Between the Spiritual Dragon's fangs, a cloud of purple gas slowly condensed, like a pearl in the dragon's mouth.
The purple gas became thicker and thicker, and the cloud gradually condensed and compressed into a solid purple pearl the size of a pigeon's egg.
The purple gas in the surrounding void disappeared. The Spiritual Dragon held the purple pearl that condensed the last luck of the Daibun Dynasty in its mouth. It turned its head and looked at Huaiqing on the shore.
"Phew …"
It breathed and spat the pearl between Huaiqing's eyebrows. With a flash of purple light, the purple pearl spread between Huaiqing's eyebrows, dyeing her eyes and white skin purple.
A few seconds later, the purple light faded.
"Very good!"
Huaiqing nodded slightly, turned around, and walked in the direction of the palace.
"Ow …"
The Spiritual Dragon's black button-like eyes looked at Huaiqing's back and let out a sorrowful cry.
Huaiqing's heart was cold. She did not look back, nor did she stop. She returned to the imperial study, sat behind the large yellow silk table, and said lightly,
"Leave!"
The eunuchs and maids standing in the hall bowed and left one after another.
After everyone left, Huaiqing spread out the letter, pinched her sleeve, and ground it herself. After dipping the pen in ink, she wrote on the paper,
"Ning Yan:"
After writing the two words, she held the pen for a long time. There were thousands of words in her heart, but she did not know how to say them.
After thinking for a long time, she finally wrote again.
"Those who gave birth to me don't like me, and the clan hates me for going against the grain. I call myself an emperor as a woman. However, I have a clear conscience for my ancestors, heaven and earth, and my clan and relatives. I am open and aboveboard.
"After thinking about it, I only want to tell you what's on my mind.
"I studied the books of the sages and practiced martial arts diligently. It was all because of a sentence that the Grand Tutor said in the school when I was young, 'a woman without talent is a virtue'. I have been competitive all my life. Even when I fought with Lin An, I never gave in. Towards the words of the Grand Tutor, I was not convinced.
"Who said that women are inferior to men? Who said that women were born to embroider at home? I insist on becoming a talented woman whose name shakes the capital. I insist on writing books and chronicling history, so that I can prove to the world that all men under the heavens are dirt.
"I gradually grew older. When I was young, my ambitions were worn away by time. However, after studying hard for ten years, I became full of wisdom. I also wanted to imitate the Confucian Sages to enlighten the world, imitate the Second Sage to establish a sect, and imitate Emperor Gaozu to make great achievements.
"However, I was bound by my womanhood, so I had no choice but to bear with it. I didn't want to get married and secretly paid attention to the politics of the court. Before I met you, I often thought that after a few years, I would lose my will and get married.
"In the beginning, I was kind to you out of appreciation and cultivation. Because you and Lin An were at loggerheads, it was just out of habit and overbearing character.
"Later on, I gradually began to admire you, and I couldn't extricate myself from it. However, I was still unwilling to face my heart, unwilling to admit defeat. I stubbornly told myself that what I wanted was to be alone for the rest of my life, and that I would never share a husband with another woman.
"Unexpectedly, in the end, the dead girl Lin An got ahead of me. She secretly lost her temper because of this and punished Old Concubine Chen. I didn't say these thoughts in the past, but now I'm not afraid to say it to you.
"Although you and I are not husband and wife in name, we are husband and wife in reality. I have no regrets in this life.
"The Witch God came out, the Nine Regions are in danger, and the survival of Daibun is at stake. As the king of a country, I must take responsibility. The Son of Heaven guards the gate of the country, and the king dies for the country.
"In this world, I will share it with you.
"I have never been willful in my life. This is the only time and the last time.
"When you quell the disaster and the world is at peace, don't forget to tell me about the Spring Sacrifice. I will also smile in the underworld.
"Huaiqing's last words!"
… …
The border between Yuzhou and Jianzhou.
Black clouds surged in the sky, covering the blue sky and the morning sun. The world seemed to be divided into two halves. One side was dark and horrible, and countless armies of zombies came like a tide. The other side was sunny, and the mountains and plains were full of people fleeing in panic.
They were like a group of ants who had lost their backbone. Although there were many of them, they were scattered and disorderly. They only knew how to escape in a panic.
At the junction of light and darkness, a hundred soldiers escorting the people were covered by the shadow. The next moment, the soldiers and the people, including the horses under their crotch, all stiffened. Then, the people and the beasts turned white, and their expressions were numb. They became a part of the zombie tide.
"Save me, save me …"
Some of the exhausted people in the front saw this and were scared to death. They screamed and stimulated their potential to continue to escape.
But soon, they stopped screaming and their expressions became stiff and numb.
They also became a member of the zombie tide, moving forward with the black clouds.
More and more people were turned into zombies, and they lost their lives without any resistance. There was no difference between a person and an ant under the Supreme Grade.
