Demon Emperor

Chapter 77 The Soul of the Wraith: A Thousand Miles in the Night
The situation was urgent, and Yuchi Chongwu set off on the very day.

In front of the palace.

Yuchi Chongwu, clad in gleaming armor, stood beneath the red steps.

He held the fish-shaped tally in both hands, while the officials in the hall brought the blood of the three sacrificial animals on a golden platter.

The official dipped his cinnabar brush in blood and drew a talisman on Yuchi Chongwu's plain linen battle robe. This was done by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices according to the ritual of the "Ma Sacrifice".

At the third quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM), the palace gates opened one after another.

Yuchi Chongwu stepped seven paces away from the throne and bowed twice to the emperor.

As soon as Ruan Hu raised his hand, the Minister of War stepped forward with a gilded bronze box, gently took out the black iron tiger tally from the box, and matched it with the fish tally in Yuchi Chongwu's bosom, fitting them perfectly.

As the eunuch unfolded the imperial edict, he read it aloud.

The entire process was solemn and dignified.

Subsequently, Yuchi Chongwu arrived at the Zhuque Gate, where the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices personally stood beneath the five layers of banners, holding a white yoke and a yellow battle-axe.

Yuchi Chongwu, sword in hand, stepped onto the plain carriage pulled by a blue ox, and, holding the reins, chopped sheep's blood to consecrate the drum. The eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate sang "No Clothes" in unison.

Amidst the sounds of drums and horns.

The people of Xijing joined in the shouting and began throwing copper coins onto the road; these were the so-called "toll money."

The sundial moves to the noon position, and noon has arrived.

It's time to set off.

Yuchi Chongwu accepted the gold-plated ceremonial sword presented by the military supervisor. This jewel-encrusted sword was not a real weapon but a ceremonial implement. After receiving it, Yuchi Chongwu handed it over to the chief clerk of the army for safekeeping.

Both sides of the main road.

The musicians played the "Breaking the Enemy's Formation" music, and the soldiers of the Six Armies struck the ground with their spears and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

At the same time, smoke billowed from all twelve gates of Xijing City, with blue plumes of smoke shooting straight into the sky.

The army finally set off, marching majestically towards the distance.

Within the imperial city.

Although Ruan Hu could not see the scene, he still gazed at the direction the army had gone.

Ruan Hu was not too worried about Yuchi Chongwu's dispatch of troops to annihilate the Huanshou barbarians.

First, after Nguyen Ho's series of reorganizations, the Imperial Guards were capable of fighting and were of good use.

Secondly, Ruan Hu has already grasped the situation on the Huan Shou Man side.

By now.

The important thing is not the Huan Shou Barbarians, but the possible changes behind them, and the changes that Yuchi Chongwu may bring about by re-establishing the Xi Man Yi Cong Fu.

therefore.

At this moment, the most important thing for Ruan Hu is to wait for the changes to come, to take the initiative in the ensuing upheavals, and to be ready to deal with an even greater crisis at any time.

Yuchi Chongwu took away 5,000 imperial guards and prepared to integrate the Western Barbarian Righteous Army, totaling about 20,000 soldiers.

He also needs a powerful force capable of turning the tide.

Ruan Hu stood there for a long time without moving. At this moment, a monk came forward and whispered something to him.

"His Majesty!"

"The Palace Master of the Heavenly Maiden Palace requests an audience."

Ruan Hu did not leave the spot, but directly summoned the palace attendant of the Heavenly Maiden Palace to see him.

When the palace attendant arrived, he knelt on the ground, and his first words were...

"Your Majesty, the donkey's head has been successfully forged!"

What Ruan Hu needed has arrived.

Ruan Hu: "Where?"

Palace Attendant: "We are now sealing off Mount Huang, and we will arrive soon."
-
Ruan Hu came to the Heavenly Maiden Palace once again.

Because it was located right at the foot of the imperial city, when Nguyen Hu came over, it felt like he had gone from one palace to another, as if he had never left the imperial city at all.

