Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 318 Living Sacrifice, Underworld, Established!
……

A single word from the emperor can move all the people!
Amidst the watchful eyes of the world, a magnificent statue, hundreds of meters tall, rose from the ground in Chang'an City, piercing the clouds.

Although the construction of this statue did indeed consume a great deal of manpower and resources, making it a wasteful and extravagant undertaking, its effects were also extremely significant.

Emperor Li Shimin's prestige instantly soared to its peak.

Not only did the people of the Tang Dynasty hold him in high esteem, but even merchants and envoys from the Western Regions felt a deep sense of awe and longing when they saw the magnificent statue in person.

At the same time, the five-colored altar at the Command Platform of Zhaoling Mausoleum has also been completed.

Night falls.

All sounds are silent.

Li Shimin quietly arrived at Zhaoling.

Beside him, Yuchi Jingde followed closely, while also leading a well-equipped Xuanjia Army.

The Xuanjia Army was the most elite force under Li Shimin's command.

Initially, it consisted of over a thousand battle-hardened elite cavalrymen. Later, through continuous expansion, its number reached three thousand, divided into four teams of seven hundred and fifty men each.

To become a member of the Xuanjia Army, one must meet the stringent selection criteria of "being strong enough to lift a tripod and capable of shooting arrows through armor".

They wore heavy protective gear such as bright armor and full armor, and were equipped with excellent weapons such as lances, swords and crossbows, making them extremely powerful in combat.

Enter the underground of Zhaoling Mausoleum.

Li Shimin's tomb is so grand that it is astonishing.

The entire hill has been cleverly hollowed out, revealing a vast interior space that resembles an underground city—intricate, complex, and mysterious.

Upon arriving at the altar, Li Shimin stopped and gazed solemnly ahead.

Yuchi Jingde and his troop of Xuanjia soldiers stood silently in place, like silent statues, maintaining absolute silence and not daring to make the slightest sound.

"Respect virtue!"

Li Shimin called out softly, his voice echoing in the empty underground space.

Yuchi Jingde immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty!"

"When did you begin serving me?" Li Shimin asked slowly, his gaze deep.

Yuchi Jingde straightened his body and answered in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, I joined Your Majesty's service in the third year of the Wude era!"

"So much time has passed in the blink of an eye!" Li Shimin sighed with emotion, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

Then, he suddenly turned around, looked at Yuchi Jingde with a firm and serious gaze, and said, "Since Shubao's passing, you have been the person I trust the most."

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde immediately bowed, his posture upright as a pine tree, and said firmly, "It is my honor to serve Your Majesty!"

"I have an extremely important task to entrust to you," Li Shimin said solemnly, each word seemingly weighing a ton.

"I am willing to die for Your Majesty!" Yuchi Jingde responded without hesitation, his voice strong and resolute, filled with fearless determination.

"Jingde, I am about to become the Emperor of the Underworld. You must accompany me ahead to the City of the Dead!" Li Shimin said slowly, his tone calm yet exuding an undeniable majesty.

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde was immediately taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He never expected that what Li Shimin wanted him to do was to be buried alive with him.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, all of them who came today, that is, this group of Xuanjia soldiers, will have to stay in this underworld.

Yuchi Jingde's expression began to change constantly. After a brief internal struggle, he immediately became resolute again.

As a subject, if the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die; otherwise, it is considered disloyalty!
Yuchi Jingde straightened his chest and answered firmly:

"Your Majesty is my most loyal henchman. I will follow you to the death without hesitation, as long as Your Majesty gives the order!"

"it is good!"

Witnessing Yuchi Jingde's loyalty, Li Shimin was quite pleased, and a gratified smile appeared on his face, as warm and gentle as the winter sun.

Then, he took a few steps forward and came to the altar, his eyes intently searching for the hidden stone bricks.

Finally, his hand touched a slightly protruding stone brick and pressed down hard.

Then, the altar trembled slightly, as if a sleeping beast was awakening. The floor tiles in front of them began to slowly sink, revealing a deep and mysterious passage, the darkness like a gaping maw, waiting for them to enter.

Upon witnessing this scene, Yuchi Jingde understood without Li Shimin even needing to speak.

He turned to look at the Xuanjia Army behind him, his gaze firm and resolute.

