aircannonsinc Chapter 53 The Dao Alliance Travels the World
Chapter 53 The Dao Alliance Travels the World
Chapter 53 The Dao Alliance Travels the World
Zhou Yi's thunderous methods were like a thunderbolt from the heavens striking stagnant water, completely shaking the entire Qi Dao Alliance and even the entire cultivation world.
He actually—publicly executed over a thousand people in the white marble plaza of the Dao Alliance headquarters, a place symbolizing majesty and justice!
The wind was high, the clouds were thin, and the sun blazed fiercely. The intense sunlight poured down, yet it couldn't dispel the thick, oppressive chill and stench of blood that permeated the square. Thick, viscous blood meandered, forming glaring dark red streams on the polished stone slabs, gradually congealing into large, nauseating patches of deep brown filth. The air was thick with a rusty, sweet stench, mingled with the smell of despair and death, weighing heavily on the hearts of everyone who witnessed this scene.
Inside the main hall, the heads of various powerful families and high-ranking members of the Dao Alliance, seated around a long table, could clearly see the scene unfolding in the plaza through the open hall doors. Every flash of a blade, every head rolling on the ground, every brief scream or groan seemed to strike their taut nerves. Everyone's face was pale, their palms were drenched in cold sweat, a chill ran through them, and even their breathing became shallow. The new alliance leader's decisiveness and ruthlessness far exceeded their worst expectations.
However, in stark contrast to the deathly silence and chilling atmosphere inside the hall, the crowd outside the square grew larger and larger, their emotions running high! Initially, they were just busybodies or low-level cultivators drawn by the announcement, but as the crimes of the Xiao family were read aloud, as those who had dared not speak out in the past appeared to plead their cases, and as the knives fell and the villains were brought to justice—the emotions in the crowd quickly shifted from curiosity and shock to satisfaction and catharsis, and finally to a deafening roar of cheers and applause!
"Well done!"
"What goes around comes around, and retribution is inevitable!"
"Alliance Leader Zhou, you are a righteous and just ruler! Please do justice for us!"
The shouts rose higher and higher, almost drowning out the stench of blood in the square. These ordinary people and low-level rogue cultivators, who were usually like ants in the eyes of powerful families, now unleashed a surprising power and emotion. What they saw was not "cruelty," but "justice"; not "bloodshed," but "the blazing light of justice"!
The execution began at noon and continued until the sun began to set in the west, when the sun was about to disappear into the sky.
The executioners had changed several times. According to the unwritten rules of the Dao Alliance, an executioner should retire after executing ninety-nine people to avoid being haunted by evil spirits and losing merit. But today, there was simply too much "work" to do! Some executioners were even temporarily conscripted in the early morning to familiarize themselves with their weapons, but by noon, they had already "achieved their goal" and could "retire honorably" before dusk. In a single day, more than twenty executioners had completed a "performance" that most people could not accumulate in a lifetime—a truly remarkable sight.
Finally, it's time for today's "main event"—the true core of the Xiao family, the former patriarch Xiao Tiancheng, and his eldest son, Xiao Tianhao, whose reputation is quite complicated.
The two were led to the center of the square and made to kneel in a pool of blood. Xiao Tiancheng's cultivation was destroyed, and he was emaciated, like a candle flickering in the wind; while Xiao Tianhao, although his meridians and magic power were sealed by talismans, stood upright with a calm expression, even carrying a strange composure, which was out of place with the blood and filth around him.
The executioner, Yang Yixun, stood on the high platform, holding the indictment, and read it aloud. His voice was loud and clear, echoing in the gradually quieting square.
"—Xiao Tiancheng, during his tenure as head of the Xiao family, indulged his disciples, abused his supervisory power, framed 137 fellow practitioners, resulting in the ruin and death of 59 families, amassed ill-gotten gains equivalent to over a thousand legal treasures, and colluded with—"
Each and every one of these crimes was based on solid evidence and stained with blood and tears. With each one read aloud, a suppressed outburst of anger and sighs rose from the crowd.
