Chapter 1012: Rise

Chapter 1012: Rise

Amidst the fields outside the capital, the crowds gathered into military formations under the barking commands of junior officers.

The masses were numerous but not chaotic; this was not merely the credit of the White Lotus Sect, but also the result of layered imperial decrees, with standard-bearers on horseback darting swiftly through the ranks.

Standing before the vast array, Li Huowang looked out to see an endless, dense sea of human heads.

Summoning the General-Minister Heads required a ritual, and although the Imperial Observatory of Great Liang had been decimated, the Junior Supervisors remained.

Gao Zhijian, clad in his dragon robes, stared at the tiger tally in his hands. As the baleful energy intensified, the tally not only glowed crimson but trembled violently, emitting faint, guttural roars.

With a solemn expression, he snapped the tally in two, handing each half to the four Junior Supervisors.

The four bowed respectfully to the Emperor of Great Liang before retreating to make final preparations.

As soul-shaking war drums and long, mournful horns echoed through the ranks, eunuchs pushed forward jars of potent spirits, clearly prepared in advance.

Each person received a bowl of the liquor, draining it in one gulp, their eyes devoid of fear. Among them were children of twelve or thirteen and elders who had long passed their sixtieth year.

Li Huowang watched the crowd, his heart heavy with complex turmoil. Back in White Jade Capital, he had never paused to consider what his plea for help would cost those below.

Everything requires a price; some pay it in advance, others pay it in the end.

Beside him, Bai Lingmiao was far calmer, perhaps because she was to accompany them.

In the center of the crowd, a massive lantern shaped like a lotus throne was being hauled forward by the chants of the faithful, with six white donkeys seated upon it like lotus seeds.

Seeing the time was right, Gao Zhijian stood with the other four emperors before the formation, a gentle breeze stirring his dragon robes and black beard.

Had this been a war against men, as a sovereign, he would have recited a farewell ode, but he knew not what to say now, for these people were destined to die.

Yet he had to speak, for he was a good emperor, and a good emperor must be able to bear the weight of a million lives, even when he must let them go.

"Hear me, my soldiers!"

As Li Huowang’s expression tightened, Gao Zhijian’s voice rang out across the capital. "Hear me, my soldiers! We are brothers! We live together, and we die together. Our survival and our legacy rest upon this moment!"

Gao Zhijian hid nothing, candidly revealing the truth to all, even speaking of the White Jade Capital—a taboo once buried in the deepest vaults.

At that instant, the earth shook. The sky in the far distance shattered, and a colossal tree, narrow at the base and wide at the top, began to descend upon the world. "The sky has fallen."

Watching the spectacle, the soldiers raised their blades in unison, their eyes filled with killing intent as they roared at the fractured heavens. "Kill! Kill! Kill!!"

The soaring baleful energy nearly changed the color of the sky. Every man’s eyes were consumed by the urge to slaughter; facing the mountain-crushing tree, there was no fear.

Watching them raise their blades, Li Huowang, his face twisted in agony, could not bear to look.

Just then, he heard familiar footsteps. He looked up to see Chun Xiaoman, dressed in new clothes, standing before him.

She looked at Li Huowang, Bai Lingmiao, and Gao Zhijian, hot tears streaming down her face. Her voice was thick with despair. "Why must it be this way! Why!"

"Why... God damn it, I want to know why too!!"

"Sister Xiaoman." Bai Lingmiao approached with a complex expression; she understood the pain. To Chun Xiaoman, the White Lotus Sect was her home, and the believers were her family. Now, her home was gone.

Chun Xiaoman shoved Bai Lingmiao’s hand away. She looked at the rows of heads falling behind her and the hole in the distant sky, collapsing into a wail of utter despair.

"Chun Xuan! Gouzi, Wang Kunsheng! They were living, breathing people! They were human, just like you and me, living, breathing people!!"

"They had finally stopped being beggars! They had finally had enough to eat!!"

With a sharp *clang*, Chun Xiaoman drew the sword Li Huowang had once given her and drove it decisively into her own neck, pulling it across with force.

"Sister Xiaoman!!" As blood sprayed a yard high, her head fell to the ground alongside the others.

Gao Zhijian instinctively stepped forward, but seeing her headless corpse, he forced himself to stop, gritting his teeth as he turned his head away.

The blood, mingled with the near-tangible baleful energy, began to spread into the air, eventually coalescing into two massive, frantically roaring heads.

As the General-Minister Heads took form, the hearts of the living were swiftly occupied by killing intent, a corruption that intensified and spread toward the capital.

"Brother Li! The General-Minister Heads are formed! We must send them up! If we keep them here, it will lead to disaster!!"

Hearing Gao Zhijian, a weeping Bai Lingmiao grabbed Li Huowang’s hand. "Brother Li, I must go. Will you see me off?"

"I will. I will see you off!" Li Huowang, his teeth nearly shattering, nodded tremulously and led her toward the massive lotus throne.

Bai Lingmiao sat cross-legged in the center, her four hands holding various ritual implements. Her face was radiant with sanctity, and the white lotus mark on her brow glowed so brightly that even the suffocating baleful energy could not touch her.

The twelve-petaled lotus bloomed above her, and a single seed drifted down into her body.

At that moment, as if she understood everything, a smile devoid of sorrow or joy graced her lips. With her four hands forming the lotus seal, she and the six white donkeys drifted through the two gnashing General-Minister Heads, carrying them toward the Gate of Yak.

The tangible pressure of the heads vanished, but as Li Huowang watched Bai Lingmiao drift away, he still could not catch his breath.

He clenched his fists and hammered his chest, but even as his ribs buckled, the suffocating weight remained.

Li Huowang reached into his robes and pulled out a bronze mirror.

He stared at his own reflection and roared with a shattered heart: "Ji Zai!! They are all gone! They are all gone!! You must bring them back! You must! You promised me!! You promised me!!"