I was the Heavenly Emperor in ancient times

Chapter 28 Shao Li
It remains quiet and peaceful here.

High mountains, sea of ​​clouds, and bluebirds accompany you; the lush and verdant sacred trees stretch into the distance; the light that seeps down from the human world overhead is distorted and dreamlike.

"Chirp!"

Noticing that Li Jun had woken up, the bluebird called out.

Li Jun looked at the bluebird, wondering where it had gone after ten thousand years, whether it had long since disappeared, or whether it was sleeping in the endless darkness beneath the Changsheng Temple and Taoshan Island.

Everything around him remained unchanged, but Li Jun vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Finally, he discovered where the change had occurred.

"Ok?"

He noticed that the divine stone seemed to have shrunk a bit; although it wasn't very obvious yet, it was definitely much smaller.

Li Jun vaguely sensed that the power of the divine stone was being continuously drawn into the distance, as if something was awakening.

Li Jun thought to himself, "What is it?"

However, his instinctive feeling was that, in addition to the bluebird and the peach tree, another demon had appeared.

His double pupils lit up as he tried to use the power of the bluebird to find where that power was going, but he couldn't find it.

He then used the power of the sacred peach tree to search for that power, but still found no answer.

This space not only failed to seal the power of the divine stone within it as Li Jun had previously thought, but instead, because of the power of this space, the power of the divine stone could be transmitted to distant places without restriction, which resulted in Li Jun being trapped here.

At that moment, Li Jun suddenly heard a sound coming from afar.

"emperor!"

"The Ximu clan encountered a crisis..."

As the sound came, a figure connected with the bluebird, and that connection was then transmitted to him through the bluebird.

He saw that beneath an ancient altar, someone was using divination to consult the Emperor, asking about the fate of their tribe.
-
The Ximu clan is currently in a bad situation.

The Hanhuang clan in the southwest annexed many other tribes and brought them back to the southern foothills of Kunlun Mountain. They repeatedly waged war against the Ximu clan for the right to worship Kunlun Mountain and vowed revenge.

Besides these, another migrating tribe is rising in the north. They also possess shamanistic powers and are vying with the Ximu clan for a highly fertile land, posing a threat to the survival of the Ximu clan.

This year, the Hanhuang clan once again launched a revenge attack on the Ximu clan, while another tribe in the north has begun to attack the Ximu clan, leaving the Ximu clan in dire straits.

Fertile field.

The warriors of the Ximu clan are engaged in a great battle with another large clan on this plain, fighting with spears, shields, and bows and arrows.

Below these two large clans are numerous smaller tribes, distinguishable by their formations and the weapons they wield. Among them, those carrying axes and other special weapons are clearly the leaders of these smaller tribes or minor commanders in charge of battle.

Among them, the Ximu clan members mostly wore hemp clothing and jade ornaments, and used the finest weapons, charging at the forefront.

Among the enemies, the most ferocious were those who shaved their heads and rode horses, many of them wearing demon masks with only one eye, calling themselves the One-Eyed Clan.

But if you look closely at the single eye on the demon's face, it resembles a burning, radiant flame.

"kill!"

"Shoot them."

"May Heaven protect you."

The war on the plains was originally in a stalemate, but when the two shamans entered the battlefield, the brutality of the battle increased dramatically.

A large bird swept across the sky, its wings like sharp blades slicing through horses, carriages, and crowds, its claws capable of easily tearing apart even the fiercest and strongest warriors.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Yimu clan stepped forward. Their leader and the shaman were actually the same man. After his body mutated, his torso and limbs disappeared, turning into a shadow that resembled a black snake or a black dragon.

But the human head was still there, still wearing the ghost mask, with a ferocious and malevolent face, and it could also breathe fire, turning everything it passed over into a sea of ​​fire.

At first, the shaman of the Ximu clan and this human-headed dragon-bodied being were only trying to defeat the enemy's elite forces, but when they spotted the other side, the two immediately engaged in battle.

The Ximu clan's shamans could fly, giving them a natural advantage. Initially, they were difficult for the Yimu clan's shamans to handle, so the Yimu clan's shamans had to keep pulling the battlefield to the Ximu clan's side, mixing them together, and then raising flames to make the Ximu clan's shamans wary and dare not approach.

