Chapter 464: Encirclement and Killing of the Empress (5k)
The Empress has arrived!
Zhao Duan looked out from afar and saw a procession of luxurious carriages heading towards the foot of Luoshan Mountain.
When they were still some distance away from the foot of the mountain, the Queen of Yu, dressed in gorgeous clothes, stepped down from the high royal carriage.
Xu Zhenguan was dressed in a dragon robe, which was extremely dazzling in the bright sunshine. The gorgeous crown on her head exuded the noble air of an emperor.
The Tai'a sword, the imperial weapon of Taizu, was hung on his waist, and two attendants followed him on his left and right.
They are Mo Chou, who is in charge of the "Six Shangs", and Sun Lianying, the supervisor of the White Horse Supervisor.
Further behind them came the large group of civil officials and military generals, headed by the Minister of Rites, numbering hundreds.
This was due to the situation, as a large number of important officials needed to stay in the capital to maintain the stability of the court.
Otherwise, all the high-ranking officials, royal family members, and royal relatives of the entire dynasty should be present at the emperor's Fengshan ceremony.
The momentum will be many times greater.
Amid the sound of rituals and music, Xu Zhenguan led his ministers in a mighty procession and arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The empress walked up step by step to a high platform and looked down at her ministers.
There are two altars for the Fengshan Ceremony, one located at the top of the mountain and the other at the foot of the mountain.
The altar at the foot of the mountain had been under construction many days earlier, with tablets of many gods placed on it.
The officials accompanying the empress lined up behind her and, under the guidance of the officials from the Taichang Temple, placed the various offerings and sacrifices they brought with them on the incense table for worshiping the gods.
During this process, officials from the Ministry of Rites chanted the names of the gods from time to time. When tributes were placed in front of all the tablets, an official stepped out and said loudly:
"The spirits have been pacified, and the Nine Provinces are at peace!"
The ministers present followed suit and said loudly:
"The spirits have been pacified, and the Nine Provinces are at peace!"
As a patrolling military officer, Zhao Duan did not participate in the Fengshan ceremony, but watched with great interest.
You know that the "Jiuzhou" in this world is an ancient geographical name, roughly equivalent to the "Jiudao" today.
On the high platform, the empress, dressed in gorgeous attire, raised her hand, and all the ministers fell silent.
Sun Lianying, with gray hair on his temples, took out the drafted sacrificial documents from his sleeve and read them aloud. They were nothing but lines praising the emperor and telling about the empress's succession to the throne.
After finishing the recitation, the empress glanced at the spirit tablets of the gods, her eyes looking disdainful, and said:
"Please ask for the tablet of Taizu!"
Immediately, Mo Chou came forward holding the spirit tablet of Emperor Taizu of Yu State and handed it to the empress. Xu Zhenguan, holding the spirit tablet in his hand, left the ministers behind, and walked towards the top of the mountain along the steps of the mountain path in front of Luoshan.
"The Fengshan ritual of our Yu Kingdom was established by Emperor Taizu. He once said that everything depends on human effort, and the prosperity of the dynasty has nothing to do with the gods. Therefore, offering sacrifices to the gods is not the key. The altar built with five-colored soil on the mountaintop is the core. The Emperor of Yu only respects his ancestors, not the gods."
Eunuch Hai's voice entered Zhao Duan's mind.
Zhao Duan held the hilt of the Frost Sword at his waist and looked up at the empress who was climbing the mountain alone.
The mountain path was long, but the empress walked very fast, as if she could shrink the distance into an inch. After a short while, she had reached the mountainside and became a small dot.
Further up, the empress walked into the clouds surrounding Luoshan Mountain with the spirit tablet in her hand, and could no longer be seen clearly.
"What happens next?" Zhao Duan asked.
Eunuch Hai said calmly, "We will just guard the altar at the foot of the mountain. The altar below belongs to us, and the altar above belongs to Your Majesty."
Zhao Duan raised his eyes and saw a large group of worshippers and powerful soldiers, some familiar and some unfamiliar, standing ready for battle. The foot of the mountain was quiet and silent.
Suddenly, Pei Niannu's almost whispering voice came into his mind:
"I, I remember, I remember..."
…
…
In Jianning Prefecture, on the pavilions of Prince Jing’s Mansion.
Prince Jing Xuwen, dressed in gorgeous clothes and with a majestic air, sat by the railing, fishing quietly.
The fishing line drifted into the pond, the water shimmered, and the flowers in the palace competed for beauty.
Princess Lu Yan'er, who was dressed in plain clothes and without makeup, and Crown Prince Xu Jinglong were sitting in the pavilion.
The atmosphere was dull and depressing. Suddenly, a figure hurried downstairs. It was the head of the secret spy intelligence system of Prince Jing's Mansion.
Xu Jinglong stood up and went downstairs. After a moment, he returned to the upper floor with a serious expression.