General Donkey and the Divine Chariot Army were to be forged using the supernatural powers of the White Maiden Goddess, and the entire process was overseen by the palace officials and shamans of the Heavenly Maiden Palace. In short, the whole affair was the responsibility of the Heavenly Maiden of Wonderful Fragrance.

Therefore, Ruan Hu came to find her again.

Passing through layers of white curtains is like climbing ladders to the clouds. When Ruan Hu arrived at the deepest part of the painted wall filled with wisps of incense smoke, he felt as if he were standing before the gates of the Heavenly Palace.

Touching the painted wall with one's hand, the world instantly spins.

Ruan Hu then transformed into a divine emperor and immortal lord, descended the path where celestial maidens, divine generals, and heavenly soldiers greeted him, and entered the magnificent celestial palace that had originally been painted on the wall.

The tea table was placed on a long corridor perched on a cliff.

Sipping tea while overlooking the ever-changing landscape creates a truly extraordinary experience.

The celestial maiden knelt to one side, preparing, while Ruan Hu stepped forward and sat down directly.

He was always straightforward: "After General Zou is completed, we should also make plans for the Divine Zou Army. We will need to ask the Heavenly Maiden for help."

The celestial maiden said, "That strange beast has established a divine body and statue on Mount Fenghuang. Now that the temple has been built, it still needs to be worshipped for many years before the work can be completed."

"After that donkey head returns, we need to find someone to form a blood pact with it before it can become a general."

"But the forging of the donkey's head is only the beginning."

"The training of this Divine Horse Army requires a large number of skilled riders and archers, which will be difficult to gather in a short time."

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be rushed."

That's right. After Ruan Hu selected the donkey head, a temple was built on Fenghuang Mountain, called the Temple of the Divine General.

The original site of the Donkey Army's tomb was renamed General's Tomb.

Ruan Hu said, "But time waits for no one!"

The Heavenly Maiden sensed the urgency in Ruan Hu's voice: "Your Majesty's current haste is due to your concern about the Wu County?"

Ruan Hu said, "The chaos in Wu County is not a reliable indicator; what I am worried about is what will happen next."

Instead of offering words of comfort, the celestial maiden directly summoned key figures associated with the Divine Zou Army.

"Bai Gu!"

At the call of the Celestial Maiden Miaoxiang, one of the figures dressed as palace maids standing on both sides stepped forward.

Ruan Hu looked at Bai Gu.

She also appears to have become one of the celestial maidens, dressed in white.

However, it seems that her ranking among the celestial maidens is still not high, and she doesn't even have the qualifications to squeeze to the front.

"Your Majesty!" Bai Gu bowed, then bowed her head behind Miao Xiang Tian Nu and began to discuss how to refine the donkey's head.

There are two methods.

"One way is to have someone cut off their own hair and feed it to the donkey's head, so that the donkey's head will naturally become the main body from then on."

"The other way is to cut off the donkey's head and drink its heart's blood, then a person can control and enslave the donkey's head."

Bai Gu's method is associated with some Qiang people's legends.

It is said that many Qiang people believe that a person's soul resides in the hair on the top of their head.
Cutting off a person's hair and feeding it to the donkey's head means that the person is feeding their soul to the white-haired donkey.

Bai Gu also congratulated Ruan Hu, saying that Ruan Hu had spotted the most promising one among all the white-headed donkeys at a glance.

"This new donkey head has a pure bloodline. If it is properly tempered, it may be able to recreate the exotic breed of donkey from ancient times."

Ruan Hu: "Zou?"

The Zou seems to be an ancient mythical beast.

It turns out that Bai Gu's method did not appear out of thin air; it also has an ancient lineage and tradition.

However, according to Bai Gu, that Zou has not appeared for a thousand years, and it is not an easy thing to make it reappear in the world.

Ruan Hu didn't think much of it; it would be better if he had it, but he wasn't in a hurry if he didn't.

