This place was jointly established by the six founding families of the 'Suzaku Kingdom'. After the death of a person listed in the genealogy of the six major families, their spiritual tablets will be enshrined here.
Among them, the six major families refer to the families established by Flame Red Silkworm, Shan Qiao, Bu Chan, Fire Snake, Stone Bear, Feng Jiushu, etc.
Originally, there was no Fengjiushu clan among the six major families, but the Fengli clan lived among them. However, after the founding of the country, they launched a rebellion and the entire clan was killed.
In this process, Feng Jiushu played an extremely important role, and because they both had the surname Feng, after discussion with the other five major families, Feng Jiushu simply replaced Feng Li and became one of the six major families.
In the past, the five peaks in Hawan were important nodes of the earth. After the five peaks were knocked down one by one, several important buildings were built on them.
For example, the "Suzaku Hall" was built after the middle peak was halfway broken, while the ancestral temple was built at the south peak.
The ancestral temple occupies a large area, but it is not built with splendor and splendor. Instead, it is only built with blue strips of stone and boulders similar to white marble. The overall style appears solemn, majestic and solemn.
Although the ancestral temple exists to worship the deceased members of the six major families, some retired members of the six major families also live here.
Not only to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the world, but also to be able to practice with peace of mind, at the same time, these people are also guarding this place.
At this moment, Shan Yin was leading four people into the ancestral temple in silence.
Shan Yin gave birth to seven sons and six daughters, but now he only has one son and two daughters to support him. In the past few years, two more daughters have died in battles on both fronts.
This huge blow made Shan Yin extremely sad. He suffered from several serious illnesses in a few years, which caused his black hair to turn into silver threads early on, and his burly and strong body became increasingly thinner.
The four people behind him are the heads of the Fire, Shi, Bu, and Feng clans.
Since the Flame Red Silkworm lineage was suppressed intentionally or unintentionally after they became Zen, the Yan clan took the initiative to guard the ancestral temple in order to save the lives of their clan members.
After entering the ancestral temple, he first led four people to offer incense and worship. Then Shan Yin turned to the Yan clan member guarding the ancestral temple and said:
"Three bells!"
As soon as these words came out, the people of the Yan clan who were accompanying him were startled. After confirming that Shan Yin was not joking, they quickly left in panic.
After a few breaths, three dull bells rang.
"Dong~~dong~~dong~~!"
The bell of the ancestral temple must not be rung unless there is an important event, and three bells ringing means that the kingdom is at a critical moment of life and death.
Hearing the sound of the bell, all the members of the six major families who were practicing in the ancestral temple were awakened. They each walked out of the retreat and walked towards the main hall of the ancestral temple.
"Da da~~ da da~~ da da~~"
The sound of dense footsteps came closer and closer, and soon more than 300 people entered the hall.
Shan Yin is the king of the country, and although the others are all elders, they can only pay tribute to Shan Yin first, and then the people of the six major families find the current patriarch to inquire about the news.
After another quarter of an hour, five gray-haired old men finally entered the hall.
The person in front has a dignified face, his eyes are radiating with majesty when he opens and closes his eyes. He is wearing a light yellow robe and walks at the forefront.
There are four people behind him, three men and one woman. Although they all look old, they all have their own style.
As soon as the man in the light yellow robe entered the hall, everyone else, including Shan Yin, bowed and saluted.
"My grandson Shan Yin pays homage to our ancestor!"
"Huo Jinning pays homage to Ancestor Qiao!"
"Bu Xingzhi pays homage to Qiao Ancestor!"
"Shi Xiuda..."
"..."
This man in yellow robe is Shan Qiao, the second generation king of the 'Suzaku Kingdom'.
Shan Qiao glanced at everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice:
"No gift!"
More than 300 people thanked each other and stood up. Everyone beside Jingli stood up and turned to look at Shan Yin.
Shan Qiao frowned slightly as he looked at Shan Yin's appearance. He was the ancestor of Shan Yin's third generation. If we go by the title, Shan Yin was his grandson.
But now the two of them were standing together, and Shan Yin's appearance was even older than Shan Qiao's.
In addition, Shan Qiao found that Shan Yin's robes were also quite old, and the ornaments on his body were completely inconsistent with his status as a monarch.
Turning to look at the current clan leaders of the other four clans, they all looked dejected.
Shan Qiao's heart trembled, knowing that something big was going to happen in the country. He thought for a moment and said:
"Shan Yin, why do you ring the bell?"
Shan Yin said respectfully:
"Back to my ancestors, the country is now at a critical moment of life and death. My grandson has no choice but to ring the bell and ask for help from my ancestors!"
