At the Jiaofang Palace in Chang'an, the red wedding curtains were still drawn and the air was heavy with the smell of blood and herbs. Xu Pingjun had just given birth to a prince, whose weak cry should have been the most beautiful melody in this cold imperial city. However, lurking behind this joy was a poison that was gradually taking effect due to the lingering effects of the 'Tracing Inducing Agent' and Xu Pingjun's extreme postpartum weakness.
'The illness... the child... let me see the child...' Xu Pingjun's face was ashen and her fingertips were trembling as she reached for the swaddling clothes. The shadow guard, Water, had been watching from the shadows by the bedside, using all his energy to stabilise her vital signs.
However, at that moment, a red light flashed frantically in Water's mind: 'Warning! Target's vital signs have dropped to zero!'
Logic error repair failed: The 'Tracing Inducing Agent' left by Huo Xian is a dual poison for mother and child. The mother's poison enters the womb and breaks down the blood vessels irreversibly, while the child's poison breaks down along with them."
'No... no!' Far away, on the front lines in Shuofang, Liu Bingyi stood amidst a vast army, his blood-stained sword in hand. Suddenly, it felt as if a blunt knife had pierced his heart. He coughed up blood and fell from his horse. In that instant, through the 'Dragon Soul Connection', he clearly felt the warm, resilient thread that had always bound his soul snap.
"Your Majesty!" Chang Hui and the Imperial Guards rushed forward in terror.Liu Bingyi pushed his way through the crowd and rose unsteadily to his feet. The shrewd glint in his eyes, which had once been full of control and cunning, had now completely vanished. He had considered himself the director of this world, capable of manipulating powerful ministers with his acting skills and controlling fate with the system. But now, he was unable to protect the woman who had brought him bread in the dead of winter and mended his clothes in the cold palace.
'Pingjun...' Liu Bingyi let out a low, mournful roar. His voice was as hoarse as grinding iron and his façade was completely shattered.
All of his talk of "showing weakness", "concealing one's abilities" and being "a great emperor for all time" had become the most ironic joke in that moment. He was like a madman who had lost his soul, frantically flailing around. His fists pounded the scorched earth beneath his feet, each punch carrying enough force to shatter mountains and split rocks. [System 4.0: Strong negative feedback detected! Extremely abnormal host emotions detected!"
[Warning: A black hole has appeared in the host's willpower and the acting module is completely sealed.
[System Punishment Mechanism Activated: Due to the host's failure to protect a key NPC, 50% of their mental capacity has been forcibly deducted, initiating a 'Cultivation Devouring' state. Liu Bingyi's sea of consciousness was no longer a neat war map, but a churning sea of blood.
The 'ancestral blood' from Crown Prince Wei, which he had suppressed, sensed its master's madness and began to take over. What flowed through his meridians was no longer blood, but scorching magma.
'Since this system can't save her, what use is keeping this cold, lifeless code?' Liu Bingyi frantically questioned himself. His skin was covered in dense, blood-red veins; his hair turned white at the roots in an instant; and the rational golden light in his double pupils vanished, replaced by unfathomable blackness.
[Warning: The host is forcibly absorbing system permissions. Current mutation progress: 40%.
[In the state of demonic possession, the host will lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe, and their desire to kill on the battlefield will increase by 500%.]
"Master, stop! You will destroy your own foundation!' Shadow Guard Jin desperately rushed onto the command platform, only to be blasted dozens of metres away by the violent aura emanating from Liu Bingyi.
Liu Bingyi abruptly turned his head; the killing intent in his eyes sent chills down the spines of even the ruthless Shadow Guards. 'The Xiongnu... the Huo family... will all die...'
He carried a heavy sword and walked barefoot towards the fleeing remnants of the Xiongnu, 3,000 royal guards personally led by the Xiongnu Left Wise King. They had originally planned to launch a surprise attack in the chaos, only to discover that the Han emperor had become a demon crawling out of hell.
Liu Bingyi didn't use any system skills; he simply swung his sword.
