Stellar Transformation-Chapter 96 - 4 26 End of the Road

The Qin Family’s fifty thousand Fierce Tiger Army completely surrounded the Yan Capital City Imperial Palace. The eyes of each and every Fierce Tiger Army soldier were filled with pride. They had initiated their plan less than half a year ago, yet the entire Chu Dynasty had fallen into the hands of the Qin Family. These elite soldiers of the Qin Family were immensely proud.

The Imperial Palace Guards had long since disintegrated. The Commander of the Imperial Palace Guards was an elite from the Xiang Family, but he had been assassinated by a cowardly Deputy Commander, who sought to save his own life. The Deputy Commander, holding the severed head of the Commander, surrendered to the Qin Family, plunging the guard into chaos.

In those years, Xiang Yu led the descendants of the Xiang Family, each brimming with boundless pride. However, after a millennium of luxurious living, these descendants of the Imperial Family Xiang had become corrupt and degenerate. Seeing the downfall of the Xiang Family, they came one after another, bringing treasures in hopes of begging for mercy. The Qin Family’s response was to confiscate their treasures and imprison them for further questioning.

As for the Imperial Palace at this moment, it was in total chaos. Desperate members of the Xiang Family committed suicide; crowds of eunuchs and palace maids, along with guards who feared death, pleaded for mercy from the Fierce Tiger Army soldiers. There were also loyal guards who pursued and killed the cowards.

Chaos, chaos, chaos!

The last days of the Xiang Family had arrived, and everyone in the Imperial Palace was panic-stricken, plundering royal jewels and killing each other. Yet the fifty thousand soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Army looked on with cold indifference at everything happening within the palace walls, not one of them intervening.

...

Atop the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, upon the dragon throne, only Xiang Guang was present, with an old eunuch, whose every facial hair was white, standing beside him.

"Your Majesty."

Chief Steward Wang Meng looked at Xiang Guang, the Emperor of the Chu Dynasty before him. Wang Meng had entered the palace at a young age, his only relatives being the grandson left by his sister from years past. Wang Meng had made arrangements early on for his sister’s grandson to go to the Ming Dynasty.

As for Wang Meng himself, the man, now in his nineties, had no desire to flee.

Sitting on the dragon throne with a despondent expression, Xiang Guang seemed asleep. It took a long time for him to lift his head after hearing Wang Meng’s voice. His lifeless eyes glanced at Wang Meng, "Oh, it’s Chief Steward Wang. At this time, only you remain with me."

Wang Meng said, "Why didn’t Your Majesty escape? As long as you preserve your life, is there not a chance for a comeback?"

Xiang Guang shook his head, "Anyone can flee, but I cannot." There was a hint of fierceness in his eyes, "The Qin Family has been preparing for so many years, yet they never acted because they enjoyed the power wielded by Prince Zhen Dong so much. However... there was something I did back then which has led to the Qin Family’s rebellion today."

"It’s me. In this rebellion of the Qin Family, I am their primary target." Xiang Guang became increasingly agitated.

"The old ancestor had long ago arranged for the most promising descendants of the Xiang Family to go undercover elsewhere, a precautionary measure. Now, it seems to be the only means for the Xiang Family to continue its legacy. They... are now the most important part of the Xiang Family. I must absolutely not flee. If I do, the Qin Family would stop at nothing to capture me, and even those descendants in hiding might be discovered and captured." Xiang Guang’s body trembled slightly.

Then Xiang Guang laughed ruefully, "I can’t escape. Without the old ancestor, I definitely can’t escape the Heaven and Earth Net laid by the Qin Family. Since that’s the case... I shall wait here for Qin De. By killing me, Qin De will surely not put too much effort into hunting down the Xiang family’s descendants. With the four great disciples of the old ancestor protecting them, those who went into hiding early on should be able to live well. I can only hope that one day, they will avenge the downfall of our nation. Even in death, I will be content."

Wang Meng watched Xiang Guang for a long time, as if seeing him for the first time, and then sighed, "Your Majesty, this servant has always thought that Majesty..."

"Thought I was absurd, thought I was incompetent, right?" Xiang Guang said with a faint smile.

Wang Meng did not deny it, saying, "Simply for the courage Your Majesty has, waiting here for Qin De; this servant admires Your Majesty. Now that I am old, living holds little meaning for me, and there’s not much else I can do. But to die alongside Your Majesty in such a simple matter is something I can still do."

Xiang Guang gave Wang Meng a look but did not speak.

After a moment, a figure clad in black suddenly appeared in the grand hall. Upon seeing Xiang Guang, he immediately bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the task is complete. All the ladies, concubines, and the princesses of the harem, including the Empress, have passed away."

Wang Meng’s face changed upon hearing this, and he instantly understood that it was Xiang Guang who had ordered the killing of all the women in the harem.