Shan Qiao took a breath and said slowly:
"What exactly happened, tell me in detail!"
"yes!"
Shan Yin responded, and then started talking about the two major forces of the 'Lihun Mountain' and the 'Wanling Tribe', which attacked the west and north defense lines eleven years ago, and continued to the current situation.
"...Now more than half of the 4,800 fortresses on the northern front have been lost, and the army of 'Lihun Mountain' has attacked the four major auxiliary cities of the kingdom, 'Beigong City'..."
The so-called four auxiliary cities refer to the east city "Su", the south city "Bo", the west city "Tao" and the north city "Gong".
Including the national capital ‘Yanwan City’, they were the first five capitals established that year.
Later, after continuous development, in addition to the in-situ expansion of 'Yanwan City', the other four auxiliary cities were placed in the southeast, northwest and four directions as barriers.
As for the 800 large cities, 6,400 small cities and as many star-studded forts later built by the kingdom, they were all built around these five capitals.
The key is that these four auxiliary cities are the last line of defense for the neighboring capital, Flame Bay City.
Once the army of "Lihun Mountain" breaks through the city of "Beigong", it means that it can march straight into the capital.
Shan Qiao raised his eyebrows when he heard Shan Yin's words. He did not interrupt his words but continued to listen.
"...The one currently guarding Beigong City is Shi Gandang, the commander-in-chief of the kingdom.
Although he temporarily led his army to resist the army of "Lihun Mountain", he himself was seriously injured by the "Lihun Mountain" plot and has sent letters asking for help many times!"
Shan Yin's words made everyone present change their minds.
They had also heard about the attack on the kingdom by the 'Lihun Mountain' and the 'Wanling Tribe', but they never expected that the situation would be so critical now.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Shan Qiao pondered for a moment and asked:
"Since the war on the Western Front is relatively stable, can we mobilize troops and horses to support this route?"
Shan Yin said solemnly:
"The 'Wanling Tribe' on the Western Front has a total of 18 million soldiers and horses to attack this time. Commander Huo Wuguo can defend the Western Front with all his strength. Even if there are still soldiers and horses that can be mobilized on the Western Front, he will not
Dare to use it easily."
Shan Qiao understands Shan Yin's concerns. Once the western front mobilizes troops and horses, causing the defense line to loosen and be breached by the "Wanling Tribe", the two fronts in the west and north will collapse.
By then, the 'Suzaku Kingdom' may not be able to escape the danger of being massacred.
Therefore, even if the Western Front is still stable, Shan Yin does not dare to mobilize a single soldier, and even needs to continuously increase troops and deploy defenses to the Western Front.
Shan Qiao thought for a moment and then said:
"What about the eastern front? Didn't it say that the East 10th Battalion has invaded the eastern region? Can the troops and horses along the line be transferred back to defense?"
Shan Yin hesitated for a moment and whispered:
"The Eastern Territory is the territory of the 'Luo Kingdom'. Although judging from the map, the battle of the East Tenth Battalion went relatively smoothly, after all, they were fighting in enemy territory.
If all the troops and horses on the eastern front are mobilized, Sun'er is worried that if something goes wrong in the 10th Eastern Battalion, the 'Luo Kingdom' will rush into the country with overwhelming force."
Shan Qiao has ignored government affairs for many years. It is difficult to grasp the specific situation of the kingdom based on Shan Yin's few words. He needs to constantly ask questions to complete the puzzle in his mind.
Next, Shan Qiao asked about the various aspects of the kingdom's situation, including people's livelihood, resources, morale, arms research and development, etc.
After some questioning, Shan Qiao had a general understanding of the current situation in the kingdom.
After pondering for a long time, Shan Qiao suddenly asked:
"Have you ever informed the Imperial Preceptor of Guo Guodong's plight and asked the Imperial Preceptor for help?"
Shan Yin's face looked a little ugly, and he told Shan Xing in a low voice what had angered Zhang Ke, and finally said:
"Since then, the Imperial Preceptor has not interfered with the affairs of the Kingdom. Except for sending a [glass bottle] a few years ago, no matter how the Kingdom sends people to persuade him, the Imperial Preceptor has never left the ancestral land."
Shan Qiao turned his eyes, looked at somewhere in the ancestral temple and shouted:
"come out!"
Shan Xing walked out from the side tremblingly, came to Shan Qiao and bowed in salute.
"My grandson Shanxing pays homage to our ancestor!"
Shan Qiao snorted coldly, stared at Shan Xing and asked:
"Why are you testing the Imperial Master?"