However, Yang Yixun's words clearly placed all the blame on Xiao Tiancheng. As for his son, Xiao Tianhao, the case file was vague, and few specific misdeeds could be found.
The fact that even the meticulous and experienced investigator Yang Yixun couldn't find a clear major crime suggests that this is far more than just "not having done anything wrong." Either this person is so deep and meticulous that he leaves no room for error, or—perhaps he really is different from the Xiao family, a family full of sins.
Could it be that a snow-white cotton ball really popped out of a ditch, or a lotus stem grew out of a filthy swamp?
Zhou Yi, seated high in the main seat of the hall, naturally heard it all. He frowned slightly. He had often heard stories of fathers who were utterly wicked yet raised sons who were compassionate and virtuous, or good people who had lived a life of good deeds yet had rebellious sons who were like devils. He never expected that such an extreme contrast would be presented to him in reality today.
The light and shadows inside the main hall gradually slanted.
Just before Yang Yixun was about to order the execution of Xiao Tiancheng and his son, he said, "Wait!"
Zhou Yi's voice came calmly from the depths of the hall. It was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the noise of the square and reached the ears of everyone.
All eyes immediately turned to the figure in black robes inside the palace gate.
Zhou Yi's gaze passed over the threshold of the main hall and landed on the young man with a straight back in the center of the square.
"Xiao Tianhao".
He spoke, but his voice betrayed no emotion.
"I hereby order the extermination of your entire Xiao family, leaving no one alive."
"Do you harbor any resentment?"
Sealed by the talisman and unable to use any magic power, Xiao Tianhao slowly raised his head upon hearing the sound. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, so he squinted and tried to look into the depths of the hall, only able to see a blurry, high-ranking, dark silhouette.
He didn't answer immediately. He didn't weep and cry out his innocence, didn't shout curses, and didn't beg for mercy. He simply remained silent, kneeling there quietly, like a stone statue awaiting final judgment, or perhaps using this silence to preserve his last shred of dignity.
Xiao Tiancheng, who had long since lost all hope and was as withered as a log, seemed to have his last breath rekindled by those words. He struggled violently, and despite being tightly bound, could only desperately bang his forehead against the ground, making loud thuds in the blood, as he hoarsely pleaded, "Alliance Leader! Alliance Leader, have mercy!! All the sins are my fault alone! It was my greed that blinded me, my failure to discipline him properly, it has nothing to do with Tianhao! He—he has even secretly disobeyed my orders many times over the years, secretly releasing many innocent people we framed and imprisoned! I beg the Alliance Leader to investigate! Tianhao is innocent!"
I beg the Alliance Leader—I beg the Alliance Leader to spare his life! I am willing to bear all the blame! Even if I am torn to pieces and my soul is scattered, I will have no complaints!
Tears streamed down his face, mingling with blood and stains, covering Xiao Tiancheng's rapidly aging face. This final burst of paternal love, perhaps the last remaining spark of it, appeared all the more poignant and sorrowful in this moment.
However, faced with his father's tearful pleas, Xiao Tianhao remained expressionless. He didn't even flinch, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the main hall. After a long while, he finally spoke softly, his voice calm to the point of being cold, yet carrying a weary and mocking air of world-weariness: "Father—"
"If only I had known this would happen, why did I...do it in the first place?"
How could he not have had ambitions? How could he not want to change this family that was rotten to the core? Disgusted by the scheming and framing of his elders and uncles, he had secretly amassed power and secretly released innocent people, trying to quietly change the atmosphere within the family—he fantasized that one day when he held power, he would cleanse the filth and revitalize the family.
But all of that is predicated on the premise that he can successfully take over the power and control the discourse.
Unfortunately, fate did not grant him that time.
He didn't live to see the day he became the head of the family and realized his ambitions, but instead faced this sweeping and merciless purge.
Xiao Tianhao wasn't surprised by this. Given the Xiao family's actions over the years, they had incurred the wrath of both heaven and man; this day was bound to come sooner or later. He just hadn't expected it to come so swiftly, so thoroughly, and executed by those who left no room for compromise.
