Too Much of a Sense of Ceremony

The ancient city, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, welcomed a brief sunrise.

At dawn, the moment the sun rises, the fierce battles, large and small, in the long alley of blue bricks are about to reach their final stage.

Unlike the Kunwu Sect Leader, the Blood-giving Monster fear the blazing sun. Their desperate battle against the 112 heavenly soldiers in the city is coming to an end, and they must sound the retreat and temporarily withdraw into the shadows.

But for the nameless man, and for the warriors of the Swift Blade and the Gate of Wonders, that moment when offense and defense shifted was the perfect opportunity to execute him.

The ringing of bells, rising and falling, transformed into the death-snatching bells in the hands of the underworld officials. Almost simultaneously, as dawn broke through the eaves, a chilling dampness emanated from the wooden buildings and the upturned, arched tiles, all within a misty morning haze. At the same time, soldiers from various battle groups began chanting the incantation of the God of Guns magic.

Starting from Xuanwu South Gate, the city wall extended to more than a dozen battle points along Chang Geng Avenue, all the way to the Prefect's Mansion's Mansion—the encirclement had begun.

Dozens of figures were running and leaping through the streets and alleys. Their marching speed was unbelievable. Behind them were often a large group of Taiye soldiers who were demoralized and disoriented. Their opinion leaders and officers were often already beheaded. They maintained order in the ranks by military law and maintained their fighting spirit by military merit.

Just a tiny bit more, just a tiny bit more, and we would have completely crushed these feudal-era warriors.

Marshal Krozo's task for the Red Salamander was to utterly crush the morale of the Taiye city defense forces.

In the low-lying area southeast of the city, a branch of the Mist River became the foundation for the defense and cultivation of Taiye Prefecture. The granary and horse farm were also located here, making it the vital link for the rapid development of Taiye Prefecture's military.

Let time slow down, slow it down even more.

A golden sun slowly peeked out from Taiyin Mountain, shining its light on the head of a patrol soldier.

--The soldier was very nervous. He had changed shifts twice. He stood guard at the Longkui granary for one shift, and then, due to a shortage of manpower for city defense, he was transferred to the Sanyuan stables to help with the watchman's watch. Because the Siyao Bureau had also been attacked, the officers and soldiers were all running out in a frantic manner.

At this moment, one can see the mother river that irrigates the fertile fields within the city, and a bright red shadow emerging from the bottom of the Mist River.

As it emerged from the water, the sunlight intensified, instantly drying the hydrophobic coating of the steel monster. Streams of clear water gushed from its pressure relief and buoyancy valve, while the booster pump continuously ejected airflow—to clean the Red Salamander's escaping pipeline system.

Its phased-array radar had already started operating, alarms sounded for personnel to move away, and soldiers at the riverbank and around the stables were too frightened to move.

--That's what they mean.

"A monster! A monster has come to the river!!!"

Someone started it, and when they saw this seven-meter-tall steel monster, many soldiers' fighting spirit collapsed, and they immediately abandoned their guard and patrol duties and fled in panic.

Some were so frightened they couldn't move, clutching paper talismans they'd obtained from the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple, huddled on the street or hiding among the corn seedlings in the fields, almost crying out, begging heaven and earth to spare their lives.

Just then, Strong Bro and Little Shark, one controlling the legs and the other the firepower, drove the Red Salamander onto the riverbank.

Seeing the reactions of these "primitive people," Strong Bro said nothing and gave no order to fire. He continued to carry out his mission—to cooperate with ground troops to control the three large granaries of black nightshade, notoginseng, and yam.

"Shasha!" Seeing the chaos at the riverside outpost and in the streets, the fourteen or fifteen-year-old rascal was quite curious. "There are so many civilians! And so many enemies who have lost their will to fight! Should we assign someone to persuade them to surrender? If this continues, there will be many innocent victims in the city."

"We don't have that many people," Liu Weiqiang replied. "The mission is urgent. Keshua wants us to use this armor to spread fear and chaos. The sooner we complete the mission, the more time we can buy."

The little shark lowered its head and thought for a moment--

He received his military academy education in Galahad and also achieved excellent results in knightly combat courses. As a coach for the Moon God Cup competition, he is very familiar with the effects of this environment.