With each swing, a ten-zhang-long black crescent arc of light cleaved horses, armour, flesh and the ground beneath his feet in two. He no longer considered his stamina or consumption; he was simply venting the excruciating pain that could have shattered his soul. Blood stained his white hair and black armour.
As the first rays of dawn... When sunlight shone on the snow-covered plains of Shuofang, not a single living creature remained within a five-mile radius.
Not a single intact corpse remained of the three thousand Xiongnu cavalry. Liu Bingyi stood atop the piles of carcasses, leaning on his sword. The snow water could not wash away the intense, deadly aura emanating from him. Just as he was about to be consumed completely by the raging power within him, and succumb to destruction, a faint, soft white light suddenly shone from his chest.
It was a peace talisman sewn by Xu Pingjun into the lining of his inner garment before he left for war. Inside, there were no system items, only a lock of her hair and a rough note that read, 'Peace and safety year after year.'
[Ding… Host's emotional anchor point detected… 'Cultivation gone mad' forcibly interrupted.]
[System cost: the host suffers from persistent internal injuries and his lifespan is reduced by another five years.]
Liu Bingyi slowly knelt in the pool of blood, took out the blood-soaked peace talisman from his chest and pressed it tightly to his heart. 'Pingjun... I'm taking you... home.' That night, Liu Bingyi lost his wife, and the Han Dynasty lost a gentle and kind ruler who maintained the status quo and welcomed a bloodthirsty tyrant who could make the heavens tremble.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year in Chang'an City, a day that should have been filled with the sound of firecrackers ushering in the new year, falling snow and white mourning clothes now shrouded the city. Liu Bingyi had returned. Instead of riding in the imperial carriage that symbolised imperial power, he chose to enter the city alone, holding Xu Pingjun tightly in his arms. Thanks to the system's energy, however, she still retained her former appearance.
His white hair danced in the cold wind and the dark red bloodstains on his black armour represented the spirits of the three thousand Xiongnu cavalry. At the city gate, the officials who had been ordered to welcome his 'victorious return' all collapsed in the snow the moment they saw this white-haired tyrant, too afraid to breathe. 'Pingjun, look, we're home,' said Liu Bingyi softly, his voice chillingly gentle as he traced her cool cheek with his fingertips.
[System 4.0: Emotional Isolation Mode – 'Absolute Zero' Auto-Loading Failed]
[Status: Host's willpower is on the verge of collapse. Although the acting module is sealed, a mutated skill has emerged: 'Abyss Eyes'.
Skill Description: When the host looks directly at another person, that person will automatically fall into a woven illusion of 'inner fear'.
In the mourning hall of Chang Le Palace, the atmosphere was extremely solemn. Xu Pingjun's coffin was in the centre, surrounded by flickering white candles. Liu Bingyi slumped beside the coffin, clutching the "old sword" with its broken string in his arms, and wailed loudly. He was no longer restrained like an emperor; his cries expressed the despair of a commoner who had lost a loved one.
"Everything is gone... everything is gone..." he cried, throwing precious imperial treasures into the brazier. He appeared completely deranged and did not even notice that his crown was askew. Hidden behind the screen, Huo Yu and the remaining members of the Huo family exchanged glances and revealed cruel, triumphant smiles.
'Look, he's crippled,' said Huo Yu in a low voice, his eyes filled with greed. 'A man without a heart is just a walking corpse. Huo Xian's poison may have ruined his reputation, but it has also broken his backbone. Father, if we act now, he won't even have the strength to resist.'
Huo Guang stood in the shadows, watching the white-haired youth weep bitterly before the coffin. His brows furrowed; as a powerful minister, he instinctively felt uneasy. However, the weakness emanating from Liu Bingyi was undeniable, resulting from his qi deviation and the disordered meridians caused by the system's punishment.
Just when the entire court thought that the 'Restoration Emperor' was about to die, Liu Bingyi raised his head slightly during the brief pause in the burning of paper money. In that instant, Huo Guang, lurking in the shadows, felt as if he had fallen into a polar ice cap.
There were no tears in Liu Bingyi's eyes. Due to the mutation caused by 'qi deviation', two solid, blood-red crystals had formed deep within his pupils. Looking into those eyes, Huo Yu could see neither the mourning hall nor the 'slaughter red dots' automatically marked by System 4.0.
