Chapter 1280: The Person Who is Going to Die
In the West Capital, Lu Shu could clearly feel that there was only one source of energy left in the imperial palace. The energy was like a blazing flame. It was impossible to ignore.
But this flame did not move. Even though the two masters he controlled had died, he did not show any signs of leaving the palace and killing his enemies. He simply watched quietly. It was as if the shocking battle cries outside had nothing to do with him.
Lu Shu suddenly thought about it. Why did Duanmu Huangqi seem like he had given up on resisting? He even thought about whether Duanmu Huangqi was dead. If not, why had he not appeared?
But the waves of energy did not lie. The dead would not give off any waves of energy.
Lu Shu walked into the palace in the West Capital. He pa.s.sed through the lofty brick wall that surrounded the palace. There were no more guards. All the guards had died in combat.
The Imperial Dragon Soldiers followed behind Lu Shu. The sound of their armor rubbing against one another was like their murderous intent materialized. Zhang Weiyu and the other Imperial Dragon Soldiers who were wearing the Armor that Shook Mountains patrolled the skies. They observed the ground and protected them against any remaining soldiers.
Everyone surrounded and protected Lu Shu. Lu Shu felt like the true King of G.o.ds. He had finally returned.
Zhang Weiyu realized that all the female aristocrats in the palace had disappeared. Duanmu Huangqi was not a man of integrity. He held talent compet.i.tions for women every year. The beautiful women in the West Region would be brought to the imperial palace in the West Capital.
The imperial palace of the West Capital. Although it was called an imperial palace, it was only because the existence of the palace of the King of G.o.ds caused the Four Lords of Heaven to avoid taboo names. In reality, the imperial palace of the Lords of Heaven were more extensive and luxurious.
In terms of extravagance, the palace of the King of G.o.ds was more simple.
Zhang Weiyu and the others landed in the chambers of the imperial concubines. Someone opened the door to their bedrooms and almost jumped in shock. There were countless strands of white silk in the room. Duanmu Huangqi had ordered all the female aristocrats to commit suicide.
The strands of white silk that dangled down from the ceiling each held a life that had just been lost. They were once very beautiful, but now, they were simply corpses.
Zhang Weiyu sighed, but did not react much.
Much more cruel scenes than the one in front of them were found all around the world. They had no time for sympathy. They did not intend to show sympathy either.
Sympathy was the most useless emotion in a war. The victors lived and the losers died. This was life!
Back then, when the old King of G.o.ds went to war, Duanmu Huangqi and the others were forced to despair. There was more than one case of monarchs killing themselves and their wives. There were more cruel cases than these.
But the problem was, had Duanmu Huangqi never expected himself to win? Why did he kill these women in advance?
Only those who were sure that they were done for would make such a decision, right?
At that moment, when they recalled what had happened, no matter whether the Jianghu Camp was destroyed or when his master cultivators died, Duanmu Huangqi observed coldly from the side. It was as if he was watching his own fall.
He simply watched calmly.
Zhang Weiyu and the others searched the entire imperial palace. Suddenly, they discovered something strange. When they went to the backyard of the imperial palace, they discovered a cemetery there.
Zhang Weiyu counted. There were 99 graves.
There was the smell of alcohol in this vast and quiet courtyard. He looked at the ground in front of the graves. It seemed as if someone had come here with alcohol to commemorate the dead.
Had Duanmu Huangqi come to commemorate the dead? There seemed to be no one else in the entire imperial palace.
He had killed the living and come to commemorate the dead. Zhang Weiyu could not understand Duanmu Huangqi at all.
“Who are these people?” Someone asked in doubt, “Duanmu Huangqi especially prepared tombs for them in the imperial palace. I heard that people were prohibited from entering a particular courtyard in the imperial palace. But I never researched on what it was.”
Zhang Weiyu looked at the name on the grave. He sighed. “If I am not wrong, I know who they are. Back then, the old King of G.o.ds fought his last battle in the West Region. The West Region was very strong and the old King of G.o.ds encountered strong resistance outside the West Capital. The old King of G.o.ds ordered 100 underlings, including Duanmu Huangqi, to be beheaded in the West Capital. In the end, the head of the West Capital died and only one person out of the 100 underlings survived. That person was Duanmu Huangqi.”
The rest of the Imperial Palace soldiers looked at the 99 gravestones and were dumbfounded. These numbers made sense. To the Imperial Palace Soldiers, the war had occurred long before they were born. Most of them were only a few hundred years old. Even though they had eaten the diluted refresher fruits, the limits of their strength caused the Imperial Dragon Soldiers to be much stronger.
Zhang Weiyu and the rest had not personally experienced that war. They yearned to take part in it.
Someone could not understand. “Since when did Duanmu Huangqi have such strong feelings of comrades.h.i.+p?”
In their impression of Duanmu Huangqi, he did not trust anyone. He could even kill his own son without any feelings. How could he commemorate the lives of others?
Zhang Weiyu shook his head. “Even the saints we talk about have their flaws. They can make mistakes too. Then, how can an evil person have no characteristics that are worth admiration? Who dares to say that they truly understand Duanmu Huangqi? We can only say that the people and things in this world are not black and white. We are full of contradictions.”
Someone looked at the gravestones. Only the names of the dead were written on each gravestone. At this moment, someone said in shock, “There is a tomb and gravestone there, but the gravestone has not been put up.”
The Imperial Palace Soldiers took a look. To their shock, they realized that Duanmu Huangqi’s name was written on the gravestone!
Everyone looked at one another helplessly. A formidable man had left a gravestone for himself.
“Let’s go. No matter what, this war has to end.” Zhang Weiyu said, “We only need to stand behind our king with resolution.”
At that moment, Lu Shu arrived at the main palace. It was pitch black inside. He stood at the entrance. It was as if he was silently looking at Duanmu Huangqi inside. The Imperial Dragon Soldiers followed behind Lu Shu.
At that moment, the palace suddenly turned into sand. The broken gla.s.s tiles turned into sand and sand started to fall from the ceiling.
The extravagant palace seemed to have been eroded by time. There were no more tiles or walls. The pillars were gone too. It was a scene full of desolation.
When the palace disappeared, the inside was revealed. It was no longer dark. Duanmu Huangqi sat on the dragon throne with his eyes closed.
He had a calm expression. He wore the exact same Lord of Heaven ceremonial dress as Wen Zaifou.
Lu Shu stared at him. For some reason, he felt that Duanmu Huangqi was like a true Lord of Heaven when he wore the ceremonial dress.
He felt that many kings were distrusting and tyrannical. They should be like Duanmu Huangqi. But Wen Zaifou did not quite seem like a Lord of Heaven. He was more like the commander of the guards that protected the old King of G.o.ds.