The Time Had Come
Time flies, and three or four days pass in the blink of an eye.
But on this particular day in the middle of the month, after the morning court session at dawn, no one was seen coming out of the palace.
Even more strangely, when the sun was high in the sky, some informants hurriedly reported that many of the imperial guards who usually stood guard at the palace gates had disappeared, or were simply motionless like clay statues, showing no reaction whatsoever.
The situation seems to be getting serious.
There's a saying that something unusual is bound to happen, but in this critical juncture, it doesn't seem so surprising.
In this world, groups of people are hiding in secret rooms, discussing these messages that have been sent back from various places.
One of the older men was clearly unable to accept this fact.
"The various guards and palace gates, as well as the inner guards of the Crown Prince, are all on duty in shifts. Even though the laws and regulations have declined and the established system has collapsed in recent years, if you calculate carefully, there should still be hundreds or even thousands of them. How could such a thing have happened?!"
"Lord Fu, Zhuge Wolong has already foreseen the rising yin energy tonight, which must be an omen of Heavenly Hound Devouring the Moon. It seems that the Centipede Spirit has also sensed the danger and has tampered with things—"
"In that case, the chances of those who have gone missing are probably slim."
More than twenty people gathered here, sharing a room, yet their conversations were chaotic, each harboring their own thoughts.
But in the end, unlike Fu Tianchou in front of them, as the "leader representatives" of their respective teams, while discussing matters here, they all naturally knew perfectly well that the missing mortals were most likely abducted by Universal Salvation and used as "supplements" for cultivation.
Unlike the simplified portrayal in a mere movie, when things happen in a real world, many details that seem trivial become incredibly chilling upon closer examination.
Some people calmed the agitated old minister, while others summoned their "subordinates," gave them detailed instructions, and sought to learn more about the situation.
"Yan Chixia, Zen Master White Cloud, and the others are resting in the meditation room. They are our main fighting force, so don't disturb them at this time. They must not know this news before we set off at nightfall, otherwise it will definitely disrupt our plans."
"Given the personalities of these characters, frankly—I don't think they'd be able to hold back after hearing this news."
"----Also, bring those idiots who're always hanging around Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi back here! What are they doing, fawning over them! Tonight's the main plot point, get back to work and get some rest! Prepare all the usable props!"
"----Tell those foreigners in the group to make it clear! Tonight we're going to do something big, and we don't need outsiders interfering! They better not push us to the point of losing face!"
A group of seemingly disunited individuals, including their leaders, engaged in perfunctory discussions and plans, attempting to pre-arrange terms and divide up certain "benefits" among themselves.
After all, now that things have come to this point, almost every individual or team that can truly participate in this part of the storyline has established connections with important characters in the plot, essentially becoming "insiders who brought their own funding."
Those who were not able to interact with important characters in the story, such as Yan Chixia, Fu Tianchou, White Cloud Monk, were tacitly "excluded" by everyone present.
After all, compared to most users whose own strength is still meager and who may only have one or two items that can be of some use, these characters with real cultivation are the main force that truly drives the completion of the main storyline and are the most crucial "resources"!
It's important to know that the rewards for this mission from the Main God are based on the user's participation in the main storyline.
Even if it's not necessarily a zero-sum game where one participant gains and the other loses, from a conventional perspective, the fewer participants there are, the less competition there is in terms of "performance"!
Just as this group of people are tacitly laughing and chatting amongst themselves, they are actually waiting for the right moment tonight's full moon.
See through it but don't say it.
Sure enough, before noon, the situation in the palace had already caused chaos in the capital.
When someone from outside the palace entered or left with a warrant, they followed the usual procedure, only to discover that the soldiers beneath their armor were nothing but empty shells. They were so horrified that they rolled on the ground and retreated, attracting the attention of even more people.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control.
Seeing that even the imperial palace was in turmoil, officials, commoners, and soldiers in the capital were all in chaos. Even the guards at the city gates lost their order, allowing many refugees who had been kept out of the city to take the opportunity to sneak into the capital.
Only within that palace grounds remained calm and undisturbed, silently swallowing up almost all traces of the past.
Under the intimidation of imperial power, even knowing that a major upheaval had occurred in the palace, only a few officials and members of the Imperial Guards who were out on duty dared to enter without authorization during this short period of time—and then there was no further news.
--
It wasn't until dusk that groups of people appeared outside the palace gates.
"The terrain inside is complex. Explore first and keep a certain distance from the main force. Remember, the building map that Lao Fu gave us may not be accurate. Make your own decisions when it matters."
After the "spies" had set off some time ahead of schedule, and as darkness fell, no further news came back, including from the few tools with detection capabilities. Finally, the group could no longer contain their impatience.
"Let's go, it looks like we have no choice but to force our way in!"
"Hero Yan, Master Baiyun, Daoist Zhiqiu, Swordsman Xiahou, and everyone else here, tonight is the perfect opportunity. Please give us your full support and show no mercy. Let's restore peace and order to this world."
In this way, even if they had concerns about trespassing into the palace, it was clear that none of these chivalrous individuals would refuse.
A large number of users followed these key characters and rushed in, roughly dividing themselves into vanguard and support groups, and collectively explored the area in a rudimentary formation.
Some busybodies even went so far as to kick the stone beasts crawling by the roadside, hoping to make some unexpected discoveries.
Surprisingly, aside from the ubiquitous and somewhat chilling "clothes and garments," the main force, following the map in their hands, made its way through the streets and gradually advanced to the front of the Cihang Hall without encountering any problems along the way.
It is obvious that most of the people who remained in the palace yesterday and today have been "completely wiped out".
During this period, some of the spies sent out reported that Fu Tianchou's men had failed to find the whereabouts of the current emperor.
Especially behind the crowd, some users who did not belong to their own camp had quietly followed, hanging at a distance, not too close and not too far. Even though their presence was obvious, they did not retreat, clearly having some intention of being the mantis unaware of the oriole.
But now is not the time to dwell on such things.
As the darkness deepened, the full moon began to appear on the horizon, and even the light shining through the crimson ray of light in the sky carried a hint of red.
The arrow is on the bowstring; it must be released.
Groups of people cautiously climbed the steps, peering into the hall. Only after confirming that nothing had happened did people enter one by one, while most others remained cautiously outside to provide support.
At this moment, the Cihang Hall no longer contained the scene of a hall full of people, all of whom were mere shells, as people remembered from the movie.
There were no other traces of people.
However, apart from the incense, there was still a faint smell of blood in the air.
Looking out, among the lights that had come into the night, only the white-robed monk in the distance, sitting motionless on a lotus platform high above, remained with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of the many people who had come.