when?
That was of course a long time ago.

When Xu Shanshan was still called Qingwushen and was the grand master of Jing State.

When she learned that Xuanmen had spent decades preparing and plotting to overthrow the government and the world in the Shengjing Palace, she had already planned for this day.

At that time, the enemy was in the open and she was in the dark. It seemed that she was passive everywhere and was in an absolutely weak position.

But she was able to turn the tables, use the opponent’s force against her, and eventually eradicated the “hidden stakes” and “chronic diseases” one by one.

It can be said that everyone is her “chess piece” and all the forces in the open and in secret are part of her plan.

She first took off the skin of the “Grand Master” and successfully dealt with the evil master of Xuanmen, making it impossible for them to assist the Seven Kings anymore.

Once the seven kings lost the help of these people with profound magic skills, all they could rely on was their stored military forces.

At the same time, Xu Shanshan also secretly mobilized a group of elite tobacco slaves to lurk among the rebel forces of the three kings.

These tobacco slaves are skilled in illusion and are all masters with unique skills and loyalty. They are responsible for collecting intelligence and reporting the rebels’ every move to Xu Shanshan.

Xuanmen summoned the dynasty’s top formation masters to study the mysterious “Ice Demon-Slaying Formation” day and night. The reason why she did not completely destroy it was not only to follow the clues and find the Xuanmeng headquarters, but also to modify the formation.

She used her powerful magic, and after careful calculation and deduction, she rebuilt the remaining formation left by Xuanmen.

Eventually, she raised an unprecedented fantasy formation—the “Nine Nether Fantasy Formation”—on top of the “remains” of the old formation in the capital.

This formation is different from the previous “Ice Demon-Slaying Formation” in that its lethality is not that strong.

It’s just an illusion.

But once activated, they echo each other, forming a huge and complex energy network that can trap the enemy in endless dreams, making them lose themselves between illusion and reality until they are exhausted and at the mercy of others.

It was also under Xu Shanshan’s clever arrangement that the rebels stepped step by step into her carefully designed trap and eventually lost the ability to resist.

“Your Majesty, have we… won?”

Everything turned out like a dream.

“Where are they being held? Will they escape again?”

“How long can this formation last? What if…”

In the past, Xu Shanshan would have told them to “sleep forever”, but now she wanted to ask everyone present: “How should we deal with these people? What suggestions do you have?”

A general suggested: “Kill one to warn the rest!”

Some civil officials were reluctant and said: “If they surrender, the mastermind will be killed, and the rest will be sentenced according to their crimes.”

The neutrals were unable to make a decision: “It is up to your Majesty to decide.”

Xu Shanshan turned around, with a jade-white face, calm eyebrows and clear eyes, and smiled calmly: “If it were up to me, I’m afraid these tens of thousands of people would not survive.”

A chill ran from the soles of the feet straight into the body, and everyone fell silent.

At this time, Xu Shanshan said: “But I remember that there is still one person in hell who is suffering from the pain of karma for me. If I kill one less person, he can get more blessings and be liberated sooner…”

“As you said, the mastermind should be killed, and the surrendered soldiers should be punished for treason. This will be posted as a warning to the whole country.”

–

A wide execution ground was built at the Meridian Gate, and the whole city of Shengjing issued a notice overnight. So three days later, at dawn, the execution ground was already surrounded by a dense crowd. This time, it was not only for the people to watch, but also the civil and military officials wore formal court robes, and the royal family wore plain satin clothes without decorations, sitting on the specially built stands.

These people had different expressions.

Some were filled with fear, some were in a state of panic, and the people crowded around the edge of the execution ground, their faces showing complicated or excited expressions.

The rebellion of the seven kings, which had caused a lot of uproar before, was suppressed in less than a year. The long-standing latent riot was expected to be a grand and tragic process.

But now it ends in such a tragic outcome.

Are the seven kings not working hard enough?

No, they thought, it was Emperor Yue who was too terrifying.

The leaders of the rebel army had their hands and feet shackled with iron shackles, their hair was disheveled and their faces were dirty. They were not tortured, but they still looked decadent and doomed.

They were escorted to the center of the execution ground and lined up in order.

At this time, Emperor Yue was sitting on the high dragon throne, overlooking the entire execution ground.

Today she was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown on her head. It was a rare occasion that she wore an orthodox imperial attire, except when she attended court.

The eunuch next to him saw that all the criminals had been taken to the scene and the solemn atmosphere had been raised to its highest point. He then read out the crimes of the rebels in a shrill voice, and his voice echoed over the execution ground.

The three kings in the lead, although their hair was disheveled and they were wearing prison uniforms, laughed when they heard the crimes announced by their superiors, and they raised their heads without fear.

“Stupid emperor! Do you think you can stop the world from talking nonsense by chopping off our heads?” The Southern King cursed: “You are incompetent in governing, and you have caused disasters to happen to our Great Jing. The people have suffered. There was a severe drought three years ago, a locust plague last year, and a flood this year. How many people’s bones are still exposed in the wilderness—”

Prince Fu also broke free from the executioner’s grasp and shouted: “If you are the emperor again, Dajing will surely be doomed!”

“Emperor Yue, if you really care about the people of the world, you should understand that only when you die can the world be truly peaceful!”

Junior General Huo, no, now it’s General Huo, he jumped up from his seat and said, “Don’t talk nonsense! Your Majesty is not wrong! Everything is done by you traitors. The world is not at peace, and the only way is to sacrifice your blood to the heavens!”

“You are about to die, yet you are still here spreading lies to confuse the people!”

The court officials who supported Emperor Yue all stood up in anger.

However, there were also many who remained silent. After all, although the words of the three kings were cruel and sinister, they were not entirely false.

Xu Shanshan stood up from the dragon throne. Unlike the indignant crowd around her and the agitated and agitated people, she always maintained a calm and casual attitude.

It is as light as a breeze and as thin as an impenetrable fog.

“My sins will be judged by heaven, but your sins will be punished right now.”

Following the order from the chief eunuch, the executioners held their swords, sprayed a mouthful of strong liquor, and with a flash of cold light, a bloody execution began.

For a moment, heads rolled around on the execution ground and blood splattered everywhere. The onlookers were terrified and shivered uncontrollably. Some were so scared that they closed their eyes and dared not watch anymore.

Soon, it was the turn of the last three kings. Among the three kings, the dazed look of King Nan gradually recovered, and he suddenly burst into a heart-wrenching laugh.

The dark clouds in the sky rolled like ink and sweat, depositing heavy lead, and the sky suddenly darkened.

“The Xuan Sect has been destroyed. You are the only one in the world who has the ability to peer into the sky. Look at this dark cloud pressing down on the sky!”

Some of the officials, royal relatives and nobles present frowned slightly, thinking that the Third King seemed to have some hidden meaning in his words. They did not understand what he meant at all. (End of this chapter)