Dark Altar Mountain, Paradise
The entire Paradise was very different from the darkness of the underworld. It was not as dark as the Underworld. Most of the time, it was filled with light. On the ground, there were many mountains and valleys, as well as streams.
Terraced fields and farmlands surrounded the mountains. Fresh fragrances permeated the air. Dao pavilions, halls, residences, courtyards, white cranes danced in the air.
As for the spiritual plants, the spiritual energy around them was denser. However, they were somewhat dispirited. The Daoist who was guarding the area noticed that the spiritual plants were dispirited and was shocked. He turned to his companions, "I shall report to the Patriarch immediately. There are changes to the spiritual plants."
In the central hall, all the True Sovereigns were gathered. They were all seated in an orderly manner, their faces solemn and solemn.
Although they were all glowing, upon closer inspection, there were differences. They were all determined by the fruits of their lives. The Daoist in the middle was the first generation Sect Leader. His body glowed with a bright light, and he looked like he was frowning.
After some time, the first generation Sect Leader opened his eyes. His expression was solemn, and his voice was hoarse. He looked to his left and asked a middle-aged True Sovereign, "How are the arrangements?"
"Patriarch, the arrangements have been made. According to the plan, the disciples have been sent to various places. One of them even went overseas."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Sect Leaders fell silent. The first generation Sect Leader looked at the Sect Leaders and sighed, "Since none of you have anything to say, then prepare to seal the mountain (Paradise)."
"What?"
All the Sect Leaders and Elders felt a chill run down their spines. They never expected the first generation Sect Leader to be so decisive. Their faces fell, and some were worried. They started whispering to each other. Before long, a female Sect Leader stepped out, "Patriarch, this matter can be discussed. Once we seal the mountain, the disciples will no longer be able to improve."
"That's right, must it come to this? The pollution within the Paradise is actually improving. " Another person had a look of hesitation, "Perhaps we've calculated wrongly. No matter how arrogant Cheng Yuan Zi is, he's still one of us. After he dies, he will be one of our Patriarchs. Why would it come to this?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone hesitated. They had no choice but to be cautious. Although the Paradise depended on the mountain range, it also depended on Dark Altar Sect's energy. Once the mountain was sealed, not only would the disciples of the mortal world be unable to improve, they would not be able to replenish their own energy.
"Ancestor, this is bad!" Just as he was hesitating, the voice of a messenger came from outside the hall. When the first generation patriarch heard it, his heart thumped. "Let him in to report."
Moments later, the disciple entered and saw that the patriarch was present. Stepping forward, he said, "Patriarch, I was guarding the spirit plant just now, and noticed that there were some strange changes happening to it. Not only did it wither, there were even black spots on its surface. I suspect that the evil energy from last time is acting up again."
"What?" When the Perfected Lords heard this, they asked in shock.
The first generation ancestor stretched out his hand and pointed. Spiritual light appeared and turned into a heavenly passage. Around the heavenly passage, faint yellow energy with the illusion of mountain ranges hung down. However, there was a faint greyish black color that continuously seeped into the heavenly passage. It was no longer pure.
"There's no need to get lucky. Cheng Yuanzi's temperament has changed. He's the Sect Leader, and he's already tainted the destiny of our sect. Furthermore, he's infiltrated the Paradise. Seal the mountain immediately."
"Yes!" These True Monarchs were all heroes of their time. Seeing such an obvious situation, they were all shocked. They immediately understood the severity of the situation and responded.
The first generation Patriarch stood up and looked up at the heavenly passage, "Everyone, please assist me."
The Patriarch stepped forward and activated the spell. At that point, a bright light shone out. The Paradise and the Yang Realm were originally closely connected. However, as the Paradise was activated, they began to separate.
Soon after, a bright light flashed, and a drizzle started to fall from the sky. As the drizzle fell, many places started to sizzle, and smoke started to rise from the ground.
Dark Altar Sect
Within a small hall, a Daoist was sitting cross-legged. Smoke was rising from a furnace as he inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy. At this point, he frowned, 'That's strange. Why is the amount of spiritual energy I'm absorbing decreasing?'
The Daoist hesitated for some time before trying a few more times. However, he still couldn't feel anything. He then stood up, 'Could it be that I'm feeling uneasy today? Forget it, time to get to work. '
There were about ten others who felt the same way as this Daoist. They all felt that it was because of their own uneasiness, and that it was not suitable for them to cultivate. Actually, there were some days in the year where one's heart was restless.
West Garrison Prefecture, Big Tent
West Garrison Prefecture was a huge city. Looking closely, one could see that there were soldiers stationed everywhere. Every hundred steps along the streets of the city, there were soldiers standing guard.
When they reached the central camp, the atmosphere was extremely tense. A huge flag was hung high up in the sky, and three cannons were fired. The main gate was opened, and two rows of forty people walked in.
Although this was the central camp, it was actually the main hall. On the west wall, there was a map of the mountains and rivers. On the table were the four treasures of the study, a brush holder, a paperweight, and an ink jade tablet.
On the shelf behind, there was the 'Emperor Arrives' token and the Emperor's Sword. At this point, Pei Zi Yun was seated in the middle, the Prefecture King was seated beside him, and the rest were standing in two rows.
However, the atmosphere was rather relaxed. The official was announcing the rewards loudly. Some of the generals looked over and whispered, "Why isn't Old Sang here?"
"Or perhaps he has other duties to attend to?" Just as one of the generals spoke, he heard the official announce, "Assistant Captain Zhang San Cun, beheaded five enemies. He will be promoted one rank and rewarded with fifty taels of silver."
