In the face of the Monarch's anger, no one was willing to be the first to speak up.
"Speak." The Monarch said, "When Meng Ze was in charge, weren't you all quite good at talking? What's going on now? Are you all mute? "
An elderly aristocrat stepped forward and said, "Monarch, Shi Tuo is in an emergency and needs to dispatch troops. However, such a big matter must be approved by the Monarch himself. If Princess Meng Ze is acting on behalf of the Monarch, it will need to be discussed with many parties before it can be carried out. Otherwise, everything will be in chaos. "
"Chaos?" The Monarch narrowed his eyes, his expression was extremely dangerous, "Interesting, what chaos?"
"Chong Hua country's system, the ancestral rules —"
The Monarch suddenly interrupted him, revealing his white teeth, "For the sake of our ancestral rules, we lost three big cities at the border! Screw your head!! "
The old aristocrat suddenly shrank back, his tortoise-like old face instantly wrinkled. The Monarch's anger could no longer be restrained, and he flew into a rage at the court meeting, knocking on the table and asking, "What do you all want to do? Is it so important to be a man or a woman? I will let whoever I want to be in charge! Otherwise, what? Let you make the decision? Then you might as well go to the backyard and lead a pig to sit in my position! "
"Let's not talk about Da Ze first. In the past, Master Liao's army of three hundred thousand wanted to occupy Feng City, but was repelled by my country. Di City is Chong Hua's most important stone city. Since ancient times, the enemy has attacked and lost every time — but it fell within twenty days. Even a pig wouldn't allow such a ridiculous thing to happen! "
"…"
"Who was it that rejected Meng Ze's proposal? Who didn't let her mobilize Shi Tuo? Was it you?! "The Monarch pointed at the old aristocrat who spoke up just now.
The old aristocrat hurriedly said, "Of, of course it wasn't me! Such a big matter, how can I make the decision alone? It was, it was … "
"What was it?! You are usually eloquent, but when it comes to questioning, you stutter? Say it! Or do you want me to let Meng Ze point it out one by one? Meng Ze! "
Meng Ze was a woman who had made an exception to enter the Imperial Court. She wore a gold-rimmed five-beam black gauze crown and a black python robe embroidered with a phoenix. Although the python robe had wide sleeves, it was neatly tucked at the waist, making her look more tall and straight than usual.
Now that her brother was calling her, her long eyelashes fluttered and she lowered her eyes. "Brother Wang, please calm down. Now that Lion Tuo Pass had fallen and the three cities had fallen, it was unknown what Burning Country would do next. Now is not the time to pursue the matter. Brother Wang, please make an inventory of the troops in the north and arrange for a counterattack. "
The old noble was originally worried that Meng Ze would take this opportunity to complain to her brother after being ostracized these days. But when he heard her say that, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief and couldn't help but applaud Meng Ze in his heart.
This girl, she didn't take advantage of the situation, she was smart!
He quickly said, "That's right, that's right. Junshang, you see, we were also worried about the Chong Hua Country. Our intentions were good, but the result might not be satisfactory. Please calm down."
Another person stepped out. "That's right, Junshang. The family has its rules and the country has its laws. We followed the laws of the country. Although the three cities and one pass were lost, at least the laws were not messed up. This is not a bad thing."
When Junshang heard this, the breath that he had just suppressed came up again.
Who knew that someone would add, "Junshang has been sick for more than twenty days. Our worries are not without reason. If Junshang's body has any serious illness, according to the laws, we should have let the elders know. If we hide it like this, it will be easy for the officials to worry for no reason. "
Junshang's anger rushed to his head. He took a deep breath and his eyes were red with hatred. He slammed the table and said angrily, "You guys are really capable! Your mouth is on your face, not for planning, but for gossiping, isn't that right?! "
Everyone was silent.
The official who spoke was confident that he had the iron certificate left behind by the founding emperor. His roots were deep in the court, so he pretended to be frightened. "Junshang, don't be angry. Taking care of your body is more important."
