Chapter 643: The Last Emperor's "Confession of Sins" and the Appearance of the Priestess! (5k)
“Chuckle…”
In the silent square, Pei Niannu's unbridled laughter successfully broke the awkward atmosphere between the three people.
Zhao Duan stepped back subconsciously, gritting his teeth:
Deliberate! This old feudal bastard definitely did it on purpose!
It was most likely that Pei Niannu was deliberately throwing mud at him... Just like before at the Taimiao, the old feudal lord criticized the empress for not knowing etiquette with righteous words, as if he was annoyed that Zhao Duan was not a strong husband and was disappointed with his wife.
But he couldn't explain it, after all, he was the one who did it.
"snort!"
Yuxiu's eyes were dim, but she didn't get angry after all. She just walked a few steps away, pretending nothing had happened.
The female Taoist priest likes to "eat melons", but she absolutely does not want to be a melon.
As for Jin Jian, the girl was still young and inexperienced, and she was a little overwhelmed by being hugged by Zhao Duan.
But seeing the Second Senior Sister's "indifferent" attitude, the girl sighed silently, thinking that she was still not mature enough and needed to learn from her Senior Sister...
"Ahem, it seems my plan was very successful. Is this the core of La Garden?"
Zhao Duan looked around seriously.
As far as the eye can see, there is a large open space with no weeds growing.
In the night, a towering temple stands in front, with a long staircase extending down.
In the middle of the steps, there is a gentle platform with a huge circular stone platform on it and huge bronze tripods placed on both sides!
At this moment, flames were burning in the bronze tripod and lights were on in the temple.
"Yes," Yuxiu put aside her messy thoughts, looked up at the stone platform guarded by the bronze tripod, and said:
“That’s the altar, also known as the altar.
During sacrifices, offerings are placed on the altar. As for the higher temple buildings, I have never set foot inside. Even the Liao people's grand ceremony, held once every ten years, ends at the altar.
Zhao Duan said solemnly:
"There must be someone taking care of the garden in the La Garden. These flames are not something a servant of God could light. And these steps are also very clean, showing signs of being swept by someone."
Yuxiu thought for a moment, then suddenly said:
"I heard that there are priests in the La Garden, but I don't know the details."
Priest... Zhao Duan silently clenched the hilt of his knife and stepped onto the first step:
"In any case, it's better to be careful."
The three people and one soul climbed up the stairs, but to their surprise, they did not encounter any danger along the way.
After passing the altar and going up, we arrived at the rough-style "temple". The stone door in front was open, and inside was a huge palace.
Dozens of braziers were burning in the temple, and the dim flames illuminated the entire building.
Zhao Duan stepped in cautiously with a knife in hand and was surprised to find that the furnishings here were simple and the hall was empty. The most eye-catching thing was a half-human-high stone pillar in the center.
There are grooves on the stone pillars, and next to the grooves are two strange "balls" that appear to be made of jade.
"No one?"
Zhao Duan was shocked and confused. He spread his spiritual sense and after searching again and again, he found that there was no one here.
"Maybe he left temporarily." Yuxiu analyzed calmly:
"Our intrusion must have attracted the attention of the people inside the hospital, but they didn't expect us to sneak in so quietly.
Anyway, we don't have much time, so where exactly is what you're looking for? Is this it?"
She pointed expectantly at the jade ball on the stone pillar, which was the most conspicuous thing.
Jin Jian was a bit shorter, standing next to the stone pillar, stretching his neck and reaching out to grab it, but Yu Xiu's hand stopped him, and he said fiercely with a stern face:
"Don't move, this is the sleeping place of Laba, it's very dangerous!"
"...Oh." Jin Jian retracted his hand, but still stared eagerly, and said softly, "Second Senior Sister."
"kindness?"
"It seems to be very valuable when it's raw."
"???" She held her forehead with her jade sleeves, feeling powerless.
"This is a photo stone. It's harmless."
Pei Niannu floated over. The sorceress walked gracefully and leisurely, as if she was strolling in the garden, without any sense of urgency to sneak in.
Beneath her dark golden mask, her eyes were filled with curiosity. Her pale, translucent fingers beneath her wedding dress pointed towards the jade ball.
"It's a magical tool used to record images in my time. Place it in this groove, inject magic power, and it will be projected."
An ancient version of the "recording scroll"?
