Wu Long looked at the ancestors who seemed to have exhausted their attempts to resolve this situation as someone in control. He inwardly chuckled as he could see that face mattered to these old fossils more than anything even in this kind of situation. What they were worried about was that it was not them ‘allowing’ Wu Long to wreak some havoc, but Wu Long doing so with them explicitly opposing him doing so. His gaze turned distant as he looked to the darker side of the sky.

“Haa~ you were right… Renxue… there are too many people who are worried about useless things, me included”

Wu Long said with a sigh, not particularly addressing anyone as the summer sun was still brightly illuminating the area despite the time approaching the night, but nevertheless was already showing signs of darkening. It was the time of the day in summer when the day rapidly waned into night in a very short span, making the bloody lake that covered the ground in the place look even more eerie. The final rays of the sun were like the final hopes of the Wu Family, as the sunset of their glory was finally arriving after thousands of years of prosperity. Even while Wu Long spared parts of the family who did not participate in attacks on him, the Wu Family would never return to its days of unblemished reputation and commanding the respect it once did.

He lightly shook his head, shaking off the image of a beautiful woman who was perhaps still waiting for him somewhere beyond the starry sky that slowly started to appear from the horizon in the East.

“Let’s end this then”

Wu Long said as his emotions were now for some reason more sentimental than angry. He did not relish in the pain and despair of others, although he did occasionally give it as punishment for angering him. And now that the situation reminded him of the wise and beautiful woman who lamented the emphasis that people place on face, reputation, and other superficial things his mind cooled down, not seeing any meaning in delaying the inevitable any longer.

In the end, what ending he gave to the people who angered him was only a figurative expression of processing his own emotions, nothing more than that. The end itself did not change simply because he gave someone more pain or despair, as it only served the purpose of making him feel better.

Now that he has regained composure any further torment he gave to his enemies lost all meaning as he had done enough to express his displeasure.

The Wu Family took deep breaths as the ancestors were still showing signs of a rapid thought process in search of a way to keep their and the Wu family’s dignity.

Wu Long raised his sword to the side horizontally and Sword Qi swirled along the blade. Wu Family Patriarch did not move or circulate Spiritual Qi since he realized the futility of such actions. He was just glaring at Wu Long, refusing to acknowledge any wrong in his decisions. The elders also did not react, but there was also no defiance in their expressions, only despair and regret.

There was no surprise or miracle, as Wu Long’s hand moved and nine heads went into the air, with Wu Family Patriarch departing alongside the seven elders Wu Long left for last, as well as the Soul Cultivator who did not even realize he was dead. Their departure was illuminated by the final brightest ray of sunlight before the Imperial Capital was shrouded by darkness that seemed deeper in contrast and felt abrupt. 𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎

As the vision of people around adjusted to the light of the moon, all they could see was a black lake illuminated by moonlight that seemed to brighten after some time, Wu Long stood atop it with three ancestors, and Wu Tianhuo standing not far in front of him as a half-sphere of a formation barrier held a group of people behind Wu Long in the distance.

The silence that followed the several splashes of headless bodies falling into the shallow lake was only occasionally broken by splashing, as Nie Changsheng was still writhing in pain. The man in Wu Long’s hands seemed to be struggling to do something, indicated by the bulging veins all over his face and hands, but he was powerlessly hanging as he was held by the sash on his waist, not moving even a finger.

Wu Long looked at Wu Tianhuo, in whose eyes he saw fear, but there was one other emotion that he saw there that brought a welling feeling of disgust.

“Haa~ Mengqi, what will you say?”

He asked with a sigh of tiredness and Wu Mengqi in the barrier took a deep breath.

“He is my father…”

As she said these words Wu Tianhuo’s eyes lit up with hope and joy.

“…but he is not deserving to be let off simply because of that.

he had another chance, he would do the same actions all over again, hurting you, and disregarding me”

I could see the happiness he felt, as he is now the likely new patriarch, which seems to be the only thing he is worried about. If he had another chance, he would do the same actions all over again, hurting you, and disregarding me”

Wu Mengqi coldly said, clearly accentuating each word as shock and despair covered Wu Tianhuo from head to toe. A light smile touched Wu Long’s lips as he noted how observing she was since she did not miss the minute joy and anticipation in Wu Tianhuo’s eyes when Wu Tianshui’s head was pierced by a needle and the Patriarch’s parted with his neck.

‘Heh, she is still as decisive as she was back then’

He thought to himself to the time she decided to run with him, even if the chances of getting away were slim.

“W-wait! Mengqi! D-daughter! I am-…”

Wu Tianhuo started out but with a slash of Wu Long’s sword, a deep gash spanning half the thickness of his neck appeared on his throat. His eyes widened as he raised both his hands covering the cut, gurgling sounds coming out of the gash that was profusely leaking blood, joining the lake below his feet. Wu Mengqi did not avert her gaze from the figure that first fell to his knees, desperately clinging to his life, and then fell face down with another splash.

Wu Family Ancestors watched with dark expressions as they lost all face and respect, lamenting the future of the once-glorious Wu Family.

“Alright then, it seems we are done here”

Wu Long shrugged his shoulders and temporarily threw down the man in his left hand as a sheath appeared in it.

The ones responsible for the attempts on his life were dealt with, and the ones standing in his way were disposed of without any lingering feelings since it was their decision to oppose Wu Long when they knew all the truths. The mercenaries and assassins sent to kill him when he was ‘vulnerable’ fighting the Wu family also joined in filling the shallow blood lake, leaving no survivors. He did not have any business with the Wu Family anymore, leaving only Nie Changsheng and the man beside him who he still had some use for.

He raised both of them by the waist and turned to the barrier Wu Mengqi and the others were in. As the formation barrier slowly dissipated Wu Mengqi ran out to Wu Long, hugging him around the neck.

The ancestors, now behind his back looked at him with hatred. The one who lost his arm gnashed his teeth, as he looked at Wu Long’s back which looked so open since his hands were holding people and Wu Mengqi’s arms were around his neck.

“Don’t-…!!!”

“Die-…!!!”

The eldest ancestor noticed the light in his eyes and shouted out but was too late as the youngest of them took out a saber with his remaining hand and raised it high into the air, but his movements froze as hundreds of Spiritual Qi chains bound his figure from all directions the talismans were in. The old woman on the other side was also bound as she was preparing to help in the attack.

“He has yet to dismiss the bigger formation around us, you fools!”

The eldest ancestor covered his face, as he realized that the Noble House of Wu was completely decimated now. Wu Long only slightly turned his head to the side, as he looked back with a side glance.

“Haa~ truly, people care about useless things”

“If you are going to kill them you might as well kill me too”

The only one who was unbound by the chains, the eldest ancestor said as he had nothing to lose anymore. He did not wish to see the light of the next day, which would reflect in the eyes of the people who would have a different look than before when they saw him, and much preferred to close his eyes in the darkness of this night.

‘This one as well…’

Wu Long shook his head as the chains suddenly pulled in all directions, ripping apart the two Core Reformation Realm ancestors like rags.

When Wu Long turned back to Wu Mengqi, a light splashing could be heard behind him, as the eldest ancestor, not receiving what he wanted from Wu Long, reached into his Dantian and crushed it with his own hand, coughing out blood and falling face down into the same lake that now had most of the Wu Family bloodline in the Capital in it.