CHAPTER 01 - Ten years ago

CHAPTER 01 - Ten years ago...

"This is Outrageous! The Emperor declined all the presented maidens!" Duke Xiu exclaimed

The High Minister was just silently sipping his tea.

"The Empress's seat is vacant for a very long time now! How can he even resist the consecutive appeals?! The public was waiting for a reply regarding about the heir!" Duke Xiu was losing out of control

"The heir is a must priority in the Empire's Palace. The bloodline should not be cut off! Yes! The heir!"

Finally, the High Minister settled his cup and said gently "We are true individuals so let's talk truthfully Duke Xiu."

The Duke of Wei Palace sighed, sealed off his lips and realized he was spouting nonsense insincerely, understanding of what he meant "No matter how many and how fairest our maidens, neither of us can take that seat."

Truthfully. They sends a lot of maidens just to take the Empress's seat. It is the second influential role after all, this chance must not be missed.

"Our naive emperor was still yearning for some love from that person."

"First Divine General Chao Lei was indeed capable but I felt sorry for the Emperor, this remarkable woman was already dead." Duke Xiu said

This rumor is already not fresh, a decade old actually. It has been the undying issue within the Palace ever since His Majesty seated there. The Emperor yearning for the First Divine General, Chao Lei. But unfortunately, this woman was whole packed indifferent and fearless.

The High Minister stared at his peaceful courtyard "She will never be the queen even she's here right now."

"How can you be so sure?" Duke Xiu sighed in distress

"Because it's with the merely fact that she's already married right before she was declared to be dead by the emperor."

Duke Xiu almost choked blood with the statement.

"High Minister Yuilin, don't state such bluffing words." with a laugh.

High Minister Yuilin charged his gaze slowly at the Duke. Giving off a serious and dominant stare.

"Does Duke Xiu pointed this old man to be, lying?"

Duke Xiu stiffened. It's not like that, the statement was just...obviously a mere joke and a wishful thinking. General Chao Lei was a lady of war and dao.

Even though the Emperor and the general grow old together and learned the operations of the world, still Chao Lei was infamous of her unmoved heart. And she disappeared in the middle of the war ten years ago, and obviously the High minister was spouting nonsense.

Or else, she had already crushed up the seat right to His Majesty's.

"Duke Xiu ..." the High Minister called.

Duke Xiu turned his attention to the High Minister brushing off his thoughts about the peerless general.

"It must be time where I should unseal the secrets of this old man."

Duke Xiu frowned

Yuilin smiled gently and stared off at the peeking distant blue sky.

"Ten years ago. After the bloody War of Cosmos...."

Flashback

The setting sky was aflame of black smokes and blazing fires coming from every corner of the place. Whining of horses, arrows piercing the skies and the cries of the people were screeching and fading.

In a remote village somewhere near the borders, corpses and burning houses is visible. Men, women and children isn't spared from the ruthless  bloodshed.

"Mom..! Mom!" a youth was crying in the middle of the chaos between the sealed armies of the Tang against the black spirit worshipper.

"Mom...!" he was intensely crying looking back and forth finding the warm figure of his mother.

And that attracted an ill faced black spirit worshipper, it smiled widely while wiping off his lips with his bloody tonque.

It charged forward for the boy!

It ran unpleasantly.

"Eat! Must Eat!"

But was stopped when a piercing spear stroke him at his very head, the edge of the sharp spear was seen through the back off his severed head.

Then a black horse heaved at the battle ground, killing every enemy it sees.

The Tang Armies cheered and their determination was flamed. While the counter party instinctively stiffened and fear slowly crawled inside them, it had appeared.

Coming from behind of that black horse was several strong armies mounting their own horse, killing fiercely and the enemy's party was reduced to almost for a bit of time since they arrived!

"General Chao Lei!" the Fourth General, Wang Xi approached the First General who was the rider of the Black horse. Bowing to her ninety degrees.

"All had killed. Immensely grateful for the First Branch immediate help!"

The horse right behind Chao Lei stepped out "The Cities near the East border is clear. This Formation was handled by the Fourth Branch, how come you still haven't annihilated the enemies?" Do Dang Fen spoke in his natural arrogant tone.

Fourth General Wang Xi bowed again, even though Do Dang Fen was only the Counselor of the first branch... But he's not someone to be offended "Greatest apology! We can't annihilate them completely because their numbers were increasing time by time and my armies were reduced by half. We only managed to defend this formation from the enemies continuous attack."

"But still---"

With Do Dang Fen's low temperament, he was going to argue with the Fourth General when Chao Lei herself raised her hand to stop him.

"Reasonable. Compared to the party we fought. This party were much advanced, they have their evil tools with them." her calm but strong voice shut Wang Xi and the Fourth branch armies.

It is indeed. The black spirits didn't played fair, they had their hidden but massive tools on them which made the kingdom armies reduced by half. They've only realized the evil scheme recently but still couldn't cope up with the loss.

They lifted up their gaze for the female but dominant figure mounting the fearless black horse. She noticed the foul immediately but still managed to annihilate the enemy quickly. Their respect and admiration swell up!

"The array formed by the black spirit has activated. The core is near. Mount your fine remaining armies to come with us, we should annihilate the core this instant." the First General stated.

"Yes!" they replied in chorus and started preparing for the complete annihilation.

They had their maps which was pointing to the potential corners for the enemies core.

"East and North borders are clear and that will add up the West." one of the general said looking at the detailed map

"Black spirits has their security array activated that takes up this place to here..." Do Dang Fen was pointing some of the locations on the map.

"The array controls the people it releases."

"So does that mean the array points is the enemies core?" Wang Xi asked.

"No." Chao Lei interrupted.

They turned abruptly to her. Her approach means no one has the idea of what is right.

"The black spirits array was conquering the Far city of Wei to Mei Ling City. But the first occurrence was in the plains of Jingyi." she stated.

When she noticed that no one was getting her point. She continued "The places under the array was strong cities, they can't plant their core leisurely here in fact that strong cultivators are present. The black spirits core should be somewhat remote and peaceful because their scheme in experimenting essence can evoke its surrounding. And also, black spirits was strong at mind wrecking strategies but completely lack common rationality and sense."

It was an explosive statement for them.

But Do Dang Fen finally spoke out "The first general is truly gifted." he bowed for he had finally get the understanding from the First General's statement.

That made every confused and alarmed, they can't get the point!

Do Dang Fen cleared his throat and explained "What the first general was trying to say is, the core of the black spirits was at the Mountain of Han."

"Huh?!"

They're completely confuse now.

"The first occurrence of the black spirits was at Jingyi. And by that time, they were still experimenting their creations by using the whole plains of Jingyi into a dark abyss. Testing implies that the core is near."

"But how come Mountain Han was the core?"

"Mountain Han was filed to be the safest zone at Jingyi." they spoke in confusion

"You idiots. Can't you get the point?! It is very odd that among the chaos in the plains, a whole mountain was continuously living off peacefully?!" Do Dang Fen exclaimed. Some things are supposed not to be thought carefully, the answers were obvious! He cleared his throat as a response for their confusion

"...the mountain han is the core."

.....