A man stepped forward, his face beaming with joy. He then knelt down, "Thank you to the Imperial Court, thank you to True Sovereign. The next time we meet, we will do our best to fight and behead ten enemies."
This man spoke in such a rude manner, causing everyone around him to laugh. The official looked at him and smiled, "Captain Li Hu has done a meritorious deed in commanding the troops. He will be promoted one rank."
Below the Captain, the head would be ranked. Above the Captain, the commander would be ranked. The official read aloud. Not only would he be promoted, he would also be rewarded. This attracted the attention of everyone in the tent. When they walked out, they were even more envious.
"Who would've thought that True Sovereign Pei would be a star that descended from the heavens. When King Lu raised his army, no matter how many generals there were, they couldn't stop him. Who would've thought that once True Sovereign made his move, he would behead thousands of enemies. Everyone under him would be promoted. Why didn't I go?" The officers outside were all envious.
"That's right, I'm so envious that I could kill someone." The officer scratched his chest, wishing that he could be the one to go up.
Chen Yong observed the troops and sighed in admiration. After he finished rewarding them, Pei Zi Yun's expression changed as he looked around him. He then spoke coldly, "Today, I've summoned all of you here for two matters. The first is to reward those who have done well. This matter is almost done."
"The second matter is to punish them." As soon as these words were spoken, Pei Zi Yun's face turned ashen. He then slammed the table and ordered, "Chen Yong!"
"Here!"
"Go and bring Sang Cheng Yi and all the criminals here to await punishment!"
Sang Cheng Yi was the Commander of the troops. According to the system of the dynasty, he was a third ranked general. He was also known as the "Commander". He was in charge of tens of thousands of soldiers, and had authority over them.
At this point, the generals in the tent realized that Sang Cheng Yi hadn't come because he had been arrested. They looked at each other in dismay, their hearts in their throats.
After a while, they saw that there was a huge commotion outside. There were about five to six hundred people. Most of them were low ranking officers and soldiers. At a glance, there were about seventeen to eighteen people, all of whom were above the rank of Lieutenant. All of them were dragged into the tent by their arms. Their noses were bruised and their eyes were swollen. Even the Commander of the troops, Sang Cheng Yi, had his robes torn and his eyes were swollen.
With one look, the faces of the people in the tent changed. Their hearts were pounding. It was important to know that regardless of whether it was a civil or a military officer, they had to maintain their dignity. This kind of humiliation was something that they would not rest until one of them was dead. Everyone knew that something was wrong.
"Kneel!" The bodyguard who was escorting them kicked their knees. More than ten people immediately knelt down.
"True Sovereign, what crime have we committed? Why are you humiliating us like this?" Sang Cheng Yi's face was filled with hatred as he shouted, "I'm a third ranked military officer. How dare you do this?"
"Third ranked military officer. So what?" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly when he heard this.
His words were filled with killing intent. Sang Cheng Yi's body trembled as his hair stood on end. He was sweating profusely. At this point, he had no choice but to advance. He shouted, "According to the laws of the Imperial Court, military officers of the fifth rank and above can be arrested and interrogated. Their punishment must be decided by an imperial decree."
"For military officers of the third rank and above, even interrogation must be decided by an imperial decree."
"I'm a third ranked military officer. Let's not talk about convicting someone. Even interrogation must be decided by an imperial decree." Sang Cheng Yi shouted angrily, his veins bulging.
"Haha!" When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he looked up to the sky and laughed. He then stopped and said, "Good, what you said is very good. But I'll give you two things."
"First, we're in the army now. During wartime, I have the right to make decisions according to the situation."
"Second, if you've sinned, you'll be killed. There's no need for an imperial decree. The command token and the Emperor's sword will do." He then ordered, "Please hand over the command token and the Emperor's sword."
"Please hand over the command token and the Emperor's sword." A voice rang out as a soldier brought the command token and the Emperor's sword to the table. Seeing this, not only Pei Zi Yun and the other generals, even the Prefecture King had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow to the command token and the Emperor's sword.
Pei Zi Yun stood up and snorted coldly. He then looked at Sang Cheng Yi coldly and said, "To be honest, the person I wanted to kill this time was you. If it weren't for you, the consequences wouldn't have been so severe."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, he laughed coldly and waved his hands. A soldier then retrieved a letter. There was a seal on the letter. He tore it open and handed it over to Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun didn't even look at it before handing it over to Prefecture King Cheng Shun.
The Regional King was initially hesitant and doubtful. He received the letter and opened it. As soon as he read the contents, his face turned red with anger. He then snorted coldly, "Distribute it. Show it to all the generals."
Hearing Prefecture King Cheng Shun's words, someone immediately handed the letter down. All the generals looked at it curiously.
"Si!" Every time they read it, they couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
"Have all of you read it clearly?" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly as he looked around. Without hesitation, all the generals replied, "Yes, we've read it clearly."
Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly as he threw the letter to Sang Cheng Yi, "Read it yourself. You've colluded with King Lu and even tried to turn the tables on us. You've used the entire camp as a means of advancement. I will not tolerate this, and neither will the Imperial Court!"
There was no need to read it. Sang Cheng Yi's entire body was trembling. At this point, he picked up the letter and bit down on it. He then swallowed it with all his might. Everyone around him was shocked.
Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly, "What's the use of destroying the evidence of your crimes? All of us have served our country wholeheartedly. Not only have you been slacking off, you've even spread rumors and disrupted the morale of our troops. You've committed a heinous crime. Men, drag him out and execute him!"
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