"Father, everyone has gone out according to the arrangements. The sorcerers and assassins sent by the God of Law should be ready to take action and attack the altar."
Prince Jing didn't turn his head, but just said "yes".
Princess Lu Yan'er's expression changed slightly, but it was not surprising.
Xu Jinglong hesitated for a moment, and could not help but said anxiously:
"Father, will this really work? Can we make the Fengshan ceremony fail just by attacking the altar at the foot of the mountain?
Even if the magic god is willing to fight to the death, he can never reach the top of the mountain. Moreover, he was injured by the Taia Sword before and fled in a panic... My son knows that you have made many arrangements, but... she is a celestial being after all!"
The empress is blessed with dragon energy, and her combat power is equivalent to that of a celestial being.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was feeling very uneasy and had no confidence in disrupting the Fengshan ceremony.
Prince Jing looked calmly towards Luoshan.
He got up very early today and dressed very carefully before dawn. He clearly claimed to be sick and did not go to Luoshan, but he acted solemnly as if he was going to participate in the Fengshan ceremony.
At this moment, he glanced at the sky and seemed to feel that there was no need to hide anything at this point. He sighed and said:
"Yes, she is a celestial being after all... a celestial being... how could she be easily dealt with? Especially since today, during the Fengshan Ceremony, she used her imperial status to manipulate the terrain of Luoshan and activate the dragon veins. Her strength is likely to be even greater. Even if a powerful enemy attacks, she will not be afraid."
Xu Jinglong became more and more anxious after hearing this: "Then father, you..."
Prince Jing interrupted him and suddenly changed the subject, saying:
"Do you still remember how we dealt with Zhao Duan a few days ago?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said as a matter of course: "He was surrounded by many experts, making it difficult to assassinate him, so he was killed with a sorcerer's curse..."
He was halfway through his words when he suddenly froze. Xu Jinglong was no fool after all. His pupils suddenly trembled, as if he realized something:
"My father once said that the White-Robed Sect sorcerer who cursed Zhao Duan to death was loaned to us by Prince Mu."
Prince Jing smiled slightly, raised his hand to support the fishing rod, and said:
"Got it? When people are in bad luck, even drinking cold water will cause a toothache. Of course, no one in the world can curse a celestial being to death, but many times, to achieve something, all you need is to put a feather on the scale and make a tiny impact. That's enough."
Lu Yan'er, who had been silent and pretending to be indifferent, spoke with a serious look in her eyes:
"What on earth did you do?"
Prince Jing said calmly:
"It's not what I did, it's what we did. You don't think that I'm the only one who's preventing her from entering the celestial realm, do you?"
…
To the west of Jiancheng is Yunfu.
Yunfu Road, Prince Mu’s Mansion.
As a powerful vassal prince among the "Eight Princes" whose strength is only slightly inferior to Prince Jing, Prince Mu has been fond of military affairs since he was a child.
The huge Prince Mu's Palace has a tough architectural style with a strong military camp imprint. Even the servants in the palace are trained to the standard of soldiers.
Today, outside Prince Mu’s mansion, Prince Mu’s private army has firmly blocked the area, and no outsiders are allowed to approach.
Inside the palace.
Four watchtowers were built on the "parade ground" in the courtyard. At this moment, Prince Mu, who was in his prime and wearing armor and military uniform, stood on the watchtower and looked down.
The huge parade ground was suddenly occupied by a group of sorcerers in white clothes.
Hundreds of sorcerers formed a strange magic circle similar to a "hexagram", guarding the leader in the center.
Every warlock is dressed similarly:
The sorcerer wore a white funeral robe, held a mourning stick in his hand, and hung a pocket-sized coffin the size of a palm around his waist. The coffins were of different colors, and the more advanced the sorcerer's cultivation, the darker the color of the coffin.
"Father, can this sorcerer from the White Robe Sect really interfere with the Fengshan Ceremony thousands of miles away?"
On the watchtower, standing behind King Mu, the young man who was also wearing military uniform couldn't help but ask.
Prince Mu has a feminine appearance, a pair of peach blossom eyes, and a somewhat frail body, which is inconsistent with the iron-blooded military uniform he wears.
His complexion was not as rosy as Prince Mu's, and his skin, as white as a woman's, revealed a weakness that was hollowed out by alcohol and sex.
Everyone in the Yunfu Dao knows that His Royal Highness Prince Mu is very popular with women and he likes to hook up with good women, especially married women.
Prince Mu was quite troubled by this and admonished him repeatedly, but the prince with peach blossom eyes was the one who refused to change despite repeated admonitions.
"Hmph, one sorcerer can't do it, but a hundred people, plus the many tools and media prepared in advance, may be able to do it."