Xiang Guang, however, remained expressionless and waved his hand indifferently, "Very well, I give you one last order in this life. Each of you don your Imperial Guard uniforms. When the Qin Family Army enters the Imperial Palace, kill as many Qin soldiers as you can."

"Yes."

The figure in black spoke expressionlessly and then swiftly left the grand hall.

...

"My Prince!"

With a thunderous roar, the densely packed Fierce Tiger Army knelt on one knee outside the palace gate. From one glance, among the tens of thousands, only Qin De and a few others were standing. At this moment, Qin De, leading the three Qin brothers and Xu Yuan, walked straight towards the Imperial Palace. The fifty thousand strong Fierce Tiger Army also followed closely behind Qin De, entering the Imperial Palace in a mighty procession.

Qin De’s face was cold, without a hint of a smile.

Qin Feng, Qin Yu, Qin Zheng, and Xu Yuan also had no trace of a smile on their faces. The group walked directly towards the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, as if they had known all along where Xiang Guang was. Meanwhile, the Fierce Tiger Army remained fully alert.

"Pff!"

With the slash of a blade, a Xiang Family Imperial Guard was cleaved in two. The Fierce Tiger Army soldier coldly sheathed his war saber.

On the way to the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, numerous fearless Imperial Guards attacked the Fierce Tiger Army, but it was tantamount to courting death. In a moment, the grand hall was in sight, and a flicker of light shone in Qin De’s eyes, causing his pace to quicken just a bit involuntarily.

Suddenly—

Three Xiang Family Imperial Guards, originally running from a distance, suddenly increased their speed, like three illusions charging into the midst of the Fierce Tiger Army. A spray of fresh blood flew, limbs scattered. In just an instant, six or seven Fierce Tiger Army soldiers had been slain.

"Hmph!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Suddenly, a cold snort sounded. Three sharp whistles were heard, and then the three illusions instantly fell to the ground, motionless. Each of their foreheads bore a hole, pierced by a stone. One of the fallen was the man in black who had reported to Xiang Guang in the grand hall.

Qin De turned to glance at the three bodies without uttering a word, then stepped forward to the threshold of the grand hall.

Qin De stood outside the grand hall, while Xiang Guang was inside; they looked at each other. Qin De, facing Xiang Guang, walked step by step into the grand hall, followed closely by Qin Feng, Qin Yu, Qin Zheng, and Xu Yuan.

Qin De stood below the great hall, while Xiang Guang stood above it. Although Qin De had to look up slightly, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"You’ve come..." A trace of a smile appeared on Xiang Guang’s lips.

Qin De said coldly, "Yes, I’ve come. At a time like this, you still pretend to be fearless in the face of death. Xiang Guang, I know you didn’t leave because you wanted to protect those elite members of the Xiang Family. Am I right?"

Xiang Guang narrowed his eyes, then smiled faintly and said, "If I say you’re wrong, would you believe me?"

"I? You still refer to yourself as ’I’ at this moment." Qin De’s eyes brimmed with contempt, but Xiang Guang didn’t care at all, "I am I. Qin De, have you come to kill me? If you want to kill, then kill, don’t waste time here. I am tired too."

Qin De took a careful look at Xiang Guang, "I, you keep referring to yourself as ’I’, but... I didn’t expect you to not be afraid of death."

"Just because you want me to refer to myself as ’I’, I should do it? Qin De, you can never command me in this lifetime, even in death, you cannot threaten me." Xiang Guang deliberately referred to himself as ’I’, deliberately going against Qin De.

"Oh... I remember, some elite descendants of the Xiang Family..." Qin De wanted to see Xiang Guang panicked.

However, Xiang Guang didn’t care at all, "Qin De, I can tell you clearly, those elite descendants of the Xiang Family have long since infiltrated elsewhere, and they have nothing to do with me. Whatever you do to them has nothing to do with me."

Qin De’s face darkened.

Xiang Guang continued with a smile, "Let me tell you something, even my life and death is beyond your control, because..." Xiang Guang laughed, but his face quickly turned purple, and then two streams of purplish-black blood flowed from his nose and mouth.

"Even in death, I want to... commit suicide, you should not even dream... of contro...lling..."

He didn’t finish speaking before Xiang Guang was already dead, yet the only expression on his face was a cold smile. Beside him, Wang Meng also let out a thin smile, took out a porcelain bottle from his arms, and poured the liquid inside directly into his mouth.

"Your Majesty, this old servant follows you in death."

Wang Meng too began bleeding from his seven orifices, then collapsed to the ground and died.

Qin De looked at the dead Xiang Guang with a complex expression on his face, and for a moment, outsiders could not imagine what was going through Qin De’s mind at this time. Was he happy that Xiang Guang was dead, or was it a pity that he couldn’t torture Xiang Guang personally?

