Chapter 308: Monks and Evil Ghosts

Sharp screams erupted in the hall.

"Bold—"

"Come here, there's an evil monk trying to assassinate us!"

"Where are the Imperial Guards?!"

The palace maid at the door was the first to run out and call the imperial guards.

When the palace maid came out, she saw that the chanting outside the hall had stopped.

Three thousand monks stood up at once.

Several of them flew to the side of the big golden Buddha statue and opened the mechanism behind the huge statue, and countless weapons poured out from it.

Everyone was holding cold swords in their hands. They were devout Buddhist disciples just a moment ago, but now they had turned into Rakshasas.

"kill--"

"How dare you, evil monk, assassinate me in the palace!"

"Quick, go to the palace to protect the emperor!"

The guards on duty in the palace fought with the monks.

The imperial guards drew their bows and arrows, and the monks were slaughtered in a bloody massacre.

The incense and candles on the altar were cut off and the offerings were scattered all over the ground.

Amidst the flashes of swords and sabers, the Buddha statue glowed with a mixture of golden and red light under the bright autumn sun.

No one knew who had started the fire, but flames shot up from several palaces in the East Palace, and the fire grew bigger and bigger.

The main hall also caught fire.

Master Mingdeng stood in the hall, with several corpses lying around him.

His cloth shoes were soaked with blood and he also had several wounds on his body.

The monks stopped the imperial guards outside from rushing in, but there were still palace servants in the hall protecting the empress dowager and Murong Yu. They rushed up one by one and tried to subdue Ming Deng together.

But Mingdeng spoke and walked slowly, and he did not dodge the opponent's attacks, but was decisive and fierce when he attacked.

The Queen Mother and Murong Yu retreated under the protection of the few remaining palace servants, and no one dared to rush forward.

Murong Yu panicked and angrily asked, "Who are you? Did He Tingfang send you here?"

Ming Deng's lips twitched slightly: "Time flies, things change, and now I look like this, it's no wonder that Third Brother couldn't recognize me."

The shadows of people fighting outside the window were cast on his profile by the light, and the light and shadow changed.

Murong Yu's pupils dilated instantly, and an almost impossible answer popped into his mind:

“You…you are…”

Pop.

The jade rosary in the Queen Mother's hand was torn apart, and several round, crystal-clear beads fell down and rolled into the blood on the ground.

The Queen Mother's eyes suddenly turned cold and fierce. She stared at Ming Deng's deformed face and uttered a name:

"Murong Ji."

"So you didn't die, but turned into this ghostly appearance."

Boom—the side window was broken, and a seriously injured imperial guard soldier was kicked in from the window, and the long sword in his hand fell to the ground.

The imperial guard gasped for a few times and then died, his eyes still staring at the roof.

Mingdeng bent down slowly, closed the soldier's eyes, and then picked up the sword on the ground.

He said, "Amitabha, God is merciful and has saved me from death. I have wasted years in the human world just for this day."

I have practiced Buddhism for many years, only to pick up the butcher knife today.

Mingdeng, holding a sharp sword, approached the Queen Mother.

He swung his sword, and another palace maid standing in front of the empress dowager fell.

Murong Yu looked at the imperial guards who were stopped outside, then at the bright lights that were getting closer. He retreated to the corner of the wooden couch and said:

"Second brother... there was a misunderstanding back then... I, I didn't know about my eldest brother..."

"Second brother, we are brothers... cough cough cough... How can we kill each other... It wasn't me back then, it was her, it was her..."

Murong Yu coughed up blood as he spoke, his face looked frighteningly pale, but his hand was pointing in the direction of the Queen Mother.

After the initial panic, the Queen Mother seemed much calmer.

Hatred flashed in her eyes, and she pointed at Ming Deng: "You should have died more than 20 years ago, along with your short-lived brother and father!"

"You killed my father and brother back then, committing a heinous crime. Do you feel even a little regret now?"

With a swish, Ming Deng raised his sword and swung it, chopping off the Queen Mother's outstretched index finger.

In the blink of an eye, the empress dowager lost a finger and had a bloody hole.

The Queen Mother screamed and fell back, her handkerchief and skirt splattered with blood, but her expression became even more stubborn and crazy:

"Regret? Hahahahahaha... The only thing I, Du Yunrou, regret is that I didn't kill your mother sooner! When your mother died of illness, I only hated that she didn't die at my hands!"

"I did nothing wrong. Even if I had to do it all over again, I would still kill your father and brother, and you again!"

The fingers are connected to the heart, and the pain of severed fingers is like a sharp needle piercing the heart, just like the feeling she had when a piece of flesh and blood fell from her abdomen.