Junshang turned his head in anger, as if he didn't want to see these people in front of him anymore. He didn't say a word and stared at the pillars of the main hall for a while. But in the end, it was still useless. Monstrous anger overflowed from his heart, drowning him in invisible resentment.
He closed his eyes.
Suddenly, with a flick of his sleeve, the table in front of him was overturned. Cherries and pears rolled on the ground, and the scrolls and reports were scattered beyond recognition.
"Get lost!"
"…"
"Get lost! All of you get lost! "
"… Yes!"
Junshang panted, his red eyes angrily staring at the hall. He spat out a few words. "Wait."
The officials stopped.
Junshang: "Lord Xi He, stay here for Junshang."
Soon, only Mo Xi and Junshang were left in the hall. Junshang let out a deep breath and leaned back in exhaustion on the dragon throne. His eyes stared blankly at the golden dome carved with dragons and phoenixes.
"Iron certificate … Iron certificate!" Junshang cursed as he read. "These are all good things left behind by the ancestors! Relying on these things, each one of them is making use of every opportunity to make their own wishful thinking. What do you think Junshang is raising them for? Junshang might as well raise a group of uniform bamboo warriors who don't have any ideas! Junshang will just give those bamboo people who don't have any tricks up their sleeves! So many disgusting things can be avoided! "
"… It's already come to this point. Junshang, don't continue with these fantastical things."
"What fantastical things?" Junshang said angrily. "A person with ambition but no brains is worse than a pig with no ambition and no brains!"
Mo Xi pursed his thin lips. Their Junshang had succeeded the throne at the critical juncture of the Chong Hua reform. The resistance he had encountered could be said to be unprecedented. There were many people who were openly and secretly singing the opposite of Junshang, causing Junshang to always have the idea of 'it's better to raise a group of obedient bamboo warriors than to raise a court full of civil and military officials'.
Mo Xi sighed inwardly. He didn't want to continue this meaningless conversation with him. Instead, he asked, "How does Junshang plan to counterattack next?"
Junshang said, "I'm afraid it's not as simple as counterattacking."
He put his hand to his forehead and fiercely rubbed his brow bone. "Lord Xi He, do you know why Junshang hasn't come out of seclusion for more than twenty days?"
"It's because of the cold."
"Then why didn't Junshang look for you to expel the cold as usual?"
"I'm not sure."
Junshang sat up straight. His entire body was shrouded in the shadow of the hanging plaque in the golden hall. He said, "Lord Xi He has been expelling the cold for Junshang for so many years. Have you never been curious about how Junshang contracted this illness?"
Mo Xi said, "If you don't say, I won't ask."
"You've always been careful with your words and actions." Junshang nodded. "It's just that it's easy for you to get carried away by that good brother of yours."
After a pause, Junshang said, "Actually, Junshang didn't mean to hide this matter from you. I just felt that it wasn't the right time to talk about it. Now that the situation is in front of you, Junshang should explain it clearly to you. "
"Junshang, please speak."
Junshang deliberated for a moment and sighed. "This matter has to start from the old story of the founding of the Burning Country."
"I think there's no need for Junshang to go into detail about that past. From the elderly to the children, I'm afraid there's no one in the Chong Hua who doesn't know about it. Back then, Palace Lord Chen Tang made an exception and accepted the slave Hua Po An as a disciple. Later, Hua Po An betrayed her. Hua Po An raised his troops and rebelled. In the northern territory of the Chong Hua, Hua Po An established himself as the king and founded this evil country. Now, when it comes to the Burning Country, there's no one in the Jiuzhou Continent who doesn't know that their methods are bloody and they're proficient in the black magic arts. However. "
Junshang raised his head. "Have you ever thought about where the origin of the Burning Country's magic arts is?"
Mo Xi said, "Hua Po An is a rare magic arts genius. Most of the black magic arts that the Burning Country uses today were created by him."
"How could there be so many creations? He used to be a slave who didn't know anything. Who gave him Qiming? "
The answer was obvious: Chen Tang.
Mo Xi frowned and said, "But Chen Tang has never been contaminated with any crooked magic."