Although King Mu, dressed in military uniform, disliked his son, he still patiently explained:
"Today, the sorcerers of the White Sect have joined forces to invite the 'God of Death' to descend. Even though it's far away, it can stir Xu Zhenguan's 'Life Star' for a moment. Just a moment! It can cause his fortune to plummet, turning from extremely good fortune to the worst of the year, a land of misfortune."
The Crown Prince, who had a special liking for married women, said worriedly, "But can this really hurt the gods?"
King Mu shook his head, his tone strong and powerful: "It cannot be hurt."
"That……"
"But what if someone could be injured? On the battlefield, two generals are fighting fiercely, their strength is similar, and victory or defeat, even life or death, is just a matter of luck. If I can make my niece's luck worse, it will be enough to change the outcome."
At this time, in the palace training ground, the female leader of the White Sect, whose lips seemed to be covered with a layer of white ash and wearing a pointed white hat, stood in the center of the formation. She raised her head and exhaled a wisp of white air from her mouth.
Hundreds of mourning sticks were waved at the same time, and in an instant, the originally clear sky was covered with dark clouds and a cold wind blew.
High up in the infinitely high and distant sky, strands of power condensed into a huge, illusory coffin.
The coffin suddenly stood up and hovered in the air. The coffin lid opened like a door. Inside the coffin, there lay an illusory god sleeping peacefully with his hands folded on his abdomen.
The "Sangshen" opened his eyes from his deep sleep and looked towards Luoshan in the east.
The star of misfortune is moving.
…
…
Capital city, Tianshi Mansion.
In the small courtyard deep inside, a huge banyan tree swayed gently. Suddenly, a human face vaguely emerged from the huge, evergreen crown, looking at the clear sky.
"Something's wrong...something's wrong...The Emperor Star should be the brightest today, why has it become so dim?"
"Wake up, wake up."
The big banyan tree stretched out a branch covered with leaves, shaking the old Taoist priest who was sleeping in the rattan chair under the tree.
Zhang Yanyi, a tall man with narrow brows and wearing a black priest robe, woke up from a light dream and listened to the narration of the banyan tree.
His expression was normal.
"It's already very dangerous to be performing Fengshan at this moment. Before Your Majesty went south, I told her, what are the unexpected things?"
The big banyan tree hesitated and said:
"But didn't you also promise her..."
Zhang Yan nodded and said:
"I promised her that I would watch over the capital and the Shenlong Temple. As for the rest, it has nothing to do with my Tianshi Mansion."
The Taoist holy land, Tianshi Mansion, has stood for a thousand years because it adheres to the principle of not participating in worldly political struggles.
"It's not my place to interfere in her fight with the Eight Kings. Who wins or loses is all up to fate." Zhang Yan said calmly.
The big banyan tree thought for a moment and said, "What if other people intervene?"
The "others" here naturally refer to the realm of heaven and man.
Zhang Yanyi pondered for a moment and looked towards the East China Sea:
"The only ones who can threaten Your Majesty are Wu Xiankui and Xuan Yin. Qingshan has been gambling and fighting with the Yu Kingdom's royal family for many years. Even if they really broke the rules, it is the Yu Kingdom's royal family's own business. As for Xuan Yin..."
The old Taoist priest wanted to say that the old bald donkey Xuanyin was in seclusion in Shenlong Temple all day, and if there was any unusual movement, he would definitely be able to sense it.
Up to now, he is extremely sure that Xuan Yin is still chanting scriptures in Shenlong Temple, so there is no need to worry.
But when the words were on the tip of my tongue, I suddenly felt a surge of unease.
Zhang Yanyi, who believed in "the Way of Heaven", was extremely sensitive to this unexpected uneasiness. He frowned, pondered for a moment, took out the heavenly book from his sleeve, and threw it into the air.
Golden words flew out from the heavenly book and fell in the air like a waterfall. Zhang Yan immediately used the heavenly book to divine the Fengshan ceremony.
When it comes to the realm of heaven and man, the way of heaven cannot give any clear hints, but the general direction can be felt.
After a moment, the hexagram appeared.
When Zhang Yan looked up, his expression changed drastically!
…
…
"Remember? Senior Pei, what did you remember?"
At the foot of Luoshan Mountain, Zhao Duan heard the voice in his mind. He was startled at first and subconsciously looked around.
Seeing that no one, including Eunuch Hai, noticed, he tried to be cautious and asked in his heart.
At the same time, he was also quite surprised: Pei Niannu, who should have only been able to establish contact with him during visualization, could actually talk to him directly?
This senior who was hidden in the "Six Chapter Sutra" was indeed not simple. Others who practiced the path of martial gods had no similar experience at all.
"I... remember... why the power that prevented me from descending that day... was familiar..."
Coming?
Is she referring to the "Goddess of Dharma"? Last time I tried to visualize and summon her, but the "Goddess of Dharma" used special means to stop me... After that, she kept mumbling...