[System Scan Report]
Huo Yu: 15 metres away with abnormal carotid artery pulsation; can be killed instantly.
Huo Guang: 20 metres away, carrying the 'Fragment of Luck'; recommended to be finished off in conjunction with the 'Overlord Form'.
Lurking assassins: 342 in total, distributed amongst the beams, behind the screen and under the floor tiles.
'Master, shall we kill?' Shadow Guard 'Jin' asked through divine sense, his blade pressed against Huo Yu's throat.
'No rush,' replied Liu Bingyi coldly as he mechanically burned paper money. 'I want them to hear their own bones shatter in this mourning hall. Pingjun loved a grand spectacle, and I intend to use the blood of half of Chang'an's most powerful families to give her the most magnificent funeral."
Dressed in plain clothes, Huo Chengjun also entered. Looking at the white-haired man, she felt a strange sense of pleasure — the long-suppressed jealousy of Xu Pingjun was finally erupting.
'Your Majesty, please accept my condolences,' she said softly, stepping forward to help Liu Bingyi up. 'Although the Empress is gone, I am still here, the Huo family is still here, and the Han Dynasty is still here…'
Liu Bingyi slowly turned his head to look at the face bearing a resemblance to Huo Xian. Suddenly, he smiled — a gentle, warm smile reminiscent of the handsome wandering knight he once was. "Chengjun, you've come." He extended his blood-stained hand and gently patted hers.
At that moment, Huo Chengjun felt an extreme chill run from her fingertips straight to her brain. Behind Liu Bingyi, she saw the faint phantom of a white-haired Asura emerge, wielding a broken sword and treading on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. "Chengjun, look at the ashes in this brazier; they look just like the ashes of your Huo family."
[System 4.0 Forced Warning: [Slaughter Domain] has covered the entire Chang Le Palace! All targets locked! The host's mental energy is being forcibly converted into physical damage through "Killing Intent Condensation"!''Your Majesty, what nonsense are you spouting?' Huo Chengjun took a step back in terror, only to find her ankles gripped tightly by countless bloody hands. At that moment, Huo Guang, who had remained silent until then, finally realised that something was wrong. He pushed aside the screen abruptly and shouted, 'Imperial Guards! Protect the Emperor!' However, instead of the sound of orderly footsteps, there was only the dull thud of a heavy object falling to the ground.
The doors of the mourning hall closed by themselves, despite there being no breeze.
In the flickering candlelight, Liu Bingyi slowly rose to his feet. With each inch he rose, the white cloth covering him shattered a little more under the pressure of the purple true energy emanating from his body. When he was fully upright, the "Old Sword", infused with system energy and with its strings broken, unexpectedly extended into a three-foot-long blood-red blade, purely composed of killing intent.
'General, I've finished crying,' echoed Liu Bingyi's voice in the hall, carrying layers of lingering electronic sounds. 'Now it's your turn to cry.'
In the mourning hall of Chang Le Palace, the flickering flames of the white candles instantly froze, turning an eerie purplish-black.
System 4.0 within Liu Bing's consciousness was undergoing an unprecedented upheaval; the loss of Xu Pingjun had utterly destroyed the host's emotional support. The code, which was originally centred on 'assisting a wise ruler and reviving the Han dynasty', became distorted and reorganised in the face of extreme malevolence.
[Ding! Complete collapse of the host's emotional module detected. The system is undergoing logical reconstruction...]
[Core divergence: The host possesses both 'absolute protection' and 'ultimate destruction' potential.'
[System version update: "Tyrant/Wise Ruler Dual-Sided System" activated.]
Wise Ruler System (White): Corresponds to the fate of the Han dynasty, unlocking infrastructure, education and longevity technology (currently in a sealed, grey state).
Tyrant System (black): Corresponds to slaughter and plunder. Unlocks battle formations, reaping and bloodline evolution. Currently in a state of overflowing madness.
