Chapter 1012 - Arise

Under the command of the banner holders, soldiers gathered in the fields outside Shangjing.

There were lots of people, but everything unfolded with meticulous order thanks to the White Lotus Sect’s enforcement and the constant stream of directives from their superiors. Banner holders on horseback zipped around the soldiers, ensuring coordination.

At the forefront, Li Huowang stood and saw nothing but an ocean of people. The ground was covered with a dense crowd that extended as far as the eye could see.

A specific ritual was required to summon Jiang Xiangshou. While the Chief of the Liang Kingdom’s Surveillance Bureau had died, the Deputy Chief was still alive and fit to conduct the ceremony.

Gao Zhijian, clad in his robes, held onto a special tiger seal. As the murderous aura continued to condense, the tiger seal glowed in a red light and even started to tremble. A faint roar could be heard emanating from it.

He split it in two, keeping one half while handing the other to four Deputy Chiefs.

They bowed ceremoniously before running down to make the final preparations.

The pounding of war drums and the blare of horns filled the air, echoing as everyone’s hearts thumped rapidly. Eunuchs distributed jars of potent wine, prepared in advance for this moment.

Everyone was given a single bowl of strong wine, and no one wasted a single drop. They drank it all in one gulp with eyes filled with conviction, including the children and the elderly.

Li Huowang’s heart ached when he looked at the people. He had never imagined the cost of the help he sought back in the Baiyu Capital.

Everything had a price. Some payments were required upfront, while others could be paid later.

Bai Lingmiao, on the other hand, was calmer now. Maybe it was because she would be going up with the others too...

The devotees brought up a massive floating lantern fashioned into a grand lotus throne. Six of the White Donkeys were seated on the outer edge of the lotus throne, just like lotus seeds.

The time was up. Gao Zhijian and the four other emperors stood at the forefront. The light gust rippled their robes and black beards.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Were this a conventional battle, Gao Zhijian would have delivered a rousing speech to inspire the troops, but this was no ordinary war. He hesitated, unsure of what to say. The people before him were marching to certain death.

However, silence wasn’t an option—not for a good emperor. A good emperor had to bear the weight of the people’s lives, even when there were a million of them.

“My warriors!”

Li Huowang froze as Gao Zhijian’s voice covered every corner of Shangjing. “My warriors! My brothers! If we live, we live. If we die, we die. Today is the day when we determine the survival of our people!”

Gao Zhijian chose honesty over pretense and revealed the truth, including secrets about the Baiyu Capital known only to the highest ranks of the Surveillance Bureau.

Suddenly, the ground shook and the sky split apart. A massive upside-down tree slowly crashed onto the ground. “The sky is falling.”

The people filled with murderous aura grabbed their blades and glared at the broken sky. “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The murderous aura swirled upward, engulfing their bodies. They faced the enormous tree without a trace of fear.

Li Huowang averted his gaze as they raised their blades in unison. The sight was too unbearable for him to watch.

Footsteps approached. He looked up to see Chun Xiaoman, who was wearing new clothes on purpose.

As she cried, she looked at Li Huowang, Bai Lingmiao, and Gao Zhijian. Her voice trembled with despair. “Why? Why is this happening?! I need to know!”

“Xiaoman...” Bai Lingmiao gently extended an arm to Chun Xiaoman, aware of how painful this must have been for her.

The White Lotus Sect was Chun Xiaoman’s home. Everyone in there was her family, and now her family was gone.

However, Chun Xiaoman slapped Bai Lingmiao’s arm away. She looked at the heads of her family members tumbling down and wept, her gaze fixed on the hole in the sky.

“Chun Xuan! Gou Zi! Wang Kunsheng! They were people—real, living people! Just like you! They weren’t beggars anymore. Their life had finally improved, and they could finally eat their fill!”

In her despair, Chun Xiaoman unsheathed the sword that Li Huowang had gifted her. Then, she cut off her own head with one swift motion.

“Xiaoman!” Bai Lingmiao shouted, her tears streaming down her face.

Chun Xiaoman’s head fell among the soldiers’ lifeless bodies, her blood spraying across the earth.

Gao Zhijian stepped forward but stopped, clenching his fists as he bit his lips. Unable to bear the sight, he turned away.

The solidified murderous aura soared upwards and formed into two roaring heads.

With the two Jiang Xiangshous completed, the other living humans in the area gradually went crazy from the murderous aura. Their bloodlust rapidly increased while the range of effect slowly expanded.

“Senior Li! Jiang Xiangshou has been completed! We must send it up, or there will be more trouble down here!”

Still sobbing, Bai Lingmiao clutched Li Huowang’s hands. “Senior Li, I will go now. Send me up, please.”

Li Huowang nodded painfully, clenching his fists incredibly tightly. He trembled as he escorted Bai Lingmiao to the lotus throne.

Seated on the throne, Bai Lingmiao clasped sacred artifacts in her four hands. Her face glowed with a pure white light, the lotus mark on her forehead shining brightly as it resisted the murderous aura.

The Twelve Merit Jade Lotus glowed brightly, and the sky above Bai Lingmiao opened up. A single lotus seed descended, embedding itself into her body.

At that moment, she understood everything that was happening and why it had happened. She finally smiled, but it was devoid of any sadness or joy. It was a serene smile.

She made a lotus seal with all four hands and floated upwards with the six White Donkeys. They floated past the two Jiang Xiangshous, who were fighting with each other. Then, they dragged them to the Ox Tail Gate.

The pressure from the two Jiang Xiangshous soon subsided, but Li Huowang continued to pant as he watched Bai Lingmiao disappear into the sky.

Despite repeatedly punching himself in the chest, even to the point of caving it in, nothing changed.

Li Huowang fished out the bronze mirror in his pocket and shouted, “Ji Zai! Everyone is gone! They are all gone! You must send her back! You must! You promised me!”