His back was ramrod straight, even kneeling amidst the blood and grime, even with the executioner's blade about to fall on his neck, he maintained an almost martyr-like composure and calm. This formed a stark, even jarring, contrast with the rest of the Xiao family who, before their execution, were either limp as mud, wailing and begging for mercy, or cursing incessantly.
"Alliance Leader! Alliance Leader, have mercy!!!" Xiao Tiancheng's desperate pleas, mixed with blood, tears, and despair, echoed across the gradually quieting square, sounding particularly mournful.
After a moment of silence in the hall, Zhou Yi's emotionless voice rang out again, causing everyone's hearts to tighten: "Yang Yixun."
"Your subordinate is here!" Yang Yixun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately bowed and faced the main hall.
"Xiao Tianhao, what specific crime did he commit? According to which alliance rule should he be sentenced to death?"
The three questions, concise and direct, instantly sent a cold sweat down Yang Yixun's forehead. His hand gripping the scroll of charges tightened slightly, the paper making a soft rustling sound.
Xiao Tianhao—indeed, no clear-cut crimes punishable by death were found against him. On the contrary, according to undercover investigations and feedback from some clandestine channels, this young man was even considered one of the few "outliers" among the younger generation of the Dao Alliance who refused to collude with his family and had privately done some "unconventional" but rather virtuous deeds. The thin dossier in his hand had almost no information about Xiao Tianhao.
"This—" Yang Yixun's throat went dry, and he forced himself to say, "According to—according to the law, if a father commits a serious crime, his relatives will also be implicated, and his son will also—cannot escape blame—"
He wanted to say "the son pays for the father's debts," "the family is one, sharing honor and disgrace," and those seemingly self-evident family rules that have lasted for thousands of years.
However, before he could finish speaking, he was abruptly interrupted by a voice from inside the hall: "Enough!"
"One can choose a teacher, but not a father."
Zhou Yi's voice was clear and cold, like a cold spring striking a stone.
"Since there is no concrete evidence, and I did not aid and abet the evildoers, nor am I involved in any bloodshed—"
He paused, as if stating the simplest of truths.
"What crime has Xiao Tianhao committed?"
"call out--!"
The moment the words fell, a condensed, invisible gust of wind shot out from the depths of the hall and struck Xiao Tianhao, who was kneeling in the center of the square, with perfect accuracy!
"Snap!" "Plop!" "Splash!"
A series of soft cracking sounds rang out. The talismans on Xiao Tianhao's body, which had been personally blessed by experts from the Dao Alliance and imprisoned his meridians and magical power, shattered and vanished instantly, like thin ice exposed to sunlight! The heavy shackles binding his hands and feet, made of special metal and engraved with sealing runes, also broke in response, turning into several pieces of ordinary iron that clattered to the ground!
A long-lost, faint yet free magical power began to flow slowly again in his parched meridians.
Xiao Tianhao's body trembled slightly. He looked down blankly at his hands, which were now free but stained with blood, as if he hadn't fully realized what had happened.
"Xiao Tianhao".
The voices inside the hall rang out again, slightly softer than before, but still majestic.
"I spare your life today not because your father begged, but because you still have a shred of conscience and have not succumbed to filth."
"I hope that in the future you will keep this in mind, and never forget or fail to live up to the good fortune of today."
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a proclamation-like authority: "Effective immediately, you are hereby removed from all your previous positions within the Dao Alliance."
"I hereby appoint you as—the first World Walker of the Dao Alliance!"
"Buzz!"
A streak of dark light flew out from the hall. It was not fast, but it carried a heavy spiritual pressure and hovered steadily in front of Xiao Tianhao.
It was a palm-sized, dark-colored token, neither gold nor jade. The token had an ancient design, with four large characters deeply engraved in ancient seal script on the front: "Walking the World!" The characters were vigorous, with a subtle, shimmering light within them. The back was engraved with a simplified emblem of the One Qi Alliance, as well as more complex cloud patterns and restrictive runes.