Shan Xing whispered:
"The Imperial Master is not from this world, and the 'Tao-Demon War' was originally caused by people like them from outside the world, which led to the destruction of all living beings in this world.
The kingdom belongs to the Shan clan, and to countless courtiers and people in the country, but it should not belong to the national master.
Sun'er just wants to downplay the influence of the National Master in the hearts of his country's citizens..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shan Qiao had already raised his foot and kicked him down.
"A rat's eyes are short-sighted...A rat's eyes are short-sighted..."
Shan Qiao let out a series of curses angrily.
Shan Xing slowly climbed up from the ground, standing there solemnly and letting Shan Qiao scold him.
"After the 'War between Dao Demons' is over, all outsiders will leave this world.
Even if the national master has some influence among the people, what harm does it matter!
I think it was because I saw the kingdom growing and growing that I felt inflated, so I didn't take the Imperial Master seriously and treated him deliberately with contempt.
Hum~~! Everyone knows how high the sky is and how high it is!
The kingdom is in trouble today because of your fault back then!
Nine Trees!”
The white-haired Feng Jiushu smiled bitterly and said:
“It’s the father’s fault if you don’t educate!
Your Majesty! The offenders are descendants of the Feng family, and I will not protect them.
Where is the current clan leader of the Feng clan?"
Feng Yuji, who entered the ancestral temple with Shan Yin, stepped out of the crowd and responded respectfully:
"Grandpa, Yu Ji is here!"
Feng Jiushu said in a deep voice:
"From now on, the Feng Xingshou lineage will expel the Feng family, take back the Feng family name, and let them fend for themselves!"
‘Hiss~~!’
Feng Jiushu's words made everyone present take a breath of air.
Feng Yuji swallowed a mouthful of saliva, lowered his eyes and accepted the order in a low voice.
Shan Qiao's expression softened a bit, and he turned to look at Shan Xing and said:
"From now on, your lineage will not be qualified to inherit the throne of the king. Since you are unable to manage the country, you can just become an idle royal family!"
After hearing this, Shan Xue's complexion changed drastically.
He never imagined that his actions that day would bring such terrible consequences to his lineage.
He opened his mouth to defend himself, but didn't know what to say. After a moment, he slumped aside and stepped aside.
Hundreds of people were standing in the main hall, but at this moment it was completely silent, as if no one was present.
In just a few words, Shan Qiao removed a direct descendant of one of the six major families from the family tree, and disqualified his own grandson from inheriting the throne. He acted so directly and decisively, how could he not make everyone present secretly frightened.
Shan Qiao's anger subsided a lot. Although he punished Shan Xing and others, it did not help Wang Guodong's current predicament.
He turned to look at Shan Yin and asked:
"How are you going to respond to the current predicament of the kingdom?"
Shan Yin swallowed and whispered:
"Concerning the current situation, Prime Minister Zuo Yuan Jiang once gave a suggestion..."
After a brief pause, he continued:
"Commander of the Western Front Huo Wugou Camp, commander-in-chief of the Shiwu Camp, blocked the 18 million soldiers and horses of the 'Wanling Tribe'.
The only person in the country who could match Huo Wugou's ability was Zhao He, who had previously been defeated on the northern front.
Prime Minister Zuo’s intention is to re-introduce Zhao He, make him atone for his sins, and go to the northern front to assist Commander Shi in resisting the ‘Lihun Mountain’ army.”
"Zhao He...Zhao He..."
Shan Qiao muttered a few words softly, and then asked:
"What are this person's talents?"
Shan Yin replied:
“When he was thirty-one years old, he had practiced the ‘Three Chakras and Seven Wheels Contemplation Method’ to the seventh level. In addition, he had also achieved the state of ‘Reaching for the Stars’ with the ‘Strong Man’s Cultivation Method’.
In terms of talent alone, there are indeed few people in the country who can match it!
As for his talent, when he first led the army, he was defeated due to carelessness and rashness, but the high-level officials of the junior high school had studied his battle.
They all say that if the follow-up army from the ‘Lihun Mountain’ hadn’t suddenly appeared, the war would have been victorious.”
Shan Qiao thought for a moment and said:
"Since he has little experience, he cannot be entrusted with big tasks easily.
How about this..."
Shan Qiao thought for a while and said:
"I will lead the six tribes practicing in the ancestral temple to "Beigong City" for support. Well... some elite disciples from the six major families will go with us.
In addition, Shan Yin, you are organizing another battalion of troops to accompany you.
If things go wrong in the war, I will send someone to send back the news.
At that time, you can decide whether to use Zhao He!"
"My grandson will obey your ancestor's orders!"
Shan Yin responded respectfully.