Chu Yuanzhen stepped on the flying sword, and his heart was filled with indescribable sorrow and pain. These emotions almost swallowed him.
Not long ago, the Sorcerer God appeared and swept the Central Plains. He saw with his own eyes that armies were devoured, and groups of people formed by people were turned into zombies.
The fleeing formation was instantly disrupted, until it became the current scene. The mountains and plains were full of people, disorganized, and panicked.
And the same situation also happened in the three provinces adjacent to the northeast.
In the face of this disaster, the zombie tide in front of Chu Yuanzhen was only a part of it.
The three provinces were finished. Tens of millions of people were annihilated in this catastrophe that devoured the Central Plains. Behind it was Jianzhou, and behind it was Jiangzhou and the capital.
No war was so terrible. Even the Battle of Shanhai Pass had only one or two million casualties.
It was cruel for him to witness such a disaster with his own eyes.
Maybe ten or twenty years later, he would be awakened by this disaster in a dream.
At this time, Chu Yuanzhen's eyes were attracted by a mother and daughter in the distance. The mother and daughter were at the border of the light and dark worlds, and behind them were endless rolling black clouds.
The little girl fell down.
"Mother, I can't run anymore …"
The seven or eight-year-old girl was sweating, and her yellow hair stuck to her face. Her lips were chapped.
Blisters had formed on her little feet, and she staggered as she ran. She carried her father on her back, and after witnessing the tragic deaths of the people behind him, he abandoned them and fled for his life alone.
The young mother in cotton clothes still had physical strength, but it was not enough to carry the little girl. She held her young daughter in her arms and said over and over again,
"Mother will accompany you, mother will accompany you …"
She was trembling with fear, and her face was pale, but her arms holding her daughter were extremely firm.
"Mother, why doesn't father want us anymore?"
The mother's face was filled with sadness.
"Because the monster is coming, father can't protect us anymore."
The little girl's expression was different from her mother's. There was hope and certainty on her face.
She said crisply, "Xu Yinluo will protect us."
Children who had been to restaurants and teahouses, watched shadow puppets, and listened to the stories of traveling doctors all knew Xu Yinluo.
He was a great hero who protected the people.
At this time, Chu Yuanzhen descended on his sword, grabbed the young mother's arm, and brought the mother and daughter into the sky. Then, he suddenly turned around and rushed back.
The Sorcerer God did not intervene, probably because such ants were not worthy of his attention.
"Thank you for saving my life, hero."
The young mother had escaped from death. She hugged her daughter tightly with tears on her face and kept thanking him.
However, she spoke in a dialect, so Chu Yuanzhen could not understand her.
"Are you Xu Yinluo?"
The little girl blinked her eyes, looking expectant.
Chu Yuanzhen opened his mouth and said,
"Yes, it's me."
The little girl's dirty and sweaty face blossomed into an excited and bright smile, like the hope of doomsday.
"Phew …" Chu Yuanzhen exhaled, as if his soul was comforted. He sent the mother and daughter on his sword for a while to ensure their safety.
The speed of the Sorcerer God's advancement was extremely fast in the eyes of mortals, but in the eyes of extraordinary masters, it was actually slow. This was because he was not advancing aimlessly, but was slowly nibbling away at the territories of Jing, Xiang, and Yu Prefectures to refine the Seal of Mountains and Rivers.
Once the Seal of Mountains and Rivers was refined, the three prefectures would be his.
After that, as long as Daibun was destroyed, he could absorb the overflowing fate between heaven and earth, accommodate the Seal of Mountains and Rivers, and compete with the Buddha and the two ancient gods and demons.
After watching the mother and daughter escape, Chu Yuanzhen retracted his gaze. Then, he turned around and saw the empress standing with her hands behind her back. She was dressed in a dragon robe and had a crown on her head.
"Your Majesty?"
This surprised Chu Yuanzhen. He did not expect Huaiqing to personally go to the front line.
"At this speed, we will reach the capital in three days."
Huaiqing's tone was extremely calm at this moment. "In three days, Leizhou will most likely be defeated."
Chu Yuanzhen's face was full of bitterness.
From Leizhou to the capital, from the northeast to the capital, who knew how many lives along the way had been turned into ashes.
Huaiqing continued.
"We do not know the situation overseas, and he is our last hope. Therefore, stalling for time and waiting for his return is Daibun's only choice.
"Brother Chu, what do you think?"
"Hmm," Chu Yuanzhen replied. But how could he stall the Sorcerer God? Unless there was another half-step Martial God in the world.
Huaiqing smiled.
"Very well, we have reached a consensus."
She took out a letter and two items from her bosom and handed them to Chu Yuanzhen.
Chu Yuanzhen lowered his head and saw that it was a butter jade seal with a missing corner and a shriveled lotus petal that had been pressed into pieces.
"Give them to Xu Ningyan for me," Huaiqing said in a low voice.