This is not just an identity token, but also a magical artifact with extraordinary power! The runes flowing on the surface of the token faintly exude the obscure Daoist charm of "suppressing all laws", clearly indicating that the craftsman has endowed it with some kind of powerful supernatural ability.
Although Zhou Yi, from the world of Sun and Moon in Contrast, was taught by the "Three True Ones," he was accepted as a disciple and his teachings were passed down by Hai Shan Liao. He cultivated on Penglai Island from a young age and was quite familiar with the supernatural powers of the Penglai lineage, thus combining the strengths of both schools.
"Holding this decree is as if I were personally present!"
The voice of the Book of Changes resounded throughout the square and reached the ears of everyone in the hall, each with their own thoughts.
"Duties: To patrol the land, supervise all directions, and be responsible for redressing wrongful convictions, investigating illegal activities, and purging the Daoist Alliance!"
He paused, then uttered, word by word, with utmost clarity, the weight of his authority: "In cases of serious injustice, emergencies, or heinous crimes for which the evidence is irrefutable—"
"You're granted permission—to act first and report later!"
Travel the world! Inspect the world! Execute first, report later! As if the leader of the alliance were personally present!
The power that these words represent when put together is simply terrifying!
This means that from this moment on, Xiao Tianhao, who was just a death row inmate awaiting execution and a remnant of the Xiao family, will suddenly become an "Imperial Envoy" within the Dao Alliance, holding a transcendent position and wielding immense power, capable of ignoring most routine procedures and obstruction from powerful families! His deterrent power and freedom of action even surpass those of the Obsidian Inspector at his peak!
Such power is something the Yang family could never have granted to Xiao Tianhao, even at its peak! It could even be said that it is a special position that has never appeared in the Dao Alliance system for thousands of years!
One step to the sky!
Truly, instant success!
The turn of events was so rapid and dramatic that Xiao Tianhao himself was stunned, staring blankly at the dark token floating before him, as if he were in a bizarre and unreal dream. One moment, he was fish on a chopping block, a casualty of his family's destruction; the next, he held supreme power, becoming the "Sword Bearer" who could decide the lives of others—
"Thank you—thank you, Alliance Leader! Thank you for sparing my life, Alliance Leader! Tianhao! Quickly express your gratitude!!" On the ground, Xiao Tiancheng wept with joy, wailing and banging his head against the ground. His face, streaked with tears, was a mixture of blood and ecstasy, as if his son's rebirth was a hundred times more important than his own life.
However, Xiao Tianhao simply raised his hand slowly, his fingertips trembling slightly, and grasped the cold "Walking the World" token. It felt heavy in his hand, with the texture of metal, yet it also seemed to bear an invisible pressure and—a certain burning expectation.
Inside the hall, there was a moment of silence.
Then came the final command, delivered in a calm voice, which marked the end of today's bloody massacre: "Execute them."
The blade flashed one last time.
Xiao Tiancheng's head, mixed with tears, blood, and an agitated expression, rolled to the ground, staining the ground with dark red blood, and finally came to rest at Xiao Tianhao's feet.
Those eyes, which had not yet completely lost their luster, were still looking in the direction of her son, and there seemed to be a trace of relief and comfort still lingering at the corners of her mouth.
The execution was finally over.
The deafeningly noisy square gradually quieted down. The crowd, filled with complex emotions, whispered among themselves and slowly dispersed. The heavy stench of blood lingered in the evening breeze, yet seemed even more pungent.
The sun had long since sunk behind the western mountains, and darkness quickly descended. Before anyone knew it, leaden-gray clouds gathered, obscuring the stars and moon, and a night rain quietly arrived.
The cool rain began to fall gradually, washing away the large patches of congealed, blackened bloodstains on the square, forming pale red streams that meandered along the cracks in the stone slabs.
The vast square was now eerily empty.
Only Xiao Tianhao remained standing alone, clutching the black token tightly in his hand, letting the cold rain soak his hair, face, and clothes already stained with blood.