"Who says that the source of crooked magic has to be crooked magic?" Junshang said, "Gu Shuai hid in the Burning Country for five years. During that time, he and Junshang studied countless books and collected a large amount of black magic arts from the Burning Country. Other than a small portion of magic arts that were completely derived from the legacy of the demon race, Junshang found that many of the contents could see the shadow of the Chong Hua's magic arts. "
"Think about it. Hua Po An was an extremely intelligent person. This kind of person wouldn't like to learn magic arts by copying. After he mastered Chen Tang's magic arts, he would definitely think about how to make these magic arts more special and more powerful. Chen Tang's magic arts might be for the sake of stability, but Hua Po An would seek danger and wonder. "
As Junshang spoke, he casually picked up a golden-red flame in his palm. "For example, this is the Nine Lotus Flame Art that Palace Lord Chen Tang left behind. It can dispel the shallow demonic aura that mortals touch. You should be familiar with it. "
After saying this, Junshang's hand suddenly formed another two seals. Then, the golden-red flame was extinguished. In his palm was a blue-black vortex of miasma.
Mo Xi's eyes suddenly widened. "Depraved Heart Art?"
"That's right." Junshang said, "This is the Depraved Heart Art that Junshang cultivated according to the records of the black magic arts that Gu Qing passed on. In those years when you fought against the Burning Country, you must have been troubled by it because it is the exact opposite of the Nine Lotus Flame Art. It is a magic art that can cause mortals to be corroded by demonic aura. "
Junshang said this and dispersed the Depraved Heart Art.
"But Lord Xi He, if it wasn't for Gu Mang secretly passing on the Depraved Heart Art to Junshang, Junshang would never have thought that there are only two seals between the Nine Lotus Flame Art and the Depraved Heart Art."
Mo Xi was slightly stunned. "… Junshang is saying that many of Hua Po An's magic arts can't get rid of Chen Tang's shadow?"
"That's right. Most of the black magic arts in the Burning Country have a similar origin to Chong Hua." Junshang said, "His master was Chen Tang and he was born in the Chong Hua. Even if he was reborn later on, he still couldn't break free from his roots."
"Then let's talk about that again. Do you still remember how Palace Lord Chen Tang sacrificed himself back then? "
"… The history books say that he sacrificed himself in order to restrain a demonic blood beast that Hua Po An had cultivated at that time. In the end, he perished together with it."
Junshang nodded. "The demonic blood beast is ferocious and cruel, and its resentment is shocking. If it is allowed to develop, it will have the ability to move mountains, fill seas, and devour the heavens and the earth. What's worse is that it can continuously emit demonic aura, affecting the minds of all living things within a hundred li. It will gradually infect people with a vicious aura and make them violent and bloodthirsty. The rumors related to it are too shocking. It is said that it is an unkillable demonic beast, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes. It can fight to be reborn from death. So even if it was sealed by Chen Tang back then, the kings of the Chong Hua still held a grudge against the demonic beast's existence. When it came to my father's generation … "
He paused for a moment, then said, "Just in case, he began to hide it from the court officials and secretly made a trial."
Mo Xi shivered. "Could it be that the late emperor also wanted to create a demonic blood beast?!"
Junshang said, "No."
"Then he …"
"He found a file about the cultivation of spiritual beasts in the secret scroll left behind by Chen Tang. The spiritual beast recorded in the file was extremely similar to the demonic blood beast, but its ability was completely opposite. It was a spiritual beast that could purify the world."
"Back then, my father wanted to secretly cultivate this spiritual beast that could fight against the demonic blood beast."
This secret was really unexpected. Mo Xi was actually speechless for a moment. Junshang once wanted to cultivate a spiritual beast similar to the demonic blood beast for the Chong Hua to use?
Mo Xi digested it for a while, then said, "But since there was such a spiritual beast … why didn't Chen Tang cultivate it back then?"
"Although spiritual beasts have the ability to purify the world, the refining process is still too cruel and dangerous," Jun Shang said, "So, Chen Tang listed it as a forbidden technique, and my Imperial Father also failed in refining it."
