Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 490 Wen Haoyu's Execution

The report of the incident at the Imperial Court propagated with incredible swiftness.

In truth, numerous individuals had been closely monitoring the impending destiny of the Bai Clan following these events.

Yet the intelligence they received deviated entirely from their anticipations.

Bai Zihan had not assaulted the Azure Sun Holy Sect out of mere impulse, but due to their engagement in perilous and unlawful trials on young children.

And that represented only the surface, as disclosures regarding Azure Sun's abduction of children and plots to eliminate Bai Zihan also emerged.

In merely one day-

The whole Desolate Heaven Empire became aware.

Initially, incredulity prevailed.

Followed by astonishment.

Then outrage.

"Did the Azure Sun Holy Sect truly conduct experiments on children?"

"For years on end? And they possess the nerve to proclaim themselves as paragons of virtue!" "They deserve to perish eternally."

The very avenues that previously hummed with gossip denouncing Bai Zihan now resounded with an utterly reversed sentiment.

Was he not haughty?

Was he not without regard for the law?

Had he not challenged the Imperial Court?

Such were the accusations leveled against him before.

But now-

The story had flipped completely.

"So that's the reason Young Master Bai targeted the Azure Sun Holy Sect!! True to form, his motives were honorable!"

"He wasn't behaving impulsively-he was rescuing those innocent kids!"

"What are the Imperial Court officials doing? They ought to have uncovered such atrocities. Instead, Young Master Bai stepped in to fulfill their duty?"

"Without Bai Zihan, we'd remain ignorant!"

The disparaging remarks once attached to Bai Zihan's name were silently retracted.

Replacing them-

Were esteem, veneration, and thankfulness.

"A champion of justice!"

"Not only did he slay those demonic beasts and demonic cultivators, but he's also purging malevolence from the Empire. This embodies a genuine hero!"

In the meantime, invectives poured down on the Azure Sun Holy Sect like a relentless tempest.

"Monsters masquerading as humans!"

"Fiends cloaked as a holy sect!"

"To believe we held them in esteem! All of them must suffer retribution!"

Opinions coalesced in opposition to the Azure Sun Holy Sect.

So what if they ranked as a premier Sect? Did that entitle them to act with impunity?

With the collective resolve of the populace, there was no dread even confronting a power like the Azure Sun Holy Sect.

Regarding the Bai Clan-

Their reputation skyrocketed, as universal acclaim echoed, and prior detractors issued apologies, blaming it on misconceptions and insufficient knowledge.

***

Three days afterward!

The capital's central square brimmed with people.

Rumors claimed rooftops were crammed as well.

Merchants shut their stalls prematurely. Cultivators from nearby territories hurried in just to behold this historic moment.

In the plaza's heart rose a massive scaffold for executions.

Banners of the Empire waved overhead, featuring golden dragons twisting along scarlet fabric. Thick chains rattled.

Wen Haoyu was led forward.

His formerly pristine attire had vanished, supplanted by simple white garb for prisoners.

His cultivation base stood sealed.

No trace of spiritual energy.

No aura of authority.

No head of a sect.

Merely a man. Or perhaps less than that. Simply a vile offender unworthy of basic human rights.

The throng bellowed the instant they spotted him.

"There he is! The Sect Leader of Azure Sun Holy Sect and the instigator of those horrific experiments."

"Execute him! Execute him!"

Wen Haoyu's complexion was ashen, his form marred by bruises.

It was evident those three days had been far from serene or easy, marked by torment.

But his gaze-

It blazed with bitterness.

With loathing.

He surveyed the multitude as though hunting for a particular figure-yet, with his Qi suppressed, he failed to locate that individual.

Bai Zihan!

If only he hadn't provoked him. If only he hadn't commanded the attempt on his life.

Even after committing those acts, he ought to have fled when the opportunity arose.

Why had he trusted Li Jainhong and Zhao Wutian, believing their backing would enable him to overthrow the Bai Clan and recover his sect?

Upon the scaffold positioned the Imperial Execution Officer, clutching the official edict.

His proclamation boomed over the square.

"Wen Haoyu, ex-Sect Leader of Azure Sun Holy Sect-" "You performed prohibited human trials over decades. You misled the Imperial Court. You breached the ethical codes of the Empire."

"By the command of His Majesty-You face public execution."

The assembly surged with fervor.

"Slay him!"

"Justice served!"

"Serve as a cautionary tale!"

"Do you possess final declarations?"

Inquired the Imperial Execution Officer.

Wen Haoyu abruptly cackled in derangement.

"Hehe... hahaha..."

The chuckles intensified, becoming more grating, reverberating through the plaza akin to a lunatic's wail.

His reddened eyes roamed the vast ocean of onlookers.

Then his tone sharpened piercingly.

"Bai Zihan!"

The utterance pierced the crowd.

"Do you believe concealing yourself behind that facade of virtue sets you apart from me?!"

His mouth contorted in malice.

"You and I share the same nature!"

Wen Haoyu's cry turned raspy as he bellowed at the gathering.

"Someday, your facade will be stripped away.

His stare seethed with animosity.

"And upon revelation-you shall endure my very end!"

For an instant-

Hush descended.

Then the multitude detonated in wrath.

"Hold your tongue!"

"How dare you liken yourself to Young Master Bai!"

"You fiend of darkness!"

"A wretch like you doesn't merit uttering his name!"

"The Empire shall never permit injury to our savior!" "Exactly!"

"Cease attempting to pull him into your abyss!"

The clamor swelled, submerging Wen Haoyu in a torrent of maledictions and scorn.

Nevertheless-

Wen Haoyu merely chuckled more fervently.

"Hehehe..."

The noise rang empty, laced with derision.

"You idiots..."

His words projected, despite his sealed cultivation.

"Do you imagine this Empire upholds fairness? That it safeguards all? Hehe... Even the Imperial-"

"Be quiet!"

The Imperial Execution Officer halted Wen Haoyu mid-phrase.

"Per the decree of His Majesty-Justice proceeds immediately."

The official dropped his arm.

"Execute!"

Subsequently, a colossal sword, shimmering in the sun's rays, plunged downward.

For a fleeting second-

Quiet enveloped all.

Wen Haoyu's mirth dissipated.

Afterward-

Deafening ovation.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The deed was finished.

It surged through the plaza like tides battering cliffs.

"Justice!"

"Farewell to filth!"

"May his essence find no rebirth!"

The acclamations intensified, deepened, and harmonized.

Some directed spittle at the scaffold.

Some shed tears-not for Wen Haoyu, but for the hidden youths whose torments had at last received recognition.

Others thrust their arms skyward.

"This fate befalls those who cloak wickedness under a virtuous standard!"

"Heed this, every sect!"

The executioner withdrew, sword propped on his shoulder while imperial sentries rapidly emptied the platform. Scarlet banners billowed above.

The Imperial Execution Officer elevated his hand, gesturing for partial calm among the throng.

His declaration resounded over the square.

"Proclaim this across the Desolate Heaven Empire! Whoever engages in banned techniques, damages the blameless, or masks iniquity under righteousness shall suffer identically."

"The Empire tolerates no such offenses."

The edict thundered through the plaza.

The Empire had issued its proclamation.

And the populace endorsed it.