vrcanaries Chapter 336 Sudden Changes
Chapter 336 Sudden Changes
Zhou Tianxuan bowed, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"I am only worried that spies from other countries may infiltrate and disrupt the peace of the dynasty. After all, this is a matter of great importance to the dynasty and no mistakes can be made."
He looked towards the end of the mountain path with a meaningful look, "After all, the sacrifice to be offered today..."
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Li interrupted him, "Let's go, it's time to reach the top."
........................
The wooden wheels of the prison cart rolled over the bluestone slabs, making a teeth-grinding squeaking sound.
Hu Qing curled up in a corner of the iron cage, looking at the gradually clear outline of Dazhou Mountain through the gap in the railings.
The dark crowd at the foot of the mountain swarmed like ants.
"Snapped!"
The leading team leader was not polite at all, and the whip tip exploded in the air with a sharp sound.
"The Second Prince's order! Anyone standing in the way will die!"
The crowd retreated like a tide, but a few children still fell on the bluestone slabs.
Hu Qing's knuckles were clenched white as he watched helplessly as the silver-armored cavalry's iron hooves trampled over a lotus root-like arm.
The sound of bones breaking was drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves, and the child was swept into the iron stream before he even had time to cry out.
"Old man, do you want to die? Get out of here!"
The whip in the captain's hand darted out like a poisonous snake, and the tip of the whip exploded with blood on the back of an old man.
The crowd scattered like a school of frightened fish, but several children were still knocked to the ground.
"Beast!" Hu Qing slammed into the railing of the prison van, and his shoulder blade made a dull sound as it collided with the hard wood.
The leading cavalryman glanced back, his eyes beneath his visor as cold as if he were looking at a struggling fish.
The prison van rolled over a mess, its axles stained with scraps of meat and cloth, leaving dark red marks on the yellow earth.
"Sir, the person the Second Prince wants has been found!"
The silver-armored guards at the foot of the mountain parted like a tide.
When a captain took over the reins, Hu Qing noticed a golden pattern on his breastplate - that was the mark of the commander of the Tianxing Guard.
At the foot of the mountain, more silver-armored soldiers surged like ants.
Hu Qing saw that they were using gun barrels to hit the civilians who were trying to rescue the wounded. A white-haired old man had just lifted up a child with blood all over his face when he was pierced through the chest by an iron spear.
Blood splattered on the stone tablet of "Holy Mountain of Great Zhou" and meandered down along the groove of the word "Holy".
"Commander Zhao, this is against the rules..." The palace guard in red armor took half a step forward, and his sword was just three inches out of the sheath when he was held down by the commander in silver armor.
"rule?"
The Silver Armored Commander placed his sword sheath against the other's Adam's apple. "When the sun reaches the top of the western mountain, who do you think will be the new rule?"
The red-armored guards froze in place, staring at the Sky Star Guards in front of them in disbelief.
Looking at the soldiers whose number was several times their own, they could only watch the prison van being handed over.
"Let's go." The Silver-Armored Commander didn't waste any words and took Hu Qing with him to climb the holy mountain.
The moment the prison car turned towards the stone steps, Hu Qing saw several palace guards in the back row gripping their sword handles tightly, but their companions were holding their shoulders tightly.
"Haha, interesting, you better think about it carefully."
The team leader who stayed behind patted the green sword at his waist and said, "If we act now, maybe none of our nine clans will see the sun tomorrow."
A drop of sweat fell from the tip of the guard leader's nose.
He stared at a woman whose leg was broken by a horse's hoof not far away. His Adam's apple rolled violently a few times, and finally he slowly let go of the knife handle.
"A wise choice." The Silver Armored Commander sneered and yanked the reins.
The prison van began to move up the stone steps, and every bump caused the wound on Hu Qing's leg to burst.
Blood dripped through the cracks in the bottom of the prison van, leaving a trail of dark red marks on the jade steps.
The higher we went, the stronger the mountain wind became, carrying the scent of sandalwood from the altar on the top of the mountain, but it could not cover up the waving of cries that were gradually fading away behind us.
Hu Qing suddenly had an idea and looked up at the top of the mountain.
At the end of the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, the black flags surrounding the altar were fluttering in the wind.
In the clouds farther away, there seemed to be some huge monster stirring up the wind and clouds, and the shadow it cast just covered the entire holy mountain.
........................
The incense ashes in the bronze sacrificial tripod were blown up by the mountain wind, weaving into a misty veil in front of Zhou Li's eyes.
His old fingers stroked the mottled inscription on the tripod - the two characters "Yongchang" were carved by the late emperor himself, and now have been faded by time.
"Your Majesty, the auspicious time is approaching, and everything is ready."
Prime Minister Zhao Mingde's hand holding the sacrificial text trembled slightly, and the jade buckles on the edge of the bamboo slips collided with each other, making a crisp sound.
Zhou Li turned his head to look at Zhou Tianhao beside him. The prince's bright yellow dress was soaked with sweat, and he was unconsciously stroking the hilt of Chengtian Sword.
"Father..." Seeing Zhou Li looking at him, Zhou Tianhao was so nervous that he was speechless.
The young prince folded his hands in front of his abdomen, and the cuffs of his bright yellow dress trembled slightly, like two frightened baby birds.
Zhou Li was about to speak when the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from behind him.
"Wait a minute."
Zhou Tianxuan's voice was like an ice knife cutting through the stagnant air.
He walked forward slowly, the hem of his dark blue brocade robe sweeping across the incense ash that had accumulated on the altar for thirty years, and the crystal longbow at his waist suddenly reflected a strange red light.
"We have encountered such a great fortune, and my son's gift has not yet been presented. So don't rush to start. Come on, pull it up!"
Before he finished speaking, the dull sound of iron chains dragging on the ground came from deep in the woods.
Twelve Tianxing Guards appeared at the edge of the altar, dragging a black iron prison cart. Wherever the wheels passed, fine ice crystals appeared on the ground.
When the three-meter-high prison cart rolled over the blue bricks of the altar, the incense ash that had been deposited between the bricks for three hundred years rustled and fluttered.
The Deep Sea King in the cage slowly raised his head, his dark skin covered with marks of spells, but the fierce light in his vertical pupils did not diminish in the slightest.
"This..." The jade ruyi in Empress Dowager Li's hand fell to the ground with a clang.
She staggered back half a step, the pearls on her phoenix crown shaking violently - as the daughter of the former General Zhenhai, she knew better than anyone how terrifying this monster was.
The ministers behind him exclaimed in amazement, and from time to time someone would quietly poke his head out.
The monster in the cell had its skin covered with arrow wounds that had not yet healed, and the most terrifying thing was the bowl-sized hole on its chest.
The place where the heart should be is now empty, but it still rises and falls regularly.
Zhou Li's pupils suddenly shrank. As a peak-level expert, he could clearly feel the terrifying aura still remaining in the body of this sea monster, which was comparable to his own.
Although his current realm has dropped for unknown reasons, judging from his meridians, his peak period was probably far superior to mine.
What shocked him even more was that Xuan'er was able to capture such a powerful monster alive...
"It took me three years and the loss of seventy-two Sky Star Guards to capture this beast in Deepwater Town."
Zhou Tianxuan stroked the crystal longbow at his waist. The bow reflected the hollow chest of the Deep Sea King. "Please accept it, Father."
"Xuan'er!" The emperor's voice was finally tinged with anger, "Do you know—"