"But in my opinion, the reason for my father's failure was not just because of the difficulty of the technique itself. Since ancient times, those who achieve great things are at the right time, the right place, and the right people. When my father cultivated the spiritual beast, Chen Tang had already passed away for many years, and the spell scroll was difficult to completely decipher. This was because the right time was not suitable. At that time, Da Ze City, which was the place where Chen Tang sealed the demonic blood beast, was still controlled by Liao Country, and was unable to survey the spiritual flow. This was because the right place was not suitable. In the end … "
He stopped, then began to habitually turn the heavenly pearl bracelet around his wrist. "This move was too risky after all. My father naturally would not spread it around the world, and the few people who knew that he was going through the trial actually all had their own opinions from the beginning. Later on, the conflict became even more acute and could not be resolved. This was because people did not get along well."
"With these three disagreements, it would be difficult to accomplish anything. So my father's plan could be considered a failure. No one knows what happened to the spiritual beast that he refined halfway. Perhaps it was destroyed by itself, or perhaps it was destroyed by him. This has always been a mystery. The cultivation of spiritual beasts was thus erased from Chong Hua's history. The only traces left — "Junshang paused, then said," — are the people who were in close contact with spiritual beasts. More or less, they all underwent some changes. "
Mo Xi narrowed his eyes slightly. "… Who are these people?"
"This is a forbidden secret that will be destroyed after one generation. So even this Monarch cannot completely know. Currently, only three people can be confirmed. "As Junshang spoke, the string of pearls in his hand paused, and he pulled out a pearl.
"First, Zhou Ao."
"Zhou He's father?"
"Correct, Zhou He's father, the previous Great Elder of the Arcane Stage, Zhou Ao. At that time, he should have been the number one spell master directly responsible for the cultivation of spiritual beasts. And the change that appeared in his body was that he became abnormally bloodthirsty. "
Mo Xi was silent for a while. There were indeed too many bloody rumors about the Zhou family. Zhou He's fondness for cutting open people's heads and stabbing them in the head was nothing new. As for his father, Zhou Ao, Mo Xie did not have much of an impression of him due to his early death. However, he did remember that this Great Elder loved to eat raw, bloody meat at the end of the year banquet … He did not expect it to be for this reason.
"Then is Zhou He's brutality also related to this matter?"
"Yes." Junshang said, "These mutated cultivators, as long as they have too much contact with their own blood relatives, the resulting influence will unknowingly seep into the other party's body. Therefore, Zhou He's fondness for the smell of blood was indeed influenced by his father. "
"… Then what about the second person? Who is the second person? "
"It's Murong Xuan."
Mo Xi was shocked. "Murong Lian's father?!"
Junshang nodded. "As my father's brother, Murong Xuan was also directly involved in this conspiracy. However, his situation was a bit special because he quarreled with my father very early on and no longer participated in the refining. Not long after, he sacrificed himself on the battlefield. Therefore, the mutation caused by the spiritual beast wasn't obvious, and it didn't cause any infection to the Murong Lian. The reason why I'm sure he's the second person is because of his tomb. "
Speaking of this, Junshang turned a few Dzi beads on his bracelet and continued, "The martyrs' tombs in the War Spirit Mountain are all sealed with white jade. This kind of jade is warm and won't be easily eroded. It can ensure that the person buried there will be the same as when he was alive. However, Xian Wang Shu's tomb is an exception."
"The tomb keeper once came to report to me that Xian Wang Shu's tomb sealing jade seemed to be a fake. In just over twenty years, it had already begun to age and fade. Therefore, I ordered the craftsmen to repair Xian Wang Shu's tomb. However, unexpectedly, after the sealing jade was opened, the craftsmen found that the body inside had turned black … It had completely mutated. "
Hearing this, Mo Xi frowned and asked, "Did the Murong Lian know about this?"