The order in Taiye will collapse, and this chaos will last for a long time.

Once the city falls, the guards, no longer bound by military orders, laws, and merits, will slowly turn into shameless bandits, regrouping with different interests to form small gangs of bandits in the city. The organization department can solve this problem by sending someone to take over the management position—but the devastation of the city will be inevitable.

After landing at the Sanyuan Stables, Shasha walked through two long streets and witnessed firsthand what he saw:

--As soon as the steel monster moved forward a hundred meters, panicked refugees rushed out of their houses, fleeing with their children.

A fire broke out in a store further away, it seems that the residents were willing to burn down their own property, carrying deep-seated resentment, and wanted to drag their neighbors down with them.

At this moment, the little shark felt sad and hooked its fin-like claws onto the broadcasting system of the radio.

"Commander! Shall we make an announcement? According to wartime mobilization orders..."

Before Little Shark could finish speaking, Liu Weiqiang's face turned ashen. The mission could not afford the slightest mistake, so he immediately interrupted him.

"You want to use conscript military regulations to rescue these civilians? I'm sorry, Shasha. I can't take that responsibility."

From the side observation window, you can see the second floor of a tea shop.

--The little shark looked closely and saw two corpses lying on the carpet in the bedroom on the other side of the door and window. They were a middle-aged couple. This was not done by an unknown person. Judging from the knife wounds on the corpses, it was more likely that the border soldiers of Taiye had turned into bandits and had already begun to take advantage of the chaos.

"But."

Strong Bro interrupted again, saying, "Shasha, put away your arrogance and sympathy—they are people of the Shambhala Great Xia, not legal citizens of any administrative region under the BOSS's jurisdiction."

"It is an objective fact that these city guards, once they lose their commanders, also lose their discipline and humanity. Before the operational meeting, Keshua gave us many rehearsals and numerous ideological and political lessons."

"We are now on foreign soil, and are regarded as invaders by foreign soldiers."

"Our armor is demonic in their eyes. Blood-giving Monster are gods in their eyes."

"This is a national and personal feud that cannot be fully explained in three to five years, or even one or two generations."

"You are a warrior, a machine of violence."

Little Shark gripped the electronic shift lever in the fire control center, ultimately saying nothing and offering no rebuttal—because it was an unsolvable puzzle, and because Strong Bro was right.

If Kunwu used the power of his soul to use over six hundred hostages as protective charms and death-avoidance tokens...

So this Judas guy was running a cult throughout Shambhala, integrating military, political, and religious activities. The only Religious order who could get away with anything were the innocent people—this devil knew how to wield the sword of morality, and he had mastered the art of it.

Without taking this step, Taiye will forever remain a city filled with the human flesh trade.

According to the battle reports from the front lines, the Prefect's Mansion keeps over a hundred blood-granting units. Just the monthly supply of human flesh requires sacrificing at least seven hundred lives to the Yin Yang Qian Kun Sect. Every day, more than twenty people are eaten to produce over a thousand catties of pure meat, which is barely enough to fill the monsters' stomachs. The remaining scraps can be used to feed the lower-ranking Blood-giving Retinue.

This is probably just a drop in the ocean for Taiye Prefecture, which has tens of thousands of troops stationed there, plus the millions of people living and multiplying in the surrounding counties, villages and towns.

But when it falls on an individual or a family, it becomes an unbearable burden.

As long as it exists, the Xiabang people cannot be called human beings; they will forever be meat dogs.

Thinking of this, the little shark gritted its teeth and almost cried.

It questioned, but not the train conductor; it seemed to be questioning heaven and earth.

"Why?! Why?!"

"Good people never get good rewards! These cannibals who drink human blood!"

"A catastrophe is about to strike! Why should they still be able to enjoy themselves?!"

Even Strong Bro couldn't answer this question.

--Because the answer remains in history; it cannot be solved by any one person or group of people in just a few years or decades.

Before the harvest season rituals, in an era without nameless figures, so too was the underground city teeming with Madness Butterfly.

Natural disasters and wars are the source of chaos, and these things, along with various psionic calamities, have taken countless lives.

But for an individual, this is also a stepping stone to promotion, a test of fate, an opportunity for great wealth and status, and a shortcut.