The Queen Mother's face was grim, and her body was shaking, whether from pain or hatred.

"Your mother couldn't control the late emperor, yet she poisoned the pregnant concubines. She is the one who committed a crime against heaven and earth! None of the concubines in the harem who survived had children, and those who were lucky enough to leave children all died."

"She deserves to die, and so does the late emperor who indulged her. She killed so many people, but why can her children live safely? Why can her son ascend to the throne, while my child can only be a piece of flesh and blood thrown away! Why do I have to take the drug that will make me lose my children, leaving me in this deep palace without even a single comfort... She deserves to die, and you all deserve to die!"

The Queen Mother was like a madman, pushing away the palace maids in front of her.

Because of the rituals being performed, Buddha statues and incense were offered in the hall today.

The Queen Mother pushed the incense down, letting the flames climb up the brocade curtains and pillars.

There was a fire burning at the door, and there was a fire burning inside the temple.

More and more sparks flew out, landing on tables, chairs, curtains, and the clothes of corpses, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of burning.

The few remaining palace maids were frightened by the Queen Mother's actions and fled.

Murong Yu also wanted to escape, but he rolled off the wooden couch and crawled on the ground weakly and awkwardly:

"Second brother... I didn't know. I was young and ignorant back then... Second brother, I can give you the throne... As long as you let me go, let me go——!"

Mingdeng raised his sword and slashed towards Murong Yu.

His bun was cut off and his hair was spread out. Murong Yu's head was still there, but he had fainted from extreme fear.

Mingdeng lowered his eyes and glanced at the person who had fainted on the ground.

He could kill Murong Yu at any time, but he made an agreement with Hao Ren that he would not let Murong Yu die so easily.

Two monks rushed in, lifted Murong Yu from the ground, and walked to the back of the hall.

The fire grew bigger and bigger, and the queen mother stood in the fire and did not escape.

Mingdeng still held the sword and did not run away.

The Empress Dowager's clothes were gorgeous and luxurious, with gold thread, jewels, and embroidery, and it took several palace maids several months to make one.

The flames entangled the corners of her clothes, and the beautiful things turned to ashes.

The Queen Mother's hands were still dripping with blood, but she seemed not to feel it:

"Murong Ji, do you think you can usurp the throne with just these few people? Do you think that if you kill me and Murong Yu, you can take back the throne that your brother lost? That's just wishful thinking!"

The inside and outside of the hall were surrounded by fire.

"At worst, I will perish together with your Murong clan today."

The Queen Mother threw back her head and laughed, tears and blood falling into the fire, disappearing without a trace:

"Hahahahahaha... Dayu is going to die, the Murong clan is defeated... retribution, this is retribution for you, the Murong clan!"

"The Murong clan is about to lose, but you are wrong about one thing."

Mingdeng took another step forward, holding the sword and passing through the flames between him and the Queen Mother.

"I don't want the throne. From the beginning to the end, all I want is your lives."

"Ouch!" The Queen Mother felt a sharp pain in her chest.

The long sword had already penetrated the intricate dress, and blood flowed out along the sword, staining the chest red, like a blooming blood flower.

Her body slid down the wall behind her, and the hatred and light in her eyes gradually dimmed, like an extinguished candle.

"Amitabha." Mingdeng let go of the sword, and the grief and anger in his eyes faded away.

Whether when he was young or now, he has never thought about the throne, nor has he ever thought about raising an army and attacking from outside the palace.

If they attacked from outside the palace, only civilians and soldiers would die. Before the attack reached the main hall, the Queen Mother and Murong Yu would have already fled.

He wants to take action in the East Palace.

At the place where they killed the emperor's brother, they used their blood to comfort the emperor's soul in heaven.

The hall was already filled with thick smoke.

The burning beams and pillars made crackling sounds, the gold paint on the pillars peeled off, the overturned incense burners burned red, and the palace lanterns turned into balls of fire...

A bright light shone through the broken window outside the hall.

The shouting and screaming outside the hall had died down, and the bodies of monks and imperial guards were piled up outside the hall.

The white jade steps were covered with blood.

Only the huge Buddha statue stood motionless in the middle of the altar, but the lotus under its seat had turned red.

In the firelight, the monks turned into evil spirits and the Buddha statues shed tears of blood.

Everything is karma.

Some monks wanted to rush into the fire to rescue Mingdeng, but Mingdeng did not go out.

Across the blazing fire, the bright lamp shouted loudly to the outside of the hall:

"The matter is now done. You don't need to stay here any longer. Take Wuzhen with you and leave."