"He wasn't in the imperial capital at the time, so he didn't know. Moreover, this matter was too cruel, so I didn't tell him afterwards. "
"…"
Junshang sighed, "Actually, people who sit in this position have to keep too many secrets. There are some things that I'd rather not know. … Forget it, let's not talk about other things. I'll tell you about the third person. "
This time, Mo Xi didn't need him to say anything. With the previous two cases, the third person was obviously on the verge of being revealed. Mo Xi closed his eyes and said, "… The third person, if I'm not wrong, is the previous emperor himself?"
Junshang was startled for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "You're right, the third person is my father. My father's mutation is — "
"Abnormally cold."
"… Yes."
At some point in time, the previous emperor of Chong Hua had become abnormally afraid of the cold. He was obviously a fire cultivator, but he liked to be surrounded by furnaces and fur coats, and his condition was getting worse year by year.
At that time, people thought that he was old and his body wasn't as good as before, but they didn't think that there was such a truth behind it.
Junshang said, "At that time, my father didn't know that his condition was affected by the spiritual beast breeding, and he didn't know that this effect would be directly transmitted to his children. He still often came into contact with me — he was the oldest among the three people, so his influence on me was far greater than the influence of the other two fathers on their children."
He lowered his eyes and stroked the string of beads with his fingers, saying in a low voice, "I was young and weak, and I belonged to the Yin Water Spiritual Stream. Gradually, I contracted the Chilling Cold Disease." His voice became softer and softer. His eyes under his long eyelashes were like a dark river flowing with an uncertain light. His thin lips opened and closed lightly. "My late father unknowingly brought me an illness that would haunt me for the rest of my life. However, because he finally learned of my illness, he had the intention to abandon me …"
Jun Shang sighed imperceptibly and didn't continue speaking. The water in the Throne Room was quietly dripping down the water from the water glass. New drops of water fell into the pool, shattering the old calmness into sparkling waves.
Even a simple person would have a few secrets that no one knew, let alone a country that had existed for many years. Mo Xi only knew that Junshang had this incurable disease, but he never knew the root cause of this disease, and he didn't know that it was related to Old Junshang at this time.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Junshang sighed, "… Forget it, the past is no longer important. Right now, what makes me feel even more critical is the fall of Da Ze City. "
"You just heard me say that Da Ze City is the old place where Chen Tang sealed the Blood Scourge. After the battle between Chen Tang and Liao Country, it has become a place that Liao Country and Chong Hua must fight over. Liao Country is very clear that if they want their beast to be reborn, Da Ze is a place that they must control. As for us … whether it is for defense or research, we can't just give up Da Ze. "
"So in these hundreds of years, Chong Hua and Liao Country have fought many battles in Da Ze, taking turns to occupy this old place. When the previous emperor was in power, Da Ze was still Liao Country's territory. After I succeeded the throne, Da Ze City was taken back under Chong Hua's territory. And the first thing I did after I took back Da Ze was to secretly send people from the Arcane Platform to Da Ze City to investigate the traces of the seal of the Blood Scourge. "
Mo Xi asked, "What was the result?"
Jun Shang shook his head, "If it is announced publicly, I'm afraid the whole Chong Hua will fall into extreme panic."
He paused and said in a low voice, "The seal of the Blood Scourge has been lifted."
“！”
"In the dozens of years when Liao Country ruled Da Ze, they have successfully lifted the seal of the Blood Scourge and rescued it from the abyss of Da Ze Lake."
Mo Xi's pupils constricted, saying, "Since the Blood Scourge has returned to Liao Country, why haven't there been any changes in these dozens of years?!"
"Because although the seal has been lifted, the Blood Scourge is still in a state of hibernation and can't be controlled by Liao Country's cultivators."
"But you know, the most difficult seal has been lifted, so the hibernation can definitely be awakened again." Jun Shang sighed and continued, "When I first heard this secret report, I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep for more than ten days. Every day and night, I thought — is the Blood Scourge really unable to be reborn? Is there a powerful cultivator in Liao Country who can restore its spirit that has been sealed for hundreds of years? If there is, how long will it take? "
"…"
Jun Shang rubbed his brow bone with his hand and said in a low voice, "Lord Xi He, now do you know why I was so anxious to send an absolutely loyal person to Liao Country to be a spy? We must know every move of the Blood Scourge, otherwise there won't be another Chen Tang who can guard Chong Hua's gate. "
Mo Xi asked in a low voice, "How is the Blood Scourge now?"