'Get out of my way! I don't want any wise ruler!' Liu Bingyi roared inwardly, his eyes consumed entirely by bloodlust. The crimson edge of his heavy sword, 'Old Sword', devoured the surrounding light.
The Tyrant System's first core skill has been activated: 'Blood Sacrifice: Nine Clans Grief".
Skill description: Using the blood of the enemy as a catalyst, this sacrifice honours the souls of the deceased. The life essence, fortune and family foundation of those personally slain by the host will be transformed into nourishment for the Han Dynasty's dragon vein."
'Your Majesty! You... you've gone mad!' Huo Yu watched Liu Bingyi approach, step by step. The overwhelming pressure caused a surge of heat in his groin and he involuntarily lost control of his bladder.
Liu Bingyi didn't speak; he simply waved his hand lightly.
[Skill activated: Blood Sacrifice: Gravity Domain]
The Huo family assassins who rushed forward to protect Xu Pingjun felt as if they were being crushed by an immense weight. Their bones cracked with a grinding sound and exploded into a cloud of blood mist. Instead of dissipating, the blood mist was drawn by an invisible force and gathered around Xu Pingjun's coffin, forming a strange protective shield.
'The first one.' Liu Bingyi's figure blurred and he instantly appeared before Huo Yu. Without making any unnecessary movements, he slashed with his sword, cleanly severing Huo Yu's terrified head and half of his shoulder. Blood gushed out and was automatically absorbed by the system in mid-air.
[Ding! Successfully sacrificed the eldest son of the Huo family. Great Han's national fortune value increased by 5000 and the host's lifespan was restored by 10 days.
'Not enough... far from enough.' Liu Bingyi felt the poisonous pleasure surging through his body as his white hair flew wildly amidst the killing intent.
After all, Huo Guang was a veteran minister of three dynasties. Although he was shocked by Liu Bingyi's eerie power, as the powerful 'Duke of Zhou of Han', he still held the Huo family's last trump card.
'Liu Bingyi! If you kill me, half the officials across the Han dynasty will turn against you and the border generals will all be disciples of my Huo family. You are destroying the Han Dynasty!' Huo Guang roared. He pulled an ancient jade seal from his sleeve — the seal of regency that Emperor Wu had bestowed upon him on his deathbed — which embodied the military will of the early Han dynasty.
'Officials turn against us? I will kill them all! Border generals rebel? I will slaughter them!" Two red beams shot out of Liu Bingyi's eyes and shattered the green light emanating from the jade seal.
'Huo Guang, you claim to act for the Han dynasty, yet you allowed your family to poison my wife. You will be remembered for your merits, but you and your entire clan will be remembered for your crimes!" None of Huo's more than three hundred confidants and loyal followers present survived Liu Bingyi's frenzied slaughter. With each kill, the white banners in the mourning hall became stained with blood, turning the once solemn hall into a colossal altar of flesh and blood.
[Tyrant System Notification: [Blood Sacrifice] Progress reached 80%; a special soul has been detected: Huo Xian (Source of Mother Poison). Huo Xian, huddled in a corner and covered in pustules, was lifted up by the shadow guard, 'Water'. She wasn't dead; in fact, the system's power was keeping her conscious against her will, forcing her to endure the pain of the poison's backlash. Liu Bingyi walked up to her and pressed the tip of his sword against her brow.
'I won't kill you,' he said in a low, menacing voice, like a demon's. 'I will extract your soul and seal it beneath my "Tyrant's Throne", so you will watch day and night as I reduce every brick and tile of the Huo family to dust.' When the last Huo family member fell in a pool of blood, Chang Le Palace had become a living hell. Covered in blood, Liu Bingyi sat on the steps beside the coffin, leaning on his heavy sword. His white hair fluttered in the bloodstained breeze, but his eyes held extreme emptiness.
[Ding! The 'Blood Sacrifice' mission has been completed! Host status: Divine consciousness restored, mental limit increased by 200%, 'Divine Sense Scan – Full Map' activated.
Tyrant Authority: [Soul Searching Technique] and [Capture the Commander of Ten Thousand Armies] unlocked.