The Xuanjia soldiers, expressionless and composed, lined up in orderly fashion and followed Yuchi Jingde, taking firm steps as they slowly entered the dark passage.

As everyone disappeared into the dark passage, the passage began to tremble again, as if announcing the countdown to its imminent closure.

With a dull thud, the passage was immediately shut, as if sealing all the secrets within.

That night.

Only Li Shimin left Zhaoling silently.

……

The next day happened to be the Ghost Festival.

Half a month ago, Li Shimin ordered that a grand ceremony be held today to worship the gods and spirits in order to protect the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the peace and happiness of the people.

During the day, all preparations were proceeding smoothly.

Inside Chang'an City, a scene of bustling activity yet orderly unfolded.

People prepared the items needed for the sacrifice, their faces solemn and devout.

As the sun sets and night falls, Chang'an is shrouded in a mysterious veil.

Beneath the magnificent, towering statue, flames roared, illuminating everything around and banishing the darkness without a trace.

Under Li Shimin's leadership, the sacrificial ceremony officially began.

The event was a grand affair, with almost everyone in Chang'an participating, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.

To maintain order and ensure that no mistakes were made, Li Shimin even mobilized 80,000 troops into the city.

These soldiers, clad in neat armor and wielding sharp weapons, stood majestically in every corner, like guardian deities, ensuring the smooth progress of this grand ceremony.

Thus, in this solemn and dignified atmosphere, the ceremony proceeded in a complete and orderly manner.

Beneath the colossal statue, inside the bronze cauldron, Li Shimin solemnly lit a flame and poured in the carefully written sacrificial inscription.

The sacrificial texts burned in the flames, turning into wisps of smoke that drifted into the sky, as if carrying people's prayers to the spirits.

Even amidst this solemn and respectful atmosphere, Cheng Yaojin was secretly scanning the area.

From the very beginning of the day, he noticed something unusual.

That is, Yuchi Jingde has disappeared.

Logically speaking, even if Yuchi Jingde was not by His Majesty's side to protect him, he should still have participated in such a grand ceremony.

In addition, His Majesty's three thousand Xuanjia soldiers are now one unit short.

This elite force had always been His Majesty's personal guard, but now a portion of it was missing, which he found very strange.

Cheng Yaojin even specifically asked You Junda, Xu Jingzong, Fang Xuanling, and even Changsun Wuji about it.

However, none of these people knew the whereabouts of Yuchi Jingde and the Xuanjia Army. Despite Cheng Yaojin's usual burly and reckless appearance, he was actually more meticulous than anyone else.

Therefore, the disappearance of Yuchi Jingde and the Xuanjia Army made him guess that something big must have happened.

He was very curious about what it was, but he didn't dare to ask His Majesty directly.

After all, His Majesty's thoughts have been difficult to fathom lately, and he feared that his rashness might cause unnecessary trouble.

So he secretly observed everything around him, trying to find clues from the smallest details.

The ceremony finally ended.

Everyone gradually dispersed.

Li Shimin did not return to the palace with the ceremonial guard, but remained at the scene.

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then entered the colossus through a hidden door.

He climbed upwards along the narrow, winding passage until he reached the top of the colossus's head.

Here, the view is expansive; through the opening in the eye, he can gaze upon the entire city of Chang'an.

At night, Chang'an City is brightly lit, like a dazzling pearl, radiating a mesmerizing glow.

"His Majesty is truly resolute. Before the ceremony even began, he sent Yuchi Jingde and 750 Xuanjia soldiers to the City of the Dead!"

A sudden sound shattered the brief silence.

Li Shimin turned around, calmly looked at the elusive Wu Wen, and said lightly, "I also want Jingde to stay by my side, enter the underworld, and gain immortality. Isn't that a kind of blessing?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Wen simply smiled slightly, his eyes revealing an unfathomable meaning.

He had witnessed everything Li Shimin had done during this period.

To put it simply, although all of Li Shimin's actions were carried out according to his plan, they were all excessive implementations.

Wu Wen asked him to build an altar, but he did not ask him to use the five-colored stones from the Five Sacred Mountains to cast such a luxurious five-colored altar.

They also did not allow him to build a towering statue, thirty-three zhang tall, to hold sacrificial ceremonies.

