As soon as he finished speaking, his Plum Blossom twitched, but did not reveal itself.
Ying Prefecture
The sun shone down, bringing warmth to the city.
The wind howled in the city. Compared to earlier hours, there were much fewer people on the streets. There were only a few vendors who had set up their stalls here and there. The originally bustling bun stalls had also become less crowded. There were only a few customers left.
There were even more people patrolling the streets. At this point, a group of soldiers patrolled the streets. Everyone avoided them. One of the customers cursed, "Damn thieves."
"Don't say it, don't say it." His friend beside him had just taken a bite and was frightened. He hurriedly whispered, "How dare you spout nonsense. Ji Bei Hou has destroyed the Imperial Court and conquered another county. He even killed Count Ping Yuan. These few days, he's going to visit the Ji High Duke. Even if you don't want to live, don't bring me along."
"What?" The man's eyes flashed as everyone started whispering amongst themselves.
Ji Bei Hou's Mansion
The Governor's Mansion used to be the High Duke's Mansion. Now that Ji Bei Hou had become the Governor's Mansion's Mansion, it had been renovated and looked majestic.
At this point, the entire hall was filled with officials who had come to discuss matters. The atmosphere was tense and restless.
"Ji Bei Hou has arrived!"
Following the voice of a warrior, Ji Bei Hou entered through the side door. All the officials present knelt down and shouted, "Greetings, Master Hou!"
Ji Bei Hou sat on the main seat with a smile on his face. He then raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please rise."
"Thank you, Master Hou!"
Following Ji Bei Hou's words, all the officials stood up. A warrior then took a step forward and shouted, "Silence."
Ji Bei Hou looked down from his vantage point as well. Everything he saw was silent.
Shen Zhi had already changed into a fifth ranked official's robe. He then took a step forward and reported, "Master Hou, I have something to report."
"Speak!"
Shen Zhi then shouted, "Master Hou, now that we've defeated Count Ping Yuan, we have five counties under our control. Being a Hou is no longer appropriate. Master Hou, please confer the title of High Duke."
Shen Zhi's voice was firm and resolute. His words reverberated throughout the hall. All the officials looked at each other before stepping forward, "Master Hou, please confer the title of High Duke."
Ji Bei Hou sat on his throne and smiled. After some time, he said, "My subjects, since you've asked me to confer the title of High Duke, let's do it. Shen Zhi shall lead the officials and prepare for my coronation."
Shen Zhi replied, "As you command."
"Is there anything else? Please report to me one by one."
One of the generals stepped forward, "My Lord, I have something to report. Although we have defeated Pingyuan Bo, and the results of the battle have been plentiful, the soldiers are exhausted from the continuous battles."
"The most important thing is that we lost a lot of old soldiers. Right now, the most important thing is to repair and reorganize. We need to sort out the organization of the various manors, and we need to register those above the rank of squad leader."
"Also, the military equipment costs a lot."
Ji Bei Hou listened attentively as he dealt with the affairs of the Imperial Court. The small Imperial Court was already in motion. Although he was listening attentively, his thoughts were already elsewhere. In three days, it would be time for him to ascend to the throne of Ji High Duke.
January 20, early morning
A large bell was rung, and the ceremonial music started to play. A bird was flying towards them, but was startled by the music. It was so frightened that it turned around and fled. Ji Bei Hou changed his clothes in the mansion, and several maids attended to him.
He was wearing a crown and a yellow robe, looking majestic.
Outside the mansion, there was already a carriage waiting for him. The carriage was flanked by officials. Ji Bei Hou boarded the carriage, and was escorted to the altar outside the city.
The altar had already been prepared outside the city. It was made of five-colored soil, and was surrounded by guards. The entire area was empty, and flags were fluttering in the wind.
Ji Bei Hou got off the carriage and saw that both sides of the corridor were lined with guards. Hundreds of musicians were beating drums and chimes, and the music was loud. Amidst the deep music, Ji Bei Hou slowly walked towards the stage.
Wherever he went, the officials all knelt down. Ji Bei Hou walked up the stairs, and looked down. His eyes gleamed. Twenty years ago, he had been embroiled in the war of the world. He had followed the Emperor, and fought in all directions. How many nights had he toiled, and how many times had he thought about the rewards he would receive in the future?
However, the Emperor had only given him the title of Marquis. He had been able to accept it, but the fact that he had been stripped of his military power had caused him to be dissatisfied.
At this point, he had attacked repeatedly, and had taken over half of Ying Prefecture. With a single word, he had been able to decide the life and death of thousands of people. He had been unable to sleep at night. This feeling was something that nothing could replace.
"Your Majesty, if you won't give it to me, I shall take it myself!" Ji Bei Hou thought to himself. He felt as though he had been filled with fear, frustration, and excitement for so long.
"Stop!" This voice woke Ji Bei Hou from his reverie. Ji Bei Hou didn't hesitate, and started reciting, "Your subject dares to tell the heavens that the Emperor is a gathering of vile people, and ghosts are running amok. Your subject is a virtuous person, and only obeys the will of the heavens. I am now the Ji High Duke.
When he finished reciting, he knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times to the heavens. When he was done, his heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding filled his heart. His face turned pale.
The officials below did not know what had happened, and all knelt down to congratulate him.
Dark Altar Mountain, Daoist Temple
Within the Daoist Temple, a bolt of lightning flashed past, and illuminated the entire area. The rain continued to fall, and the entire temple was the same as before. The Blind Daoist was sitting in the dark when he suddenly stood up, "It's done!"
