Chapter 10

Outside the cemetery gates, there was a suffocating silence.

More than three thousand people knelt in unison, not a single voice daring to speak.

“Could it be that the Li family…”

Having witnessed the terrifying power of Chu Tianhe, Zhang Zhenhu was drenched in cold sweat. He had believed that by leading the nation’s elite, he could keep Chu Tianhe in check, stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and speak as equals.

But only now, faced with Chu Tianhe in his furious wrath, did Zhang Zhenhu realize just how mistaken he had been.

The Chu Tianhe he’d seen before always wore the ancient martial limiter on his wrist. Even so, his strength was enough to make people tremble.

But now, the Chu Tianhe in front of him had removed the limiter—his rage unbridled.

“Damn it, why didn’t the War Division report such things to me?” Zhang Zhenhu tried to explain himself, and at the same time, attempted to show submission before Chu Tianhe.

After all, as the Commander-in-Chief of Great Xia’s War Division, Zhang Zhenhu still had to preserve his dignity; there were things that couldn’t be said too plainly.

“What? Do you want me to deal with this personally?”

Chu Tianhe showed no intention of saving Zhang Zhenhu’s face; his voice was icy, brimming with murderous intent.

In an instant, Zhang Zhenhu’s face turned ashen with fright.

Even Tian Jiu, standing behind Chu Tianhe, shuddered involuntarily.

Tian Jiu knew all too well: if Chu Tianhe were to strike, wherever his gaze fell would become a ruthless purgatory, and wherever his martial arts reached, it would be a slaughterhouse on earth. None present would survive.

If he fought, it would be total annihilation.

This was Chu Tianhe’s way—and the creed of the Pantheon.

It was precisely this that made the name “Pantheon” as untouchable as a thunderous taboo, feared by all.

“Kneel, all of you! Kowtow and confess your fault to the Lord of the Hall!”

Tian Jiu’s sudden roar made Zhang Zhenhu’s expression shift dramatically.

He had three thousand elite Dragon Guards behind him—how could he, in front of so many, kneel and apologize to Chu Tianhe? His dignity as Commander-in-Chief would be utterly destroyed.

“Tian Jiu, you go too far!” Zhang Zhenhu’s eyes flared with anger as he glared at Tian Jiu.

“You think Tian Jiu has gone too far?” A sharp glint flashed in Chu Tianhe’s eyes, like a blade cleaving the heavens, slashing straight at Zhang Zhenhu.

This question made Zhang Zhenhu tremble to his core.

It was clear now—Chu Tianhe had tacitly agreed with Tian Jiu. Zhang Zhenhu would have to kneel and apologize.

“Kneel and live, or stand and die. The choice is yours.”

Chu Tianhe now used the same words on Zhang Zhenhu.

Silence. Shock. Rage. Humiliation. A storm of emotions raged inside Zhang Zhenhu. At this moment, the gaze of all three thousand elite Dragon Guards was fixed squarely upon him.

For a moment, Zhang Zhenhu became the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Lord Chu, it was my negligence that led to the tragedy befalling your wife and daughter. I beg you to restrain your anger.”

In the end, faced with Chu Tianhe’s overwhelming presence, Zhang Zhenhu chose to yield. He knelt on one knee, as the highest commander of the Great Xia War Division, before Chu Tianhe.

“My late wife’s grave lies within. I sentence you to kneel in vigil for seven days before her tomb as penance. Do you object?”

Zhang Zhenhu’s kneeling apology left all the elite Dragon Guards in utter disbelief. Now Chu Tianhe demanded that he kneel in mourning for seven days at his late wife’s grave—this was beyond excessive!

How could someone of Zhang Zhenhu’s status endure such humiliation?

“N-no objections…”

But Zhang Zhenhu was already completely subdued by Chu Tianhe’s formidable aura, and, incredibly, agreed to kneel in mourning for Chu Tianhe’s late wife.

“Commander!”

“This… this can’t be allowed!”

“Your station…”

The commanders behind him turned pale and hurried to dissuade him.

“Silence—all of you!”

But Zhang Zhenhu silenced them with a single bark.

“In that case, you may begin your vigil now.”

Chu Tianhe cast a cold glance at Zhang Zhenhu, then strode forward. Under the watchful eyes of more than three thousand of Great Xia’s finest Dragon Guards, he walked through the crowd with the calm ease of a stroll, utterly disregarding their presence.

“Tian Jiu, what’s the progress on investigating Han Chuanwu?”

After leaving the cemetery, Chu Tianhe sat in a black limousine, the murderous intent in his eyes yet to fade as he spoke in a low voice.

“Tian San reported back. Han Chuanwu is living well these days—he’s founded two companies and is now one of the top figures in Jiangzhou City.”

“Is that so?”

Chu Tianhe’s fists clenched instinctively, veins bulging, a fierce anger surging within him.

Han Chuanwu had once been Chu Tianhe’s closest brother, a companion in adversity, sworn as brothers when Chu Tianhe was at his lowest.

But now, everything had changed.

To keep the ruthless international forces from discovering his connection to Qin Xiaorou and threatening her, Chu Tianhe had secretly entrusted Han Chuanwu with her care over the years, transferring him a sum of money every month, and instructing Qin Xiaorou to seek Han Chuanwu’s help if she was ever in trouble.

Yet now, Qin Xiaorou had been driven to her death, and Han Chuanwu had done nothing—choosing instead a life of luxury and dissipation.

This Han Chuanwu, once a starving beggar, had become one of Jiangzhou’s foremost tycoons—how could Chu Tianhe not be furious?

Money is a demon’s mirror, a measure of the heart. Poverty reveals human nature; wealth exposes true loyalty.

Had even one percent of the money Chu Tianhe gave Han Chuanwu been spent on Qin Xiaorou, she would not have been driven to such a desperate end.

“Come, let us pay a visit to my dear brother Han Chuanwu.”