Seven days later, Shan Qiao led 2,000 elites from the six tribes and a battalion of 500,000 soldiers and horses to leave the capital, and traveled through the starry night to the "Beigong City".
A few months later, bad news came back from ‘Beigong City’.
The east wall of 'Beigong City' was breached, and although Shan Qiao later repelled the army of 'Lihun Mountain' under the command of Shan Qiao, Shan Qiao was also plotted by the wizard of 'Lihun Mountain' and fell into a coma.
After receiving the news, Shan Yin discussed with the court officials and decided to appoint Zhao He.
...
Heavenly prison.
Dark, gloomy, damp, cramped!
This was the first feeling given to Yuan Jiang after entering the prison.
A jailer led the way with an oil lamp in his hand, and Yuan Jiang followed behind him.
In the empty sky prison, only the footsteps of the two people walking up and down echoed.
The Heavenly Prison is located underground in the northeast corner of Yanwan City. In this Heavenly Prison, there is a sealing formation designed by Zhang Ke himself.
This formation is formed by combining the power of the earth's veins with the power of the kingdom's faith.
Unless the kingdom collapses or the formation is destroyed due to turbulence in the earth's veins, as long as you are trapped here, even if you have the realm of soul, you will never be able to escape.
Looking at the cells with runes of light flashing from cell to cell, Yuan Jiang asked:
"How many guilty people are imprisoned here?"
The jailer leading the way quickly turned around and replied:
"Prime Minister, all the prisoners in the prison are felons, a total of 3,762 people!"
Yuan Jiang was slightly startled and asked strangely:
"Are there so many heinous people in the kingdom?"
The jailer explained as he walked:
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, there are only 831 death row inmates in the prison, and the rest are prisoners with special magical powers.
Because these people have all kinds of strange methods, they cannot be held in ordinary cells and can only be temporarily detained in sky jails."
Yuan Jiang nodded, that's pretty much it.
The prison was not very big, and soon the two of them arrived outside a cell.
The jailer whispered:
"Prime Minister, Zhao He was imprisoned here."
After a slight hesitation, he continued:
"Because of His Majesty's decree, the 'bone-corroding wind' was aroused in this cell. Please forgive me, Prime Minister!"
Yuan Jiang waved his hands and said:
"Zhao He made a big mistake and should be punished. This has nothing to do with you, so you don't need to worry about it."
The jailer felt relieved. Everyone knew that Zhao He was the son-in-law of Zuo Prime Minister Yuan Jiang. Zhao He had suffered a lot in the prison over the years, so he naturally did not want to cause trouble.
The jailer came to the prison door and placed the emperor's imperial edict passed down by Yuan Jiang before on the front of the door.
But hundreds of rays of golden light were seen bursting out and flowing like electric current into various nodes of the prison door.
After a while...
"Crack!"
With a soft sound, the cell door lock opened by itself, and then the cell door made of special materials slid into the wall, revealing the scene inside the cell.
Looking at the figure sitting on the ground in the cell, using his body to resist the black tide above his head, Yuan Jiang couldn't help but feel sad.
Zhao He was known as the most handsome man in the capital back then, but now he can only see a beggar-like figure with disheveled beard and hair, and his body covered with bruises.
"Zhao Yingshuai, the king has issued an imperial edict, ordering you to make meritorious deeds. You can go out now!"
The jailer shouted loudly to the naked man in the cell.
Zhao He slowly opened his eyes. At first, he looked at the open cell door blankly, and then gradually a trace of energy gathered in his eyes.
"Can...can I...go out?"
After not speaking for ten years, Zhao He's voice and tone became a little strange.
Yuan Jiang said warmly:
"Zhao He, the monarch has temporarily exempted you from your crimes and allowed you to perform meritorious service.
Now, follow me out to thank the king!"
Zhao He was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a low laugh with unclear meaning.
"For the time being...it turns out to be temporary! Haha, so I might be imprisoned here one day?"
Yuan Jiang sighed and said:
"Anyway, it's a good thing to be able to leave here. When you make military exploits in the future, your crimes will naturally be eliminated!"
Zhao He slowly stood up from the prison and murmured to himself:
"Yes! Thunder, rain, and dew are all gifts from heaven. Naturally, I have to thank the king, hehehe~~hehehe~~!"
As he said that, Zhao He laughed strangely again.
Yuan Jiang frowned slightly, there seemed to be something wrong in Zhao He's tone!
The jailer on the side took out a new suit of clothes from behind, held it in his hands, and whispered:
"Please Zhao Yingshuai to change clothes!"
...
Two days later.
After some rest, Zhao He followed Yuan Jiang into the Suzaku Hall.