The Van Persie family, a typical Huangshi aristocratic clan, excelled at cultivating bandits to maintain their power. They assimilated the dregs of ancient Eastern philosophy and culture, developing a unique and powerful management style. As a result, the leaders and their subordinates mirrored each other, and the Forty-Eight District gradually became a cesspool of poison. The same was true for Shambhala; faced with disaster, these beasts, who had just donned their disguises, reverted to man-eating monsters, burning, killing, and looting in the city, eager to have one last, desperate moment before death.

The road to the granary is very, very long; it will take Shasha a very, very long time to walk there.

It hasn't grown up yet, so it gets confused and sad; it still has ideals.

Strong Bro has grown up for a very long time; his heart has returned to his body, and he knows what is most important at this moment.

Back at the Prefect's Mansion.

After walking along the long garden path, we arrived at the trial hall of the Prefect's Mansion.

One messenger after another ran out, but none of them returned, which made Li Kunhai increasingly panicked. The outer and inner doors of the hall were tightly closed. Ever since the convict Xiangxiang was taken away by the two officers, the room had become quiet, and no official dared to speak.

They might have guessed something, but dared not speak. The shouts of battle, the explosions, and the cries of dying soldiers coming from the neighboring drill ground seemed to be audible, but they could not make a sound—anyone who dared to speak out would be a cowardly traitor, and would be executed by the prefect for disrupting the morale of the army.

The Imperial Physician was the governor's best paper-papering craftsman. From the third quarter of the fourth watch, he kept talking to make the governor happy.

The prefectural magistrate in charge of criminal cases screamed as he was executed by the guillotine. His dying wails reached the prefectural government, Li Kunhai immediately ordered the Government Soldiers to investigate.

The Imperial Physician said, "No need to worry, Lord Li! That must be the thief being executed. That's why he's screaming like that! His death must have been gruesome. The witnesses around him will surely confess honestly."

A quarter of an hour passed, Government Soldiers did not return.

The governor felt somewhat guilty, so he ordered the messenger to go again.

The Imperial Physician said, "Perhaps there are treacherous rebels trying to storm the execution ground."

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the messenger still hadn't returned.

The prefect then sent someone to inform the monthly duty officer and ordered his retainers to come and protect him.

This time, a cold, bloody stench kept blowing in from outside the door.

--The Imperial Physician immediately ordered his men to close both the inner and outer gates, and to seal the two side gates with rice paste-soaked Xuan paper, so that not a single breeze could get through the cracks.

"Lord Li! Your retainers are indeed quite capable!"

Li Kunhai chuckled awkwardly, "Hehehe. What do you mean by that?"

The Imperial Physician bowed and smiled, "The moment this order was issued! Even across the drill ground and the horse stable, I could feel the chilling killing intent. It must be because Lord Li is usually so charitable and has made many friends. As the saying goes, those who are virtuous receive much help—when these Six Ding and Six Jia Immortal Officials and Martial Gods made their move, even I, a mere mortal, could sense their celestial power!"

"Hahaha!" Li Kunhai was already drenched in sweat. He possessed psychic abilities and was a Red Flash Butterfly, so he could roughly guess what was happening outside, but he couldn't say anything. If he did, all his subordinates in this room would probably tear him to pieces immediately, and even a single toe would be given to the enemy as a credit!

As dawn broke, the outside world began to lighten. The mansion fell silent; not even the chirping of crickets and sparrows could be heard. Only the breathing of the civil and military officials could be heard.

The Imperial Physician then said, "It seems the divine general has quelled the rebellion. Shall we open the gates to welcome him?"

Li Kunhai dared not open the door; this thin layer of copper-clad mahogany was his last line of psychological defense.

He felt like he was being fried in oil, with people watching him from all sides, and he couldn't find an excuse to escape; he was trapped like a turtle in a jar.

"Xielu Lang! Go and take a look!" Li Kunhai said immediately.

Xie Lulang's expression changed drastically. Looking around the crowded hall, he saw his former comrades staring at him silently—he was like a man being roasted over a fire, unable to disobey orders.

He walked out the door, saw no one, so he turned back and called out.

"Lord Li! There's no one here!"

Li Kunhai continued, "Go to the drill ground! See what's going on!"