Furthermore, he was not allowed to use living people for sacrifice, especially not a high-ranking official of the court and the most elite Xuanjia Army of the Tang Dynasty.

Although Li Shimin's actions were indeed a bit excessive, and could even be described as audacious and reckless.

But Wu Wen did not step in to stop it, because in a sense, it made things even more perfect.

In particular, this colossal statue that reached the heavens brought Wu Wen an unexpected gain.

The awe-inspiring presence this colossal statue instilled in the people, and the resulting spontaneous reverence, surprisingly coalesced into a powerful force of faith.

"Come out!"

Wu Wen spoke softly, his voice echoing in the air.

Then, behind him, a fleeting, ghostly figure slowly appeared.

"His Majesty!"

This man was none other than Yuchi Jingde. He bowed respectfully to Li Shimin, his posture upright, his eyes revealing loyalty and determination.

"Respect virtue!"

Seeing this, Li Shimin was quite pleased, and a smile appeared on his face, as if he were seeing an old friend he had not seen for a long time.

“Your Majesty, I am now the garrison commander of the Underworld City. From this day forward, I can serve Your Majesty forever,” said Yuchi Jingde, his voice filled with pride and a sense of mission.

After entering the underworld city, he learned everything and was filled with emotion.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty did not truly intend to send him to his death to test his loyalty. Rather, He genuinely intended to entrust him with an important task, allowing him to guard a region in the underworld and continue to strive for His Majesty's great cause.

Wu Wen said, "I have already formed a ghost body for him. From now on, he will be able to freely travel between the Yin and Yang realms."

"Then, carry out the task of guiding the dead and taking the soul-binding chains."

Li Shimin was quite pleased at this moment, because he had sent Yuchi Jingde and the Xuanjia Army to the underworld by sacrificing them in advance, which was perhaps to test the waters beforehand.

The result was as he had predicted: Yuchi Jingde had successfully condensed a ghost body and could freely travel between the Yin and Yang realms, which put his mind at ease.

"Soul-binding and spirit-locking!"

Li Shimin looked at Yuchi Jingde with great curiosity, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

"Could you show me?"

"Ok!"

Yuchi Jingde nodded immediately, and then disappeared from Li Shimin's sight as if he were a wisp of smoke, vanishing in an instant.

"Where did he go?"

Li Shimin first turned his head to look around, then asked Wu Wen with a puzzled look in his eyes.

“Now that Yuchi Jingde is a ghost, normal people can’t see him unless I use some special means,” Wu Wen explained simply, his tone calm.

Yuchi Jingde's ghost body was actually a body that Wu Wen condensed for him using neutrinos.

This kind of spirit body is extremely special. Not only can it pass through physical substances such as city walls and soil, but it is also impossible for normal people to observe it. It is just like a ghost that can move around the world of the living, appearing and disappearing mysteriously.

To show Li Shimin how the soul-binding and spirit-locking process was performed, Wu Wen took him and jumped down from a great height.

The wind whistled past their ears, and their figures, like two eagles soaring high, swiftly descended to the ground.

Then, he followed behind Yuchi Jingde.

He entered a private residence.

Inside the house, a hunched old man lay on the bed, barely breathing.

His body was extremely thin and his skin was dry and withered, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

In Yuchi Jingde's eyes, the light emanating from this old man was extremely faint compared to that of ordinary people.

The radiance emanating from this old man was actually biophoton radiation emanating from his body.

The strength of biophoton radiation indicates the strength of the elderly person's vitality.

When biophoton radiation disappears, it signifies that his life force has run out.

In simple terms, the flame of life within him had burned out.

At this moment, the light emanating from the old man lying on the bed was extremely faint, like a flickering candle, which could be extinguished at any moment.

In this situation, Yuchi Jingde could then perform a soul-binding and spirit-locking technique on him.

The so-called soul-binding and spirit-locking does not involve directly pulling out his soul.

Instead, Yuchi Jingde slowly placed his hand on his forehead.

He was then guided, and the old man began to dream, in which his consciousness entered the virtual underworld city.

When the life force within him completely disappears, his consciousness will remain there permanently.

This entire process is known as soul-binding and spirit-locking.

……

(End of this chapter)