Zhao Duan was surprised.
Why is this thing placed in Da Laba's residence?
After a slight hesitation, he still plucked up the courage to grab the first larger and better-looking "jade ball" and put it into the groove.
Upon seeing this, Yuxiu shot out strands of magic power from her palms through the air and poured them into the stone pillars.
then.
In the dim firelight, first thin lines lit up on the jade, and then complex patterns on the surface of the gray stone pillars also lit up.
Silently, the emerald ball suddenly became translucent, and a beam of light rose and slowly unfolded in the air.
It became an illusory light curtain!
It really is recording images... So this technology existed six hundred years ago?
Zhao Duan was surprised and held his breath, then he was shocked to see that the light screen shook violently first, and then a young emperor wearing a dragon robe and a crown appeared in the center of the screen!
He has a handsome face, but can't hide his fatigue, and his eyes are filled with solemnity and sorrow.
Behind him, one could vaguely see a celebrity figure moving back and forth in the distance, seemingly busy with something.
"Who is this?"
When several people were puzzled, they heard the "Emperor" in the light curtain speak:
"Today is the first year of the Guangqi era, and it is also the first day that I, the new emperor of the Qi Kingdom, am crowned and ascend the throne."
Opening critical hit!
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then realized, "Is this the Prince of Qi? Is this the image he left behind?!"
There is no doubt that, in connection with the "diary" we just read, we can easily deduce:
In the last year of the Qi Kingdom's Tianshou reign, the emperor died in the capital under the siege of "rebel bandits", and the team led by the prince hid here.
The crown prince inherited the throne and hastily ascended the throne here, with the reign title being "Guangqi".
However, this incident has never been recorded in history books, which means that the Prince of Qi in front of us is the last emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty in the true sense.
In the light curtain, the last emperor continued with tired eyes:
"If anyone sees this image I left behind, it means I'm dead and my plan to restore my country has failed.
Regardless of who you are, since Heaven has decided to destroy Daqi, I do not wish to take everything into my grave, much less to allow this history to be buried. Therefore, I will now reveal a secret known only to a select few.
Paused.
The last emperor seemed to smile, but not with a smile:
"You may be wondering why, when the country was destroyed, I led the last of my troops to the territory where the Liao people lived.
Not only you, but also the accompanying court officials and generals rarely know the truth. This is not because I don't trust you, but this matter is of great importance and cannot be leaked."
"Because this is the Liao people, they are a group that was deliberately 'raised' by the Great Qi Imperial Family. And the so-called 'Da Laba' god is an artificial god created by the Qi Imperial Family through experimentation."
…
Man-Made God!?
When these words were spoken, all four of them were shocked.
Even Pei Niannu, who had remained calm and maintained the demeanor of an old senior, was stunned.
Is the evil god Laba a man-made god?
The Liao people were actually kept in captivity by the Qi State?
This sentence was like thunder, almost making several people lose their ability to think.
"Senior, is this true?"
Zhao Duan turned his head suddenly and stared at Pei Niannu, seeking an answer.
Pei Niannu was silent for a moment and said:
"In the past, I did hear about some crazy sorcerers who proposed the idea of creating gods, but I just regarded it as nonsense and never saw it."
I don’t know…what’s the use of you! Zhao Duan opened his mouth to ask, but heard the “last emperor” speak again.
"Oh, you might be surprised. Can gods be created? Of course they can!"
In the light curtain, pride appeared in the eyes of the "Prince":
"Many years ago, when Maya was traveling among the mortals, he once came to the capital of Qi State. While discussing the mysteries of the world with the chief sorcerer of the palace, he raised a debate topic:
Since gods are born out of the people's belief, if a large number of villagers in a closed mountain village believe in the existence of a fictional god, will the corresponding god be born over time?
And if the power of the gods comes from the imagination of the people, does that mean that the authority and power of the gods can also be artificially determined?"
The debate ended inconclusively, as no one in the world had ever done such a thing. However, the emperor of that generation saw a glimpse of inspiration from it:
If the imperial family and the entire nation could accomplish this, could they truly "artificially" create a god that could be controlled by the Emperor of Qi? Thus, a crazy plan began."
The last emperor took a deep breath, as if he was shocked by the mere mention of this crazy plan:
"The emperors of that generation chose the remote southwest, because the villages that already existed, no matter how isolated, had developed a belief in heaven and earth over a long period of time. They were not suitable for creating gods."