Xie Lulang continued walking out and arrived at the training ground.

He stared intently and saw that the dawn sunlight was shining on the human flesh pagoda, revealing a mountain of corpses. Beside it, a tower of human heads had been built against the wall. He was insane inside but forced himself to remain calm and went back inside.

"Master Li!"

Xie Lulang had long ago spotted the Moon Duty Officer on the stone lion at the gate of the mansion outside the Garden Street entrance. The Moon Duty Officer's clothes were lying to one side, and his head was resting alone on the stone lion. Two demons dressed in black armor were guarding the mansion gate, watching him from afar. They seemed to have strange incense sticks (cigarettes) in their Barry, as if they were controlled by a demon and were going to use the incense sticks as spells to kill people.

"Master Li!"

Xie Lulang was terrified, but he couldn't say it. He didn't want to die alone—he wanted to at least drag a few innocent ghosts down with him, otherwise how could this glorious but dregs of traditional culture be passed down to the underworld? How pitiful would he be all alone?

"Nobody's here! Nobody's here!"

Li Kunhai was delighted, so he summoned the Prefect and the Pacification Commissioner to the outer gate to receive and relay the message.

The Prefect and the Pacification Commissioner looked at each other, then walked to the outer gate, saw the Music Master's expression clearly, and finally realized that they were in deep trouble.

They thought the same thing, exchanged a glance, and immediately understood each other's meaning.

The official shouted, "--Lord Li Kunhai! Come out and greet General Ding Jia! The Grand Master of Ceremonies is right! There were thieves who tried to break into the execution ground last night! They have already been killed by the Monthly Duty Officer with a single stroke!"

The pacification envoy continued, "Yes! Yes!"

Xue Ming and Xiao Qi couldn't understand it--

They had been waiting outside to recover their strength, planning to search the house only after daybreak, since they had run out of bullets and didn't know what kind of enemy force was in the interrogation room.

The couple had almost finished their pack of cigarettes when they saw Xie Lulang, as if possessed by a ghost, shouting incoherently in front of the door.

Soon after, two more civil officials were summoned, and they were about to call out the other officials as well.

The more people shouted, the more there were. Every official who came out felt a chill run down his spine, some even wetting themselves in fear. They ignored the couple completely, repeating the message behind them like broken record machines. More than twenty loudspeakers stood at the three gates inside and outside the two-hundred-meter-long garden street, relaying messages from one hand to the other. One person finished speaking before the next could speak—they were afraid that if they spoke too quickly or too clearly, they might drag their comrades down with them.

Jiang Xueming didn't understand this Xiabang etiquette, so he asked Zhao Jianxiong.

"Jianxiong, is this the custom in the Southeast? Has it always been like this in your hometown?"

Jianxiong had never been involved in officialdom and had no idea about this mysterious and unpredictable ritual.

On the other hand, Wu Xiuwen, who had just held a sliver of hope for his country and still had a glimmer of hope, had his fire ignited by the nameless heavenly soldiers. Upon seeing this scene, his eyes immediately dimmed—he had no more wishes, his soul seemed to fly away, and his blood seemed to cool.

Xiuwen was heartbroken. He looked at Jianxiong, who was completely unaware of what was happening, and Jianying, who had lost his life. He also felt sorry for Xiangxiang was in a daze and covered in wounds.

He recalled the psychedelic vortex he had lived in for the first half of his life—how many pairs of "Zhao Brothers" would be tricked and killed by how many "Wu Xiuwen"s, and how the survivors would have to fight and scramble to kneel on this four-hundred-foot-long street, turning into heads that could only spout nonsense and lies. If the people of Shambhala were meat dogs, then no matter how much he struggled, he could only become a zombie that ate meat dogs.

Hahahaha! Hahahaha!

Wu Xiuwen almost went crazy on the spot, wiping away tears and laughing uncontrollably, finding it utterly absurd.

"Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!"

Jiang Xueming: "What is he laughing at?"

9527's Madness Index is quite high, and she seems to be able to understand this inexplicable scene, just like how she sets up three phones to film her life vlog when she opens a package, and she has a particular way of tearing off the packaging and ripping off the ribbons every time.

"The sense of ritual is too strong."