Zhao Duan tried to ask in his heart:
"Could it be that Senior recognized the inheritance of the God of Law?"
Well, as the first female sorceress six hundred years ago, Pei Niannu must have dealt with most of the powerful people, and maybe she had met a teacher who inherited the lineage of "God of Magic".
However... the God of Law worships the "Heavenly Dao", similar to the entire Tianshi Mansion... She couldn't have simply recognized the power of the "Heavenly Dao God"... Well, such a great senior shouldn't make such a low-level mistake...
Thoughts flashed through Zhao Duan’s mind.
However, at this moment, Eunuch Hai suddenly shouted, "Here it comes!"
Zhao Duan was startled and his attention was diverted from the conversation with Pei Niannu, looking forward.
Suddenly, from the left side of the distant forest, a group of masked killers rushed out. Each of them held a sword and had a fierce aura. They were all powerful martial artists who had practiced martial arts.
On the right side, a large group of familiar-looking warlocks with different clothing details suddenly appeared. They were the members of the Magic God Sect who had fought with him that day.
On several higher hills, the sentries arranged by the court to stand guard died almost at the same time.
A large group of mysterious people holding magical bows and crossbows occupied the high ground. Arrows, wrapped in surging magic power, shot towards the officials near the altar with sharp whistles!
"Enemy attack!"
"defense!"
The strong man in the army at the foot of the mountain shouted loudly, and the defenders who had been prepared in advance moved at the same time. A translucent formation protective shield was erected out of thin air at the foot of the mountain.
Beijing officials headed by the Minister of Rites, Mo Chou and others, as well as local officials headed by the Governor of the Grand Canal were hurriedly driven away and hid in nearby caves for protection.
The target of this group of killers was not this group of people at all. They were obviously heading for the altar.
Arrows hit the rain cover, creating ripples. Eunuch Hai said in a deep voice:
"Protect the altar. Anyone who crosses the line will die!"
"Protect the emperor to the death!"
A group of palace priests spoke in deep voices, murderous intent rising from their bodies, locking onto the group of sorcerers.
The powerful soldiers in the outer army had already collided with the private army of the royal palace that was coming to kill them.
"Protect the emperor!"
Zhao Duan drew his sword and shouted loudly, leading Lang Shiba and Ji Yue, together with a group of Jinyi from Lihua Hall, to block the altar behind them.
At the same time, his eyes quickly searched for the strong ones among the enemies.
As he looked around, he saw a figure in the distance coming like a cannonball.
Senior Brother Qingshan Duan Shuiliu made no secret of his true appearance and appeared in the world. He laughed heartily and stepped into the air, holding a slashing knife in his hand, and said with a smile:
"Hai Chunlin! Since we last met, I'm here to learn from you again!"
Eunuch Hai's eyes were indifferent: "You are looking for death."
Zhao Duan frowned.
Duan Shuiliu appeared as promised, but... where did the "God of Law" go?
…
…
The top of Luoshan Mountain.
After Xu Zhenguan, wearing a dragon robe, a crown on his head and holding the spirit tablet of Taizu in his hands, walked into the clouds, he could no longer see the people below him clearly.
She flew like a fairy running towards the sky and soon reached the top of the mountain.
A large flat area has been cleared here, and the most eye-catching thing is an altar built with five-colored soil.
Xu Zhenguan came gracefully and landed under the altar. He respectfully placed the spirit tablet of Taizu on the altar.
"Taizu's blessing... My descendants will maintain peace under heaven. Today, I will offer sacrifices to the gods at Luoshan..."
Xu Zhenguan prayed silently. This was not a necessary ritual for Fengshan. In fact, the success or failure of Fengshan had little to do with this spirit tablet.
She just wanted to do it.
Xu Zhenguan finished his prayer, raised his head, and frowned. In just a few breaths, the originally clear sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds.
An indescribable chill descended.
"Are you losing your mind?" Xu Zhenguan snorted coldly. "How dare you, a wicked evildoer, to go against the will of heaven..."
She raised her hand and made a grab, and the Taia sword was unsheathed with a clang, handing herself into the hands of the empress.
Just as the empress was about to break the dark clouds with a sword.
Suddenly, a mountain wind blew.
Xu Zhenguan turned around and looked into the distance with her beautiful eyes. She saw a bamboo raft floating in the gap between the clouds on the hillside of Luoshan Mountain and on the distant river leading to the East China Sea.
On the bamboo raft, a burly man wearing linen clothes and with messy black and white hair draped over his shoulders came alone.
There is no one to row the boat, the bamboo raft moves on its own.
The man in plain clothes took a step forward, and the bamboo raft sank slightly, but he had already stepped over the clouds and appeared on the top of Mount Luo.
The Lord of Qingshan, one of the four celestial beings in the world.
Number one in martial arts.
Wu Xiankui!
(End of this chapter)
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