The anchor on the deity's throne let out a dragon's roar. Following the roar, a faint image of a red and yellow dragon appeared. As it appeared, the anchor started to glow red, and a few strange inscriptions started to light up.
Under the red light, the cracks on the anchor started to repair itself. The Blind Daoist felt his body relax, and his dry white hair started to turn black. His skin started to become moist and mottled.
After some time, the anchor stopped moving, and a talisman appeared. The Blind Daoist pointed at the talisman, and started to recite an incantation. "Boom!" The talisman lit up, and pierced through the void.
Far away in the void, the world
The sky was blood red, and the clouds were burning furiously. Black lightning flashed across the dark clouds. "Boom!" A huge meteorite fell from the sky, causing a cloud of dust to rise. The meteorite smashed a hole in the cloud of fire. Outside the hole, one could see a deep, dark abyss, stars, and countless fragments.
Meteorites fell from the sky one after another, causing the clouds to be riddled with holes. The ground was filled with cracks, and flames could be seen everywhere. Huge craters could be seen, as though there was no life in them.
"Demon Army, Demon Army!"
There was a huge altar that pierced through the clouds. The altar shone with a dark metallic glow, and on top of the altar stood a dark giant. This giant had three heads, and its eyes were empty. Wind and clouds swirled around it, and it had three faces on one body.
All of a sudden, the three headed giant moved, as it held a long chain in its hands. With a "pa" sound, it extended into the void, and out of sight.
"It's taken the bait, I've found the location." The three headed giant laughed, revealing six rows of sharp teeth. As it laughed, the dark clouds in the sky started to gather.
"Boom!" A meteorite slammed into the giant's body, causing it to sway slightly. The black aura emanated from its body as it roared, "Sacrifice, sacrifice!"
A mysterious ripple spread out.
The flames and cracks in the ground started to tremble. "Roar, roar!" Demons of all shapes and sizes started to crawl out from the ground. Looking across, the desolate land had turned into a paradise for demons.
The giant opened its three mouths and chanted. The eyes of the demon army turned red, and they surged forward like the tide, advancing along the predetermined path.
The altar got closer and closer, and it also got bigger and bigger. It was at least 300 feet wide, and the altar lit up with a dark red light. Hundreds of black shadows flew down and landed on the altar. These black shadows were not humans.
Their bodies were thicker than humans, and there was no special difference in their body shape. However, some of them had scales, some had curved horns, some had huge tails, and some had wings. The difference between them and the demons below was that they were more humanoid and intelligent.
"Sacrifice, only then can you open the door to another world!" The three headed giant let out a roar, and the hundreds of black shadows immediately understood.
On the altar, a huge force gradually formed, and those twisted demons with snake bodies, human heads, tiger heads, pig bodies, etc. These demons seemed to have been forcefully pieced together, and there were traces of them being pieced together. When they moved, there was a lot of blood stains on them. On the four stone steps of the altar, they fought to be the first.
As soon as they stepped onto the altar, a red light enveloped the demon. The demon seemed to be crying out in joy as its body exploded, turning into a bloody mist that flowed towards the center of the altar.
The demons behind were not afraid at all, and continued to charge forward. They exploded into a bloody mist, and a thick layer of blood formed on the surface of the altar.
The three headed giant placed the chains in its hands on the altar before placing them on it. Roots started to grow out of the chains, densely packed together, and started to absorb the blood of the demons.
The chains started to vibrate, as though they were pulling on something heavy. Beams of red light shot out into the air.
Dark Altar Sect, Daoist Temple
"Ka!" The Blind Daoist looked up, and noticed that the anchor seemed to be hooked onto something.
"Boom!"
"Earthquake, not good, it's an earthquake." A voice rang out from outside. The guard shouted out loudly, as he hurriedly ran for cover.
The Blind Daoist didn't have time to think. All he could see was the red and black Qi emanating from the anchor. It swirled around and dissipated into the air.
"Is this Essence Qi?" The Blind Daoist stretched out his hand to feel it, but he couldn't feel it. "Why is there so much Essence Qi emanating from it?"
The Blind Daoist seemed to have sensed something as he ran out of the hall and looked up into the sky.
He saw a strange sight in the sky. One side of the sky was covered in thick clouds, and the sound of thunder could be heard. On the other side, the sun was shining brightly, and the golden rays of light shone down.
A gust of wind blew past, and the sound of thunder could be heard. The rain stopped, and the Blind Daoist shuddered. He then realized that this wasn't a dream. He was an expert in Heaven's Secrets, and could feel the changes in the sky. His heart was filled with astonishment.
Pei Zi Yun didn't stop to rest, and took the boat south. This was the fastest method he could think of.
Hundreds of boats traveled for tens of kilometers, and stopped at a pier along the way. At this point, they stopped at a restaurant. The sky was clear, and the river was wide. Pei Zi Yun smiled and turned to an official, "Please have some tea. I wanted to talk for a while longer, but you're the magistrate, and can only stay for a while. Let's talk briefly."
As he finished speaking, he sat down.
This magistrate was Luo Hong Ying. She had already heard about Pei Zi Yun's exploits. Although she knew that Pei Zi Yun's poems had shaken the heavens, she didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, she would become the person in charge of the ambush of Ji Bei Hou, leading the Emperor's Sword and Regal Propria!
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