"Therefore, the royal family secretly dispatched border troops to capture the then-insignificant Liao people tribe, and ordered men and women to have sex and give birth to newborns. They then took the newborns away and gave them to the court sorcerers who had taken root deep in the Great Xinjiang to train them.
These newborns were indoctrinated with specific beliefs from a young age, making them believe without a doubt that the royal family had fabricated a non-existent god... and all the rituals, including sacrificial ceremonies, were established."
"And to ensure the created god could be driven, the palace's chief sorcerer wrote a specific 'Tao' into the rules of the god's power...
If this god can truly be born, everything about him will follow this original 'Tao', which means that it will be possible for the Emperor of Qi to command a true god, and this will ensure that our Qi Kingdom will last for thousands of years and will never be destroyed!
In the light curtain.
The last emperor seemed to be very excited and couldn't help but open his arms.
But soon, his tone became low again:
"However, this grand plan will inevitably take a long time, requiring us to eliminate any interference and overcome countless difficulties...
Before the emperor who had originally planned this died, the children of the Liao people were still young...
He only left behind an iron rule: future emperors must implement this plan in secret. If a hundred years is not enough, then two hundred years, if two hundred years is not enough, then three hundred years..."
"Thus, new Liaoren tribes began to emerge little by little.
Those children grew up little by little, reproduced with each other, and raised the next generation, while the ones responsible for controlling this tribe were the generations of court sorcerers.
"A hundred years later, signs of the existence of a god appeared in this tribe, and the 'Great Laba God' described by the royal family was born."
"But the newly born god is still too weak, just like the countless 'wild gods' of all sizes in the world."
"In the second century, the Liao people's population expanded dozens of times, and the Laba God could truly 'appear' and grant them power through sacrifices. During this time, the Qi Kingdom had three emperors, and the plan was still ongoing."
“In the third century, Laba God has reached the realm of heavenly beings, but is still far from being a true god.
By this time, very few people knew of the original plan. The royal family had long since ceased interfering with the Liao people, retaining only a small number of sorcerers who, as 'priests', stood above the Liao people and lived in the 'La Garden'.
"In the fourth century...Da Laba finally achieved god-level power. However, because the world was too long and the gods were unknown, some flaws appeared in the plan, and controlling Him was no longer easy.
If there were enough time, perhaps it would take decades or even hundreds of years to perfect Him, but... the destiny of the Qi Kingdom has come to an end! "
…
Inside the temple.
On the screen, the last emperor's narration came to its first long pause.
Zhao Duan and the others also came out of their breath-holding state and looked at each other, seeing shock in each other's eyes.
A plan that spanned four hundred years...
A crazy movement to create a god...
"Qiguo actually has such a secret... No wonder..." Pei Niannu was stunned, as if he was thinking of some dusty past events.
Some old doubts have been answered.
Zhao Duan was shocked and couldn't help but feel scared:
"If Qiguo had held on a little longer, and the royal family had truly gained complete control of a god, then..."
Perhaps, the State of Yu would never appear at all.
There is a slight possibility that the vision that lasts for eternity will be realized.
"I understand." Yuxiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"So, the Crown Prince is ostensibly transporting the palace's treasures and transferring the imperial family's wealth, but in reality, his fundamental purpose is to use Da Laba to restore the country!"
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, stared at the light curtain, and said:
"But it looks like he failed."
Those servants of God outside are the answer.
…
On the light curtain.
The last emperor seemed to calm down and spoke again with a sad look in his eyes:
"Daqi's fall was too swift, everything happened too quickly. While the court officials were still confidently deceiving the emperor by saying that the unrest in various places was merely minor and could be easily quelled, the various places had already fallen, and the rebels' troops were already at the gates."
"It was at this time that Father told us brothers this great secret. It is obvious that the Great Laba God is now the last hope."
"Now, I have arrived at the Liao people, but the rest of my brothers have not arrived yet, or have died on the way.
Even the secret of Laba God may have been exposed, so I can't wait any longer.
Today, I have hastily ascended the throne. I am determined to fight to the death. The chief sorcerer of the palace said that if I forcefully control the Laba God, there is a certain risk of failure. But now that things have come to this, the country is broken, and I have no way out!