System mutation: A wisp of Xu Pingjun's remnant soul has been automatically captured by the 'Wise Ruler System' and transformed into a 'System Spirit/Guardian Spirit' (awakening requires extremely high merit points).
Liu Bingyi suddenly raised his head, his previously lifeless eyes now bursting with light.
"Awaken... How do I awaken her?'
[System prompt: Only when the 'Wise Ruler System' reaches its maximum level and the Han Dynasty enters the 'All Nations Paying Tribute, Fortune Soaring to the Heavens' era can the physical body be reshaped, reversing life and death.' Liu Bingyi slowly stood up, looked at the clear sky above Chang'an outside the window and laughed bitterly.
'A wise ruler? Very well, then I will give this world a 'wise ruler'. But before the golden age arrives, I will be the world's most terrifying tyrant!"
The bloodstains on the floor of Chang Le Palace had not yet been washed away by the rain when an edict that shocked the world was issued from the depths of the palace, home to the white-haired tyrant.
The edict read: 'I acknowledge the high merits of the Huo family. Although there was a traitor among them, Consort Huo Chengjun is gentle, kind, respectful and frugal, and possesses the demeanour of a noble family. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon her the title of Empress, to be the mother of the nation.' The moment the edict was issued, the entire city of Chang'an fell into a deathly silence. The aristocratic families, who had prepared for the 'purgation', looked at each other in dismay as a deeper fear than that of slaughter welled up in their hearts.
'Your Majesty... has he gone mad?' Zhang Anshi sat outside the main hall, his fingers trembling.
Only Liu Bingyi was seated on the dragon throne, a symbol of supreme power, surrounded by piles of evidence of the Huo family's crimes. His striking white hair stood out starkly against his golden crown, and the Tyrant System in his mind emitted a dim, dark red glow.
[System 4.0: Strategy Module – 'Absolute Praise to Death · Extreme Sealing' activated.
Logic Analysis: Push the enemy's daughter to the highest position, making her the target of all the powerful clans in the land.
Current status: Huo Chengjun's favourability (alienated version) has overflowed.
Hidden reward: The coronation ceremony will be the final step in the 'blood sacrifice', harvesting the last of the Huo family's fortune.
Dressed in a dark red robe, Huo Chengjun staggers up the long staircase to the top of Weiyang Palace, her feet stained with the blood of Huo family members from the past few days, still wet. She looked at the officials kneeling on either side of her, who had once fawned over her, but who now looked at her as if she were a living sacrifice.
'Your Majesty...' Huo Chengjun reached the top of the stairs and looked at the man with snow-white hair and deep eyes: Liu Bingyi.
He slowly stood up, not emitting a suffocatingly violent aura, but revealing a gentle, jade-like smile tinged with infatuation.
He gently smoothed the stray hairs at her temples with his long, slender fingers. Then he lifted the heavy phoenix crown, which was heavy enough to break a neck, and slowly placed it on her head.
"Chengjun, this is the empire I give you." Liu Bingyi whispered in her ear. His voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it, yet it possessed a captivating magnetism. 'Don't be afraid. Of all the officials in the court, anyone who dares to disrespect you, I will kill. Your father, your clan... I will ensure they all have a dignified 'final resting place'." Huo Chengjun felt a cold touch on her forehead and tears welled up in her eyes. She was unable to distinguish whether this was the ultimate indulgence or a curse.
The instant Liu Bingyi placed the phoenix crown on Huo Chengjun's head, the Tyrant System in his mind emitted a sharp alarm.
'Ding!' The final step of the 'Blood Sacrifice' is complete: Imprisoning the Phoenix!
System feedback: All the 'official aura' and 'wealth' remaining in the Huo family's territory on the Han Dynasty map has connected to the host through the phoenix crown.' Liu Bingyi closed his eyes. Through his 'Abyss Eyes', he could see countless golden threads converging from every corner of the Han Empire onto the phoenix crown atop Huo Chengjun's head. These threads represented border generals, powerful clans and corrupt officials who were still loyal to the Huo family.
'Sever,' whispered Liu Bingyi in his mind, simultaneously wielding the 'Scissors of Destiny' formed from killing intent.
