Mishang's icy words pierced like bitter frost.
The attendants who had knelt alongside the middle-aged knight all paled, their expressions stricken with panic.
Was this journey ultimately to end in failure?
Only the middle-aged knight remained expressionless, his gaze unwavering.
He said nothing, but kowtowed heavily nine times against the crimson earth, blood streaming from his forehead.
Seeing that the middle-aged knight's gaze had not wavered in the slightest, Mishang merely gave a heavy snort.
"Hmph!"
Then he left without mercy, leaving the party kneeling where they were.
Once Mishang was completely gone, the silent young knights hurriedly rose and gathered around the middle-aged knight, who was still on his knees, asking anxiously.
"Commander, what do we do? Without the Divine Court Guards' permission, we can't even ascend Mount Tai."
"Exactly, Lord Lirui'en. The Holy City is already teetering on the brink. Yet we can't even catch a glimpse of His Majesty Haotian. How are we supposed to save the people of the Holy City?"
"My lord..."
The group babbled on at length, finally rousing Lirui'en's anger.
Still kneeling in the same position, he rebuked them loudly.
"Remember, you are knights of the Punishment Knights, the finest and most devout talents chosen from countless believers. Why have you all become like bewildered sparrows today? What kind of conduct is this? Go back and kneel!"
Their voices caught. For a moment, they fell as silent as cicadas in the cold, then slunk back to their places one by one and knelt.
Only after a long while did another young man muster his courage and speak timidly.
"Commander, if the Personal Guards truly refuse to let us up the mountain, are we really going to keep kneeling like this?"
The middle-aged knight fell silent for a while at those words, then said