However, as darkness fell, the human-headed, dragon-bodied being grew increasingly ferocious. On the contrary, the Ximu clan's shamans found it increasingly difficult to capture the elusive Yimu clan's shamans due to the darkness. Moreover, some members of the Yimu clan were able to fight as if it were daytime even in the darkness.

After a great battle, the Ximu clan was defeated and retreated.

Even Wu Shaoli of the Ximu clan was covered in blood, but she flew in the sky to guide the way and led the remaining warriors to retreat.

The crushing defeat caused widespread grief and resentment among the Ximu clan.

"Just now, I saw the shaman of the Hanhuang clan."

“They must have sent people too, otherwise how could the Yimu clan know about our deployment? Moreover, they also knew that Shao Li could fly, so they hid many people in advance, making them invisible from the sky.”

"They even specifically arranged for people to deal with our archers; it must be that the Hanhuang clan colluded with them."

"If the Yimu Clan and the Hanhuang Clan join forces and attack us from two directions, we will be in danger."

At this moment, Shao Li began to perform divination, imitating the previous generation's Da Li.

Flames blazed beneath the altar, and the people of the Ximu clan stood together, forming a "forest." At the very front of them, Shao Li, dressed in hemp clothing and wearing jade rings on his ears, knelt and raised his hands to perform divination.

"Dangerous!"

"Dangerous!"

"Still in danger!"

The divination was performed three times in a row. No matter which side they chose to fight first, or even if they chose to run away, each time it warned them that they were in extreme danger.

This caused a stir among the Ximu clan.

"The Hanhuang Clan has definitely joined forces with the Yimu Clan. No matter which side we attack, the other side will launch a sneak attack on us."

"And they must have decided to exterminate us, even if we try to escape."

"The grudges we made before are now being settled by the Hanhuang Clan for revenge."

There were naturally capable people among the Ximu clan, who quickly analyzed the possible situation through divination. Now the Ximu clan was completely convinced that the situation was indeed extremely critical.

According to custom, in such a life-or-death situation, one would naturally pray directly to and inquire of the supreme Emperor.

"However, the Emperor has not responded to us recently."

"Perhaps it's because the Hanhuang Clan and we were vying for the altar at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, and they also held a sacrifice, so the Emperor's attention shifted to the Hanhuang Clan."

"We must defeat the Hanhuang Clan and reclaim the altar at the foot of Kunlun Mountain."

“But we…”

Chaos reigned before the altar; no one had any good ideas, and the firelight reflected on everyone's faces, making them appear unpredictable.

Shao Li stood up at this moment: "Let's hold the sacrificial ceremony, and I will consult the Emperor for divination!"

Everyone stood up and said, "Yes!"

Beneath the altar.

Shao Li recalled many scenes she couldn't remember before, which seemed to be about her mother, Da Li, but she wasn't sure, as she couldn't remember much about her mother since she passed away.

Her vision blurred, and it seemed as if someone was dancing on the summit of Jade Mountain, singing before the heavens and the emperor.

She stepped onto the stone slabs of the altar, her movements of waving her sleeves and dancing overlapping with the other person's; even the song she hummed was exactly the same as the other person's.

The melodious voice seemed to drift up to the heavens along with the firelight and wisps of smoke, and she danced gracefully, as if she had become a bird in the sky.

In the light and shadow.

Feathers appeared one by one, drifting around and transforming into a pattern that resembled both a totem and an array.

Finally, she knelt on the ground, as if she had transformed into another giant geese.

"emperor!"

"The Western Mother Clan is in dire straits, please..."

She had consulted the Emperor many times before using the art of divination, but the aloof Emperor had never responded to her. This time, however, things seemed different.

"call!"

A strong wind swept around the altar, and Shao Li first heard the exclamations of the surrounding clansmen.

Then she felt her consciousness drifting upwards into the sky, and the sound grew fainter and fainter, as if she were getting further and further away from the human world.

Gradually, she saw clouds and mist before her eyes, and deeper within the clouds and mist, she saw high mountains, sacred trees, and lakes.

"Kunlun!"

It wasn't just the lower half of Kunlun Jade Peak, but the real Kunlun Mountain from her memory.

Gradually, she saw the altar built by the giant gull, and also the sacred stone from her childhood memories.