Cutting each thread would cause a member of the Huo family, located a thousand miles away, to suddenly die or become embroiled in a bizarre corruption case. He made Huo Chengjun empress, not to appease anyone, but to create a 'lightning rod'. He wanted all the karmic retribution in the world to be poured onto the heads of Huo's descendants through the phoenix crown.
At the banquet after the ceremony, Liu Bingyi dismissed everyone except Huo Chengjun. He personally poured her wine; the liquid was a strange, dark red colour.
'Your Majesty, I'm afraid.' Huo Chengjun nestled in Liu Bingyi's arms and could smell the strong, lingering scent of blood emanating from him.
'Afraid of what?' Liu Bingyi lifted her chin and gazed at her beautiful face. 'Soon, only the two of us will remain in this palace. Your brother, Huo Yu, has left, and your mother, Huo Xian, is 'recovering' in a side hall. Chengjun, you are the only one still by my side.' Though he smiled, his blood-red pupils reflected the despairing face of Xu Pingjun lying in a pool of blood.
[Wise Ruler System (White) Notification: Host's mental state is extremely unstable. It is recommended to activate 'Benevolent Heart' mode for stabilisation.]
[Tyrant System (Black): Forcefully Suppressing: 'Continue! Harvest! Destroy!']
Liu Bingyi tilted his head back, drained the remaining wine in his cup and smashed the jade cup to pieces. He would spoil Huo Chengjun, spoil her until she became the enemy of the world, until all the Huo family disciples believed that this was a return to power and revealed their true colours. Then he would stand at the pinnacle of power and crush them all with his own hands.
Late at night, Liu Bingyi came alone to the desolate Jiaofang Palace (formerly Xu Pingjun's palace) and sensed the faint, almost transparent remnant of Xu Pingjun's soul within his consciousness — his only remaining thought.'Pingjun, it's almost over.' He stroked his white hair, his eyes gradually shifting from infatuation to madness. 'After I've slaughtered all the powerful families of the Han dynasty and dyed the entire sky blood red, I'll accumulate enough merit to go to the underworld and bring you back.'
Meanwhile, in the sky, a star representing 'Greedy Wolf' shone brightly. At the Huo family's old residence, the remnants of the regime were still celebrating the 'conferment of the title of Empress' when they suddenly discovered snow-white, ink-scented slips of paper covered their thresholds — the 'Order for Confiscating the Property of Sinners', printed by Liu Bingyi using papermaking techniques.
Three years passed swiftly in Chang'an, amid falling snow and blossom. Since Xu Pingjun's death and Huo Chengjun's coronation as Empress, a strange balance had emerged in the Han court. The tyrant, whose white hair resembled a demon and who had once massacred the mourning hall, seemed to have swung to the other extreme after experiencing extreme grief and madness: mediocrity and absurdity. Liu Bingyi still sported his striking white hair, but his once piercingly red pupils now reeked of a hangover. He no longer concerned himself with the war in the Western Regions or reviewed the mountains of memorials. In fact, he openly flirted with Huo Chengjun in the palace and entrusted all state affairs to Huo Yu, who had been appointed 'Grand Marshal'.
[System 4.0: Status Monitoring—"Deep Hibernation, Withered Tree Reborn" ongoing...]
Acting Enhancement: The host has entered the state of 'Unity with Heaven and Man', and all perceived 'abandonment' by the monitors has been transformed into 'certainty' within his heart.
Wise Ruler System (White): Operating secretly underground. 'Spiritual Energy Canal' progress: 65%.
Tyrant System (Black): Frantically charging. The 'Slaughter List' has recorded 38,000 powerful figures and corrupt officials. With Liu Bingyi's indulgence, the Huo clan reached an unprecedented peak, but this was also a time of extreme celebration before their downfall.
As the emperor "neglected everything", Huo Yu openly sold official positions in Chang'an, charging 100 gold coins for even the simplest of jobs, such as street sweeping. The Huo family travelled in luxurious carriages, seized vast tracts of fertile land and privately built a palace in the suburbs of the capital that was even larger than the imperial palace.