"This Xiang Guang was waiting here for our father, wasn’t he? Just to protect those elite descendants of the Xiang Family who had infiltrated earlier on." Qin Feng looked at Xiang Guang’s corpse, his eyes full of coldness.

Qin De shook his head, "Feng’er, you’re wrong. The one who knows a person’s character the best is their enemy. Xiang Guang was cold-hearted, even willing to kill his wife and daughter. How could he care about other descendants of the Xiang Family?"

"Then why was he waiting for us here instead of escaping earlier?" Qin Feng asked.

Qin Zheng replied coldly, "Big Brother, by listening to Xiang Guang’s last words, you can guess. Xiang Guang knew that we were determined to capture him and that he couldn’t escape. He simply chose to flaunt his power before our father and then commit suicide."

Qin Zheng saw it clearly, Xiang Guang indeed wanted Qin De to understand that his life and death were not under Qin De’s control, and even in death, it was suicide.

Qin Yu said calmly with a smile, "Xiang Guang was utterly foolish. Wasn’t his life and death under father’s control? If it were not for father’s army pressing closely, bringing things to such a state, how could he have committed suicide? Even in committing suicide, he was forced by our father. Xiang Guang still thought he controlled his own life and death."

"Self-deception, nothing more." Xu Yuan said with a flick of his feather fan.

But Qin De stepped towards the throne step by step, kicked Xiang Guang’s corpse away, then looked at the throne for a long time. Suddenly, he turned around to face outside the great hall and proclaimed loudly, "The Emperor of the Chu Dynasty Xiang Guang is dead; from today on, the Chu Dynasty is completely annihilated."

After hundreds of years of preparation and eighteen years of meticulous planning by Qin De, the Qin Family rose from the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures, took control of the Northern Domain Two Prefectures, allied with the Southern Domain Three Counties, and then attacked with a sweeping momentum. At the critical moment, the Xiang Family’s ancient ancestor Xiang Yang appeared.

However, in the immediately following battle known as the ’Twin Moons’, Qin Yu and Little Black joined forces and killed Xiang Yang, the first emperor of the Xiang Family in substance.

Then, upon Qin De’s order, the last remaining Ba Chu County of the Xiang Family also fell under Qin Family’s control, and thus the Xiang line was extinguished, and the Chu Dynasty was overthrown.

In the following month, the entire Chu Dynasty’s Twelve Counties were reorganized, and all remaining members of the Xiang Family were caught and killed; the Qin Family’s undercurrent of influence among the civilians also played a significant role in apprehending the remnants of the Xiang Family.

The Han Dynasty and Ming Dynasty both wanted to take advantage of the situation, but the true military strength of the Chu Dynasty in this internal war had hardly suffered any losses. Instead, the previously fragmented four major powers had now completely united.

The Shangguan Family’s Northern Domain Two Prefectures were now entirely under Qin Family’s control, and the Mu Family willingly offered up the Southern Domain Three Counties. Compared to the former Xiang Family, the Qin Family now truly controlled the Twelve Counties. As for why the Mu Family betrayed and so readily offered up the Southern Domain Three Counties.

The real reason was...

The Mu Family of the Southern Domain Three Counties was actually a branch of the Qin Family from back in the day.

The Mu Family had always been lying low, even appearing utterly loyal to the Xiang Family for hundreds of years, closely following the Xiang Family’s lead to the extent that even Xiang Yang believed the Mu Family was genuinely loyal. The secret of the Mu Family being a branch of the Qin Family was only known to each generation’s head and the elders of both the Mu and Qin families.

Inside the Yan Capital City Prince Mansion.

Qin Yu was focusing on his cultivation, recovering the cultivation he had lost during the battle with Xiang Yang, while discussing issues of cultivation with Feng Yuzi and Qin De. As for the injuries Qin Yu himself had sustained, they had long been healed by the Meteor Tear.

Within the secluded courtyard of Prince Mansion where Qin Yu resided, Qin Yu, Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Qin De, and Feng Yuzi sat around a stone table. At the moment, three secret books were placed on the stone table, the same three Cultivation Secret Manuals Qin Yu had left behind.

With a smile, Qin De said, "Little Yu, Feng Yuzi and I have both looked at these three secret books, and your Uncle Feng says that each one of them is among the highest level of Cultivation Secret Manuals in the Cultivation World. Uncle Feng has even discarded his previous methods of cultivation and adopted the practices found within."

Feng Yuzi exclaimed, "Little Yu, even the cultivation methods passed down by my sect, I only know the secrets up to the Nascent Soul Stage, and they are clearly not as profound as these manuals. Such deep and mysterious cultivation methods are probably more powerful than the treasured manuals of my sect."

Qin Yu, however, didn’t say a word. Instead, with a single gesture of his hand, five Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact short knives and a black spear floated above the palm of his hand.