Shao Li's impression of the Emperor was still from when she was very young. She remembered the huge peach tree on the majestic and rugged Jade Peak, the beautiful bluebird, and the divine stone that resembled the sun and moon.

But at this moment, the divine stone had already risen along the winding tree trunk, and even when she looked up, she could no longer clearly see the emperor's figure.

She remembered speaking to the Emperor when she was little, but that time was so long ago that her memory had become hazy. Now, she stood before the Emperor once again, but she was no longer as carefree and innocent as she had been as a child, nor did she dare to act as recklessly as before.

She asked tremblingly, "Your Majesty, is it really you speaking to me?"

The Emperor said, "You've grown up."

Shao Li was stunned for a moment, then said, "It's not a dream. I dare not see you in my dreams. The Emperor in my dreams would not speak to me like this."

The Emperor asked her, "What brings you to me for divination?"

At this moment, Shao Li finally remembered the purpose of her divination. She told the Emperor about the current situation of the Xi Mu clan, the problems of the Han Huang clan, and the increasingly powerful Yi Mu clan in the north and the strange power they possessed.

Li Jun wasn't very interested in the Hanhuang Clan; he knew everything about them.

However, regarding the One-Eyed Clan in the north and the power they possessed, Li Jun quickly noticed that the One-Eyed Clan's shaman, as Shao Li had mentioned, was somewhat similar to the shaman and the Candle Soul who had appeared earlier under the influence of the Candle Dragon.

Perhaps the other person is the reason he came here, and he can find the answer from them.

But to fully understand this answer, he still needs Ximu to do something.

Shao Li asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, how can my Ximu clan overcome this crisis?"

The Emperor said, "The problem arose with the One-Eyed Clan, and ultimately the problem will fall on them as well."

Shao Li: "What should I do? How can I bring disaster upon the One-Eyed Clan?"

Emperor: "You are wrong."

Shao Li became even more nervous: "Your Majesty, where did Shao Li go wrong?"

Emperor: "The One-Eyed Clan and their shamans are merely appearances; what matters is the existence behind them."

Shao Li hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, who is behind the One-Eyed Clan, and where did their shamans come from?"

Shao Li's question seemed to trigger something, and at that moment, Shao Li noticed that the beautiful bluebird moved and let out a sharp cry.

She raised her head and looked up at the sacred stone high above.

The shadow within the divine stone remained motionless, but the Emperor's eyes changed, transforming into double pupils as he looked at her.

Those eyes seemed to see right through her thoughts; everything about her was laid bare before them.
Not just her past, but also what she will say and do next.

At this moment, the Emperor saw the existence behind the One-Eyed Clan in Shao Li and finally confirmed something.

"It's Zhulong."

Even at this moment, Shao Li still asked this question.

"Your Majesty, how can we defeat and kill him?"

She might still think that the existence of this Zhuyin or Zhulong is just another witch.

Emperor: "You cannot kill it, because it possesses the same power as the bluebird and the peach tree. You have seen the bird land on me and the man who touched this stone meet his end."

At this point, Di Ye finally told Shao Li some of the truth.

"My power is uncontrollably dissipating outwards, and that Zhulong will be the next one. You cannot kill it with your power."

Shao Li's expression changed instantly. Having witnessed the calamity of the Frost Wasteland, she had seen the terrifying scene caused by the Divine Peach Tree. The overwhelming fog covered the sky and countless people disappeared within it.

She even saw the peach tree carry away the enormous Jade Peak of Kunlun Mountain, causing it to completely disappear from the earth. What a terrifying power this was! For mortals, it was nothing short of a natural disaster, and no matter what they did, they could not possibly resist it.

Shao Li grew anxious: "But when did the Candle Dragon arrive at Kunlun, and when did it touch this divine stone?"

Li Jun had some guesses about this matter.

“When I descended from the heavens and traversed the nine provinces, divine fire fell upon the mortal world. The Candle Dragon must have been one of them, or perhaps it gained its power because of it.”

Shao Li finally stopped harboring any illusions. It was almost certain that the existence behind the Yi Mu clan was something similar to the Bluebird and the Divine Peach Tree.

Now, the Hanhuang Clan has become a minor threat, and the Yimu Clan has become their greatest threat and enemy.

"Your Majesty, how can we overcome this calamity?"

She no longer refers to this crisis as a peril, but instead uses the two syllables "calamity" and "disaster" to describe the most terrifying things.