All around were corpses lying haphazardly, unclaimed by anyone. The bodies of the Xiao family, their vassals—in the dim, flickering lamplight and the deepening rain, created a desolate and terrifying scene.
Footsteps sounded.
Yang Yixun, holding an umbrella, walked slowly over and stopped beside Xiao Tianhao. He looked at this young man who had lost everything overnight but was now given everything again, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh.
I know—you're not feeling well.
Yang Yixun's voice sounded somewhat muffled in the rain.
"But—don't disappoint the leader, and don't harbor any improper thoughts."
Xiao Tianhao's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and he gripped the token even tighter.
Looking at the corpses in the rain, Yang Yixun continued, "These—unclaimed ones—if no one collects them tonight, will be transported by the servants to the incinerator outside the city tomorrow and burned."
He looked at Xiao Tianhao: "Go bury your family. As for the others—if you wish, you can deal with them as well. After all, they once shared your surname or served your family."
Xiao Tianhao finally made a move.
He slowly, extremely slowly, cupped his hands and bowed deeply in Yang Yixun's direction.
No words were spoken.
Then, he straightened up, bent down, and with his hands, which had just regained their freedom and were still trembling, carefully picked up his father's head, which was covered in mud and blood and whose expression was frozen.
It feels cold and heavy to the touch.
He straightened up, no longer looking at the other corpses in the square, nor at Yang Yixun. He simply held his father's head, turned around, and walked step by step, on the slippery and cold stone slabs washed by the rain, towards the direction of "home" in his memory, staggering but determined.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier.
Rainwater mixed with blood left a long, fading trail behind him.
That night, Xiao Tianhao hired the most basic horse-drawn carriage. He removed the roof of the carriage, revealing an empty carriage floor.
Then, under the gaze of countless eyes that were filled with curiosity, fear, pity, or contempt, he silently carried one unclaimed corpse after another from the square onto the carriage.
Some of the corpses were already stiff, and some were beginning to emit a foul odor. He showed no disgust, nor did he hire anyone to help; he simply repeated the actions of bending over, picking up, and placing the bodies down all by himself. Sweat soaked his clothes, and blood stained his palms and collar, but he seemed oblivious.
Once the carriage was full, he drove it out of the city, found a secluded but relatively clean hillside, dug a pit by hand, placed the corpses one by one into it, buried them, and erected simple wooden signs with their names written on them.
Then go back and pull up another cartload.
This process was repeated over and over.
Until there were no more corpses related to the Xiao family in the square.
He buried them all together, regardless of whether they were masters or servants, relatives or strangers, good or evil. There was no grand funeral, no ceremonies or mournful music, only a simple mound of yellow earth and a few stone tablets.
The mountain wind after the rain carried a bone-chilling coolness, blowing across the newly built graves covering the hillside, weaving through the exposed damp soil and the unburnt paper money, making a low, mournful sound, like the suppressed sighs of countless departed souls.
Xiao Tianhao stood alone, his plain clothes already soaked by the mountain mist. Before him was a blank new tombstone, and behind him stretched a series of burial mounds—here lay his father, his uncles, and his blood relatives who deserved their fate. The air was filled with the earthy smell of burning incense.
He stood silently for a long time before slowly bowing deeply towards the quiet cemetery.
Just as he straightened up and looked towards the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, a figure draped in a wide black robe silently emerged from behind him, as if seeping out of the shadows. The hood covered most of his face, revealing only a few strands of red hair.
A deep, chuckling voice broke the deathly silence of the graveyard: "Congratulations, Brother Hao, you've turned misfortune into a blessing." The voice paused, a hint of barely perceptible amusement and eagerness in its tone. "The 'Ruler of the World' token, the Dao Alliance's power in your grasp—our grand plan, meticulously crafted for years, can finally truly begin."
"Once we've accomplished everything, the leader of the Dao Alliance and all the powerful clans will have to grovel at our feet!"
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"Brother Hao, I will definitely avenge you!"
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