After learning the details, Ruan Hu prepared to leave.

at this time.

Bai Gu brought up another matter.

"His Majesty!"

“This servant has already contacted the Green-Faced Qiang, but there has been no response.”

"Now that I think about it, my temples and statues must have been destroyed."

Destroying the temple and statues of the White Maiden Goddess was merely the surface; Ruan Hu saw something deeper.

The horse-faced god did indeed go to Ya County, where the green-faced Qiang people were entrenched, and it is very likely that he has already gained deep control over this group of Qiang people.

Suburbs of Beijing.

At the Imperial Horse Stables, Ruan Hu saw the "Divine Steed General" who had been sent back again.

The other party was carried on a divine chariot, its entire body covered in armor as it sat cross-legged, its face covered by a special iron helmet.

Only those eerie eyes gazed outside.

"Your Majesty, the Divine Steed General has arrived."

Ruan Hu had already begun preparations, and the Tiannv Palace Master, who was to preside over the ceremony, was already standing behind him.

After reciting the incantation several times and burning three sticks of incense,

Several priests from the Heavenly Maiden Palace stepped forward and took out the heart's blood from the "Divine General".

Although the whole process was bloody, it was not fatal. The so-called extraction of heart blood was just a cut made on the body of the "Divine General".

However, during this process, the "Divine Steed General" let out a desperate cry.

"Ugh ugh ugh ugh~"

According to the ancient customs of the Qiang people, when a demon eats a person's hair, it is equivalent to eating the person's soul.

The fact that humans ate the heart's blood of this monster, from certain legends and perspectives, also symbolizes that the monster's soul was eaten by humans.

Ruan Hu wanted to control this cavalry force with supernatural powers, so naturally he wouldn't hand that power over to someone else.

He was prepared to devour the soul himself.

He held the divine cavalry firmly in his grasp.

It's a bit of a pity that this intelligent creature was wasted.

However, after thinking it over carefully, Ruan Hu decided it was better to swallow it.

"Although this fellow appears submissive, he is extremely cunning."

"The previous one, though fierce, was at least stupid and straightforward. This guy, on the other hand, knows how to keep a low profile. His donkey-like face reveals the exact nature of a treacherous minister."

"It cannot be kept."

No matter how cunning and treacherous this "Divine Steed General" was, Ruan Hu knew at a glance that he was no good.

Ruan Hu took a breath and drank the hot blood in one gulp.

All of a sudden.

Blood stained Ruan Hu's mouth, making him look even more sinister.

If you look closely at his eyes, they turn into tiger eyes the instant he drank the blood, which is terrifying.

Subsequently.

This was originally just a symbolic "soul-devouring" ritual, but due to Ruan Hu's special circumstances, it underwent some strange changes.

"Roar!"

The tiger god within Ruan Hu's body appeared, circled Ruan Hu twice, and then directly bit the neck of the Divine General.

No one could see the Tiger God, but the Divine Steed General seemed to sense something, letting out a mournful cry and collapsing to the ground.

Then the tiger god exerted force and pulled a shadow out from inside.

After chewing it, the Tiger God refined a wisp of spirit.

It wasn't the expected soul-calling, but rather another kind of supernatural power.

【The Soul of the Chang - A Thousand Miles Traveled at Night】

This is a very powerful supernatural ability.

Unfortunately, it can only be activated when riding on the back of the Divine General.

When Ruan Hu looked at the Divine Steed General again, he saw that the spirit in its eyes had completely disappeared, and it looked somewhat stupid.

This is the difference between the Divine General swallowing other people's souls and other people swallowing the Divine General's souls.

However, at this moment, Ruan Hu thought of the changgui.

"They actually extracted a courier's soul."

"If we could piece together a ghost with the structure of three souls and seven spirits and integrate it into the body of this Divine General, what changes would occur?"

I wonder if the Divine General who has transformed into a vengeful spirit is still as cunning as before, or even more so.

(End of this chapter)