"Gu Mang spent a whole year to find out about it. After the seal was lifted, the Blood Scourge was taken back to the Spiritual Storage Bag to be nurtured. But because Chen Tang damaged it too much that year, no matter how carefully it was worshipped, its power was still constantly weakening. Until now, there are no signs of it recovering. "
Seeing Mo Xi's expression relax, Jun Shang said, "But don't be too worried. I always thought that the threat of the Blood Scourge was removed, so there was no need to be too worried. Later, the cultivators of the Great Swamp City secretly reported to me that they found a trace of the Blood Scourge's remnant soul in the lake that year."
Mo Xi was silent for a moment, then suddenly reacted. He opened his eyes wide, "So the reason why the Blood Scourge hasn't awakened until now isn't because it's dying, but because Liao Country is missing a trace of its soul?"
"Exactly." Jun Shang said, "That year, the Blood Scourge's soul was shattered by Chen Tang, and a trace of its remnant soul escaped from the seal and submerged into the lake unconsciously. Because of this missing trace of its soul, Liao Country couldn't awaken their national weapon from its slumber for more than ten years. "
"Therefore, this trace of its soul became the most important thing in our battle against Liao Country."
"When I learned of this, I immediately ordered people to search for the remnant soul of the Blood Scourge in the lake. However, this action was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it took six to seven years. Only a few months ago, the search area was narrowed down to a range that could be investigated."
"But that range was about a hundred miles wide. If we continued to search using normal methods, it would take several months. I wanted to get rid of this worry as soon as possible, so I took a risk."
Mo Xi, "… What?"
Jun Shang raised his pale finger and pointed at his head, "Summon."
"When I was young, I was infected by a spirit beast and was diagnosed with the Chilling Cold Disease, but at the same time, I more or less have some of the spirit beast's aura. The Blood Scourge and the spirit beast belong to the same clan, so as long as I try my best, I can summon it. "
Mo Xi pursed his lips and felt somewhat incredulous, "You were unconscious these days because you were trying to find the trace of the remnant soul of the Blood Scourge?"
"Yes, so this time, when the cold attack came, I didn't need to relieve it in time, but to let it develop — the worse the cold attack, the stronger the aura of the spirit beast on me, and the easier it is to find the specific location of the Blood Scourge."
"Just yesterday, I just confirmed the specific location of the remnant soul, and wanted to send people to retrieve it immediately … But today, when I went to the court, I learned that the Great Swamp City had been lost."
The cold air in the hall was suppressed to the extreme as he moved his lips and teeth.
Jun Shang closed his eyes and held the armrest of the dragon throne. The meridians on the back of his hands bulged, and he said coldly, "Liao Country — it must be that Liao Country has finally discovered the secret that the Blood Scourge can't recover. Now that the Great Swamp City is in their hands, once they succeed in their search and the last trace of the soul falls into the hands of Liao Country, what awaits Chong Hua won't be a stalemate between two cities, but a reenactment of Hua Po An's battle that year. "
His eyes were filled with a mist-like blood.
"Lord Xi He, do you understand the importance of this matter? This matter involves the foundation of the country, and I can't tell anyone the truth about it. "
"The loss of the Great Swamp City is far more serious than it seems. So I will immediately send an army to recover the Great Swamp, and you will lead the army. But you must be clear that the purpose of this trip is not for the city, but for the remnant soul of the Blood Scourge in the lake — you must find it as soon as possible. "
He paused and said, "If not, when the soul of the Blood Scourge is gathered and reborn, not to mention the Chong Hua … the entire cultivation world will fall into chaos."
"At that time … it will be a catastrophe in Jiuzhou, and the four seas will be plunged into misery!"
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