At this moment, Shao Li was clinging to the Emperor like a lifeline, constantly pleading with him. In her view, without the Emperor's protection, Xi Mu Shi would not have been able to escape.

The Emperor looked at Shao Li for a while before finally speaking.

"You have mastered the power of the second stage of witchcraft. You can build a real altar, draw the totem and jade statue of the bluebird, and truly borrow a part of its power through sacrifice, so that it can descend upon you."

This method is similar to the "invitation of gods to possess one's body" technique used by Li Jun and Zhou Shentong before, and even the actual altar sacrificial method, which Li Jun learned from the Changsheng Temple.

Shao Li looked at the Bluebird. Although she hadn't seen the Bluebird display its true power many times, its ability to predict fortune and misfortune was enough for her to feel its strength.

Shao Li: "Let the bluebird descend upon me?"

The meaning of "鵹" is actually another variant of the bluebird. The great li originally called itself the great li because it hoped to be able to deliver the emperor's decrees to the human world, just like the bluebird.

At this moment, she seemed to truly feel the power of the Bluebird, and even become a part of the Bluebird.

In a daze, Shao Li heard the Emperor ask, "Have you remembered what the bluebird looks like?"

Shao Li quickly replied, "I'll remember."

Shao Li already had the complete appearance of the Bluebird clearly memorized, so there was no need for this.

Emperor: "Watch where you're standing."

Shao Li immediately looked down and saw that the altar that his mother, Da Li, had built in the past to worship the emperor had changed. All the stones began to move and piece together, eventually forming a strange pattern.

Emperor: "Remember, you can only use it once, and you must use it in the most critical moment."

Shao Li: "Why?"

Emperor: "You may not be able to afford the cost of using it a second time."

When Li Jun left last time, he also wanted to take back the Azure Bird supernatural power that he had given to Xi Mu Shi. But now he has found that simply sealing it is useless and cannot solve any problems.

Therefore, this time he not only did not take back the Bluebird supernatural power and strength of the witch Shao Li of the Xi Mu clan, but he also gave her further secrets about witch power, allowing her to truly develop and utilize the Bluebird's supernatural power.

However, at the same time, he also told Shao Li about the drawbacks of using the power of the Bluebird, and about the final fate of the witch.

Emperor: "Remember, you have used their power, and in the end you will be devoured by their power."

However, at this moment, the priestess was completely immersed in the bluebird's supernatural powers and the secrets of the true ritual.

Shao Li was overjoyed and could only express his gratitude.

The residence of the Ximu clan.

The entire clan mobilized all its resources to rebuild the altar according to Shao Li's requirements. This altar used up almost all of the Xi Mu clan's jade.

Among them, the jade bird enshrined at the very center of the altar is like a phoenix, exquisitely beautiful and pure in its entirety.

This time.

After performing the sacrificial rites as usual, Shao Li did not kneel below the altar. Instead, he climbed directly onto the altar and sat in the center.

She picked up the jade artifact used to worship the bluebird and hung the phoenix-like jade bird on her chest as an accessory.

In an instant, Shao Li felt his body disappear, and his consciousness became faintly connected with another being.

Shao Li felt that with just a thought, he could become so powerful that even the sky above him could not stop his leap, and the earth beneath his feet could be torn apart by him.

"As long as we take this step."

"The bluebird will then descend upon me."

At the critical moment, Shao Li remembered what the Emperor had told her: she might only have one chance to use this power, and she suppressed the irresistible urge.

However, the Ximu clan members watching the sacrificial ceremony vaguely saw a blurry phantom appear behind Shao Li, a phoenix-like divine bird spreading its wings.

The wings seemed to grow out from behind the young lily, extending to both sides.

"The Emperor's Bluebird!"

"It's the Bluebird."

"The young lily attracted the bluebird."

Everyone knelt down and shouted, worshipping the so-called Azure Bird of the Emperor.

At this moment.

The young bird before me was no longer the young bird; it seemed to have truly become the Azure Bird of the Emperor.

She was no longer a person, nor even a witch, but the shell of a divine bird that represented the Heavenly Emperor and conveyed his decrees.

At that moment, Shao Li even vaguely sensed a figure walking towards him from behind.

Then, he placed his hand on his head.

(End of this chapter)