The last emperor's eyes suddenly became firm. He stared at the people in front of the screen with dignity and indifference, as if he was speaking to them across six hundred years:
"Later, I will personally attempt to control the Great Laba. If successful, this video will be destroyed, and there is still hope for the Qi Kingdom."
"If we lose..."
The crown prince, who had just ascended the throne for a day, took a deep breath, seeming a little lonely:
"At that time, the thousands of loyal guards in La Garden will be able to leave and make a living on their own."
"The fall of the Great Qi Kingdom is the fault of the Emperor."
"I myself am guilty, and I have no right to seek justice."
"If all the people are guilty, the fault lies with me."
“This is a sin!”
Bang!
The light curtain suddenly shrank into a thin line, and then retracted into the jade ball.
The video is over!
But Zhao Duan and the others couldn't come back to their senses for a long time.
a long time.
"There's another photo stone, maybe it records what happened next!"
Yuxiu took a deep breath and looked at the second, slightly smaller jade ball.
Zhao Duan didn't hesitate, he picked it up and put it down with an inexplicably heavy mood.
Transfer in the magic power and open the screen.
This time, the picture unfolding in the air was very blurry. The jade ball seemed to be held by someone, and the whole picture was shaking.
One by one, the "court sorcerers" in strange robes were shouting something in fear, but it was not clear. Only words like "Your Majesty" and "out of control" could be vaguely heard.
The sorcerer holding the jade ball also mixed in with his colleagues, running out of the temple, and then the La Garden six hundred years ago appeared in the picture.
All I saw in the sky was a thick blood light, and blood-red clouds covered the entire sky. The clouds could be vaguely seen surging, and the outline of a painful human face was vaguely revealed.
On the ground, thousands of armored guards gathered in La Garden, looking up at the sky in horror, not understanding what was happening.
Then, suddenly, the huge human face in the air disappeared, and in its place were two huge holes.
Looking down indifferently.
Afterwards, thousands of guards in the courtyard, regardless of their level of cultivation, all died at the same time with blood coming out of all their orifices, falling silently to the ground.
Then the civil officials standing near the altar also died with screams, their flesh and blood being absorbed by the altar.
Then, the sorcerers at the temple gate fell one by one.
The one holding the jade ball seemed to be much stronger than the other sorcerers. The other sorcerers were all dead, and only he was still trying his best to hold on.
He walked in step by step and placed the jade ball in his hand somewhere.
Then he let go and walked back out of the temple. This time, the light screen recorded an old man with white hair and a very old age.
He was wearing the most gorgeous robe of a court sorcerer. His face could not be seen, only his thin back as he walked away little by little.
Finally, the moment the chief sorcerer of the palace stepped out of the temple, his whole body suddenly caught fire and turned into a dazzling "sun". It rose from the ground and crashed into the evil god in the sky.
Then, golden ripples appeared in the scarlet sky.
A strong wind blew, and the light curtain was extinguished.
…
Inside the temple.
Zhao Duan, Yuxiu, Jinjian and Pei Niannu gathered around the stone pillar, quietly and silently looking at the two jade balls on it.
My heart feels heavy and depressed.
These two short scenes feel like watching a three-hour epic movie.
Everyone's heart was filled with unspeakable emotions.
"Huh..." Zhao Duan was the first to break the silence. He exhaled forcefully, rubbing his brows and said:
"The fall of Qi Kingdom was not unjust. However, what I am more concerned about now is where the key is."
Yuxiu and Jinjian were also awakened at once.
Yes, they wasted a lot of time. Although they learned a big secret, the real purpose of sneaking in here has not been achieved.
"Let's search..."
Just when Yuxiu suggested to search the place carefully.
Suddenly, several people heard countless strange noises coming from outside the temple.
The three of them were startled and ran to the temple gate at the same time. They looked outside and their pupils trembled!
Under the starry sky, on the open space below the altar, countless servants of God marched out in a line like a torrent of steel, engulfing the entire open space. Their scarlet eyes gathered together, like a sea of light.
That was a terrifying number that was enough to consume and devour all of them.
And on the altar, in front of countless servants of God, a "priestess" wearing a gorgeous robe, with flowing black hair, dark skin, and a mysterious temperament, wearing a strange bone mask, holding a priest's staff, was silently looking at several people.
“Oh no…”
Zhao Duan's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
(End of this chapter)
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