Chu Yuanzhen was stunned at first. He stared at the Empress's beautiful side profile and immediately understood the Empress's determination.
"No, no, Your Majesty, you should not be impulsive …"
Before Chu Yuanzhen could finish his sentence, he was pushed away violently by an extremely strong force.
Huaiqing stood proudly and a brilliant golden light surged from her body. The golden light condensed into the shadow of a dragon that bared its fangs and brandished its claws, roaring soundlessly at the Sorcerer God in the distance.
The surging dark clouds in the distance stopped. Then, a blurry face emerged from the dark clouds and looked at the golden dragon and Huaiqing from hundreds of feet away.
Huaiqing's voice was clear and sonorous.
"As the Emperor of Daibun, I will guard the gates of the country and protect the people. Today, I will use 20% of the country's fate to stop the Sorcerer God at the border of Jianzhou. Chu Yuanzhen, retreat immediately and do not disobey. "
She announced her decision as if she was reading an imperial edict.
The blurry face retreated into the clouds. The next moment, the rolling dark clouds surged over with an unstoppable force. It was as if the sky was falling and the mountains were collapsing.
Chu Yuanzhen's eyes turned red instantly.
Just as he was about to bow and accept the order, he suddenly heard a gentle voice.
"I have an objection!"
Chu Yuanzhen and Huaiqing turned their heads at the same time. Light rose between them and Zhao Shou's figure appeared.
"Director?"
Chu Yuanzhen was stunned. Then, he was overjoyed. He couldn't take Huaiqing away, but Zhao Shou could.
"Your Majesty, let me do it!"
Zhao Shou smiled. "I will die if the master is humiliated, but I am not dead yet. How can I let Your Majesty shed your blood?"
Without waiting for Huaiqing to refuse, he recited,
"Don't move!"
As expected, Huaiqing froze on the spot and couldn't move.
Zhao Shou glanced at the surging dark clouds and smiled.
"Your Majesty said that the emperor guards the country, and the king dies for the country. But Xu Ningyan also said that we should establish our hearts for the world, establish our lives for the people, continue the teachings of the past sages, and establish peace for all ages.
"I think that what Xu Yinluo said is what a scholar should do.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Huaiqing didn't answer, but there was a flash of sadness in her eyes.
Zhao Shou waved his hand gently, and the scarlet robe on his body automatically fell off. He folded himself neatly and floated in the air.
"Sigh, I haven't had enough of being an official."
The great scholar touched the official robe reluctantly, then waved his hand and let it fall in front of Chu Yuanzhen.
Finally, he said,
"Your Majesty, at the end of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the great scholar Qian Zhong destroyed the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty with his own body. That was how Daibun was able to prosper for six hundred years.
"Today, I, Zhao Shou, will follow the example of my predecessor. I hope that Daibun can prosper for another six hundred years.
"Your Majesty, the scholars of Yunlu Academy have never let down the people and the country. Don't let the struggle for the country's capital from two hundred years ago repeat itself."
He solemnly bowed to Huaiqing.
After knowing that the Sorcerer God had appeared, he decided to follow the example of his predecessor and die for the country.
The "one thing" he transmitted to the Transcendents was to ask them to defend Leizhou to the death.
Zhao Shou adjusted the quasi-sage crown on his head. Light flashed in his hand, and the carving knife appeared. The Sorcerer God was already close. The strong wind messed up his hair, but it couldn't mess up his firm expression.
When his life came to an end, this great scholar remembered the crippled teacher from many years ago. Even though he hated the system of the imperial court, he still emphasized the "country" and "people" when he taught his students.
It was as if the crippled teacher's voice rang in his ears again, "Don't misunderstand the Confucian crown. Poetry and books don't betray people. When one reaches the world, one should take care of oneself when one is poor."
The paper burned, and Zhao Shou shouted, "Please, Confucian Sages!"
In an instant, the world was filled with clear air!
Between the sky and the earth, a pair of emotionless eyes appeared. With them as the core, a 300-meter-tall figure wearing a Confucian robe and a Confucian crown appeared. It was in a half-illusory, half-solid state.
With one hand behind his back and the other on his lower abdomen, he looked like he was staring into the distance.
The heroic soul of Confucian Sages looked back and waved at the golden dragon.
The golden dragon roared and broke away from the empress, baring its fangs and claws as it crashed into the body of Confucian Sages. As a result, the pair of emotionless eyes shone with golden light.
Righteous energy covered the sky and filled every inch of space.
At this moment, it was as if the Confucian Sages had returned.
The surging black clouds clearly showed signs of stagnation. It was unknown whether it was fear or the fear of being suppressed by the Confucian Sages.
Zhao Shou rose with the wind, carrying 20% of the nation's fate and the heroic soul of Confucian Sages, and crashed into the black clouds that covered the sky.
…
On the third day of the eleventh month in the year of Huaiqing, Zhao Shou defeated the Sorcerer God at the border of Jiizhou and died for the country!
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