple horizontal slash. The sword energy swept across and the Sunset Bow on Huo Guang's knee shattered completely. The old locust tree behind him, which had represented the Huo family's fortune for decades, also shattered, turning into a shower of wood chips.Huo Guang sat there with his eyes wide open, but he was dead. This powerful minister, who had dominated the world for twenty years, ultimately failed to secure the abdication he had dreamed of. Instead, he returned to dust in the desolate moonlight, taking unspeakable secrets with him.
[System Summary: Main Quest 'Eliminate the Powerful Minister' Completion: 100%]
Rewards:
- Full Map Control: Completely unlocks all fog-of-war areas on the Han Dynasty map
- Imperial Aura: Permanently increases submission rate by 50%.
- Unknown Clue: Obtained 'Temple Key Fragment' x1
With Huo Guang's last breath, the seemingly invincible Huo Empire crumbled within an hour. Although the curfew in Chang'an remained in effect, the thick stench of blood in the air made it clear to everyone that the Han dynasty had undergone a complete transformation.
"Search! Don't let a single gold nugget escape!' Leading the Imperial Guards, Lei Zhen sealed off all exits of the Huo residence.
Meanwhile, Shadow Guard 'Jin', along with four other Shadow Guards, entered the Huo family's underground vault directly.
[System 3.0 scan activated, asset assessment in progress...]
Scan results: Three million taels of gold and ten million taels of silver.
Provisions: Enough to supply the Northern Army for ten years.
Special items: A large number of unmailed secret letters involving the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions and the Xiongnu Chanyu were discovered.
Liu Bingyi stood in the centre of the secret vault, opened a letter and sneered. 'Huo Guang, Huo Guang. You claim to be imprisoning this "monster" for the sake of the Han dynasty, yet you are secretly preparing a pledge of allegiance for the Xiongnu chanyu. Your 'loyalty' is truly nauseatingly hypocritical.'
'Your Majesty, the remnants of the Huo clan, totalling 1,214 people, have all been escorted to the Meridian Gate.' Lei Zhen knelt and pleaded, his eyes devoid of emotion.
Liu Bingyi walked out of the secret vault and watched the first light of dawn on the horizon. He knew that this was not just killing; it was setting rules for the powerful clans of the realm.
'Huo Guang is dead; the ringleader has been executed. But not one of those who participated in the rebellion and attempted to assassinate the Empress will be spared.' He paused, his tone icy cold. 'If we're going to sever ties, let's do it cleanly. I don't want another 'descendant of the Huo family' to emerge ten years later and seek revenge."
As he made the gesture, a sombre funeral bell tolled from atop the city walls of Chang'an. [Ding! The old forces have been completely eradicated and the Han imperial power has achieved 100% closure.]
System 3.0 enters the 'Revival' version and activates the 'Renewal of All Things' function.
At that moment, Liu Bingyi felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly. Through the system's vision, he could see that the dragon veins of Chang'an, depleted after the fall of the Huo family, were like a dried-up riverbed awaiting a downpour, converging frantically from all directions. His body was repeatedly washed by this immense dragon energy. His hidden injuries, caused by frequently activating the system's functions, instantly healed and his cultivation even touched the 'transcendent' threshold that no one in this world had ever reached before. In the blood-soaked backyard of the Huo mansion, Liu Bingyi found Xu Pingjun, who was being escorted by his shadow guards. Seeing the carnage, fear flickered in her eyes, but the moment she saw Liu Bingyi, it transformed into dependence.
"Bingyi, is it all over?"
"It's over." Liu Bingyi removed his blood-stained, dragon-patterned outer robe and gently draped it over her shoulders. 'From today onward, no one can stand in our way anymore. I will share this world with you."
As the first rays of sunlight shone on the glazed tiles of the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi ascended the steps amid the obeisance of his kneeling ministers. The general's chair was no longer beside him.
This time, there were no system warnings in his mind. He sat on the throne, overlooking the empty hall, and calmly addressed the void:
'System, since the Huo family calls me a monster, I will become a sage ruler they will never forget. Issue my decree: initiate the 'Five-Year Western Regions Plan'. I will have the banner of the Han dynasty planted atop the temple gates!"