The city gates of the holy city of Dos have a long history and are said to have been built by the ancestors of the Great Xia Dynasty a thousand years ago.
Feng Xueqian was somewhat surprised when Chief Kago led his troops through the city gate.
Because as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single building, only an ancient avenue.
Continuing along the main road, the Blood Guardians followed closely on either side.
Feng Xueqian followed behind on his chestnut horse. "Where exactly is the city?" he couldn't help but ask.
Although he had been following Chief Kago for several years, this was Feng Xueqian's first time visiting the holy city of the Dos people.
Looking around, there were no buildings or people, only grasslands and roads, with ancient spoils plundered by the Dos people from various places over thousands of years laid out on both sides.
“Ahead,” replied the Dos warrior responsible for protecting him, “it’s just at the foot of the mountain.”
As he walked down the avenue, the statues of the gods and heroes, stolen from various factions, stood imposingly on either side of the road, coldly looking down at him.
Their faces have been eroded by wind and rain, and even their names have been lost in the mists of time.
"The Dos people, a nation of plunderers!" Feng Xueqian couldn't help but think.
"Chief Dorje, when will the other tribal chiefs arrive?" he asked.
"Chief Kago must first go to the temple to meet with High Priest Dos!"
"High Priestess?" Feng Xueqian frowned. "A bunch of crazy old women!"
The Doth worship a supreme god, and in the holy city dwells a group of elderly women known as the "High Priests." Some of them were once the wives of all the deceased great chieftains, while others were their daughters or granddaughters.
Within the holy city, they enjoyed unparalleled glory and status, serving as prophets who predicted the future and interpreted omens for the Doth.
Kago and his Blood Guards led their troops through the bustling western market and along the wide avenue.
The holy city of Dos was the largest Dos city he had ever seen in his life, even larger than the cities of Bactria.
According to his judgment, the city was about three times the size of Xichuan City. It had no city walls or boundaries, and its wide streets, weathered by wind and sand, were covered with grass and mud, and wildflowers covered them like a carpet.
Feng Xueqian recalled the words of the deceased leader Zhuolun: the Dos people's temple had two hundred rooms and doors made of silver.
However, this "temple" is a deep wooden building with rough wooden walls and a roof made of a large silk curtain, which can be hung up to block the wind and rain and taken down to welcome the endless sky.
The temple guards were already waiting to welcome Chief Kago.
Of course, they were unaware that Kago's tribe had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Lin Mo, with only a few hundred people remaining.
After dismounting, everyone unfastened their daggers and other weapons from their waists and handed them to the guards beside them; Kago himself was no exception.
Because weapons are prohibited within the holy city, and one must not harm others.
Even rival tribes with deep-seated hatred will temporarily set aside their differences and enjoy fine wine and merriment together within the holy city.
Upon entering the temple, several priestesses were already waiting for a long time.
The oldest of the old women, a hunched-over, emaciated old woman with only one black eye, raised her hands high.
"Welcome, Great Chieftain Kago!"
"Greetings, High Priestess!" Kago greeted her with the etiquette of the Doth. "I have come here hoping to receive your help. I, Kago, son of Drok, holder of the Doth relic 'Horn of Doom,' wish to sound the horn!"
"What?" The high priest stood up, the animal bone bells on his body ringing like a sudden bronze bird's cry.
"High Priest, the end is nigh for us Dos people..." Kago said, "The end of the steppe is coming!"
The high priest stared at Kago in astonishment. She seemed to glimpse a kind of resolute pride in his almond-shaped black eyes, but she wasn't sure.
"Kara, Dos, Muha!" the high priest said in standard Old Dos. "Revered Chief Kargo, last spring, the great High God prophesied to us that the Dos people would become even stronger."
Our greatest leader of the steppe will appear, his horse swift as the wind, his Doth warriors covering the entire land behind him, countless in number, their Doth scimitars as sharp as reeds.
He will be as mighty as a storm; his enemies will tremble before him, their wives will weep blood, and their children will grieve uncontrollably.
The old woman looked at Kago with trembling eyes, "And you are that prophet, the greatest leader of the Doth."
Kago frowned. "Yes, that's why the High Priest entrusted the 'Horn of Doom' to me," he thought.
He never expected that as the prophet of the Dos Grassland and the greatest leader of the grassland, his entire tribe would be wiped out by a mere boy who was not even twenty years old!
In that instant, Kago didn't know how to speak, how to recount everything that had happened to him.
High Priest Doss was incredibly wise; she seemed to see right through Kago's heart.
"Tell me, Chief Kago, what exactly happened to you?"
Kago sighed, "High Priest, we Doth are being slaughtered by demons from hell!!!"
The priests gasped in astonishment, then began to whisper among themselves.
"Chief Kago, please continue, the more detailed the better."
Kago sat down and began to recount in detail everything that had happened during this period...
After Kago finished speaking, the entire temple fell into a deathly silence.
“Servants of the Most High God, I need to speak with God again!” the high priest said, trembling, to the guards serving them.
The latter immediately brought bundles of hay and went into the temple.
The high priest rose, put on the painted robes worn during the ceremony, and the other priests gathered around him.
Then, the priests began chanting prayers in the ancient Dos language.
The temple guards tossed bundles of hay into the bronze brazier, instantly filling it with a rich grassy aroma, and the smoke rose straight up to the moon and stars in the sky.
In the eyes of the Dos people, the stars are a herd of magnificent horses, their bodies made of fire, galloping across the night sky.
As the smoke rose and the chanting faded, the elderly woman closed her one eye and glanced into the future. Then came utter silence.
Kago heard birds chirping in the distance, torches crackling and hissing, and the sound of the wind rustling through the grass.
He was extremely anxious at that moment, which could be seen from the strength with which he clenched his fist.
When the high priestess stood up, she was drenched in sweat and her face was as white as paper.
“Great Chieftain Kago, I have heard the answer of God!” she said.
As she spoke, she trembled all over, as if she were terrified.
“A demon, a demon from the deepest depths of hell!” the high priest continued. “He could slaughter all of us Doth.”
Upon hearing this, many priestesses screamed.
"Chieftain Kago, you need to sound the horn! Sound the 'Horn of Doom' immediately!"
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