'Father, Liu Bingyi is completely ruined.' Huo Yu pushed open the door to Huo Guang's study, his face contorted with menace. 'He spends all his time researching those bizarre and ingenious techniques — paper and water power — and he's even talking about building a canal! I think he wants to emulate the tyrannical rulers Jie and Zhou by drowning himself in a pool of wine and a forest of flesh!"
Huo Guang had aged; his once sharp eyes had become clouded. He looked at the genuine tiger tally, a symbol of supreme power which Liu Bingyi had personally returned, and sighed deeply. Over the past three years, Liu Bingyi had shown him more filial devotion than his own father, visiting the Huo residence personally on the first and fifteenth of each month to pay his respects and even testing medicines for him himself.
'Perhaps... he really is just a ruler who only cares about maintaining the status quo.' The tension that had been building for three years finally eased completely at that moment. 'Issue the order: since His Majesty wants to play, let the clan's sons play to their hearts' content. The Han dynasty will ultimately belong to the Huo family.'
[System Monitoring: Huo Clan Luck Value — [Boiled Oil in a Raging Fire] — Reached its Peak! Warning: Fortune has run its course and the negative energy collection rate has reached 99%. While Liu Bingyi appears to waste his days in the Shanglin Garden, he has actually established an unprecedented 'shadow empire' underground under the cover of the system. The 'blank sheet of paper', originally intended to break the monopoly on knowledge, has silently infiltrated every county in the Han dynasty within three years. Every scholar possesses not only cheap paper, but also Liu Bingyi's personally compiled 'New Han Law' and his airtight intelligence network.
'Master, three years of corruption is enough. Shadow Guard Jin appeared in the shadows of the secret chamber, his aura much stronger than it was three years ago — clearly due to the bloodline enhancement provided by the system's 'Tyrant Mode'. The combat power of the Huo family members has plummeted to negative numbers due to their consumption of 'Immortal Powder' (a substance administered by the system which is highly addictive). Apart from one hundred direct descendants of the Huo family, all the other generals in the Northern Army have secretly sworn allegiance." Liu Bingyi slowly put down his wine cup, the turbidity in his eyes instantly dissipating to be replaced by a chilling clarity. 'The third year after Pingjun's departure...' He stroked his white hair, a cruel smile playing on his lips. 'This tumour has rotted thoroughly. I've waited three years for it to fully take root in the Han Dynasty. Now, I'm going to burst it myself.' In Changle Palace, Huo Chengjun was immersed in the illusion that she was the emperor's sole favourite. Liu Bingyi's 'pampering' of her bordered on granting her every wish: if she wanted to watch fireworks, he would take her to the Star-Picking Tower; if she wanted power, he would have her receive envoys from various countries. 'Chengjun, I feel this crown isn't big enough.' Liu Bingyi entered the hall, holding a design plan in his hand. 'I plan to build a Golden Sparrow Terrace for you on the roof of Changle Palace,' he said. 'It will be made of pure gold and a hundred feet high. Then all the people of Chang'an will look up to you.' 'Your Majesty is so good to me.' Huo Chengjun giggled and threw herself into his arms. She was unaware that Liu Bingyi was looking at her as if she were a beautifully crafted sacrifice that had already been placed in an urn and was about to be offered up. [System 4.0: [Blood Sacrifice – Phase Two] Preparations completed.
[Mission: Night of the Long Blade: Target Locked. Autumn of the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han dynasty. A torrential rainstorm swept across Chang'an, and the black dragon armour that he had never forgotten was ready and waiting for him. He pushed open the door to the secret chamber. Outside, five thousand 'Imperial Guard Demon Riders' stood ready. They had been lying in wait underground for three years, empowered by the system.
'Three years of concealing my abilities, all for this day to deliver a fatal blow.' Liu Bingyi mounted his horse and pointed his heavy sword, 'Old Sword', towards the General's Mansion.
At that moment, the Huo family members were still enjoying a life of debauchery and planning the 'abdication ceremony' for the following month. "Issue my decree: martial law throughout the city. Tonight, all Huo family members, regardless of age or lineage, will be killed without mercy.'