荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“Protect His Majesty!”

The Governors and Deputy Governors cried out in alarm as they moved to stand in front of Mutasim III.

“There’s no need to panic. It’s the Hierophant!”

In contrast, Mutasim III was completely unperturbed.

He watched as another massive claw emerged from the depths. Upon this claw was the familiar figure of the Hierophant.

The Hierophant!

Although Mutasim III had never seen Hierophant Khatabah with his own eyes, portraits of him could be found all over the Imperial Palace in Baghdad.

Mutasim III carefully examined this man. The man atop the black and red claw wore a clean white robe, and possessed a slender figure and deep blue eyes. His most striking feature was his beard, which was extremely neat despite its thickness.

Despite all the time that has passed, he still shows no sign of aging! Mutasim III remarked to himself.

Several decades had passed since Khatabah had entered seclusion, at which time he had been more than eighty years old. But though so much time had passed, the only change to Khatabah’s appearance was a few whitening hairs. He still seemed to be around fifty years old.

He still looked the same as the portrait he had left behind, when he was at his prime!

“You’re Jaha’s son?” Khatabah suddenly said.

Despite the temperature of more than one hundred thousand degrees, Khatabah was completely unaffected, to the great shock of the surrounding Governors and Deputy Governors.

“Hierophant!”

Mutasim III hastily bowed his head in utmost reverence. Mutasim III possessed a lofty status in the Arabian Empire, and only Khatabah could speak to him like this.

In terms of age, Khatabah was one hundred and thirty. This was more than twice Mutasim III’s age. He truly did have the right to speak to Mutasim III in this sort of tone.

“How disgraceful! When I handed control over the army to you, everything had been in place. All you needed to do was follow the plan, and in short order, all of the continent would have been united by Arabia, and we would become the true hegemon of the world. I didn’t expect that you’d be defeated by some teenager of the east, almost letting him reach Baghdad,” Khatabah coldly said. As he spoke he stepped onto the rim of the well.

Mutasim III blushed in shame. The strong did not require much tact. This was the case for him, Khatabah, and all the Governors and Deputy Governors.

There was no question that they had made an enormous error in the attempted conquest of the eastern world.

Behind Mutasim III, the Governors and Deputy Governors lowered their heads, not daring to meet Khatabah’s gaze. Many of them had taken part in the Battle of Khorasan, and many of them had been pursued by that eastern youth and left completely humiliated.

In the face of this invincible and undefeated Arab legend, none of them dared to argue.

After a few moments of silence, Mutasim III said, “Hierophant, the enemies of the eastern world were stronger than imagined. We did not believe it at first, but later on, Abu Muslim was defeated, the Mamelukes were defeated, and even Your Holiness’s disciple Qutaybah was defeated at Talas. Hierophant understands very well the strength of Qutaybah and his Revelation Army. What we are facing is no ordinary foe.”

The mention of Qutaybah caused Khatabah to fall silent, and he did not continue his criticisms.

“No matter what sort of enemy we face, no one can stop our Arabia.” Khatabah regained his composure, and he stepped onto the air, treading it like it was solid ground as he descended from the rim of the well. “In the end, Qutaybah lost because he was too weak. Although his Revelation Army tried to imitate my own army, he only managed to achieve seventy percent of the likeness. He can blame no one except himself for his defeat.

“However, no one is allowed to humiliate Arabia. Let me deal with that young commander of the Great Tang. The eastern world... in the end, I must be the one to pacify it!”

Mutasim III and all the Governors and Deputy Governors meekly bowed their heads.

Subduing the eastern world...

This was also the reason they had appeared here. Once they subdued the Great Tang, the other countries were nothing.

“Hierophant, starting from now, I am willing to grant you complete control over the military. All the Governors, Deputy Governors, and soldiers of the empire will be yours to command... until you have completely conquered the eastern world! If you succeed, I will enter your name into the holy texts, hailing you as Saint so that the future sovereigns and subjects can revere you. Your Holiness will be honored as the greatest War God of the empire!” Mutasim III respectfully said.

Khatabah cared little about wealth and titles, but Mutasim III’s offer still slightly moved him. Even he was extraordinarily tempted by the thought of being made a Saint.

It was also true that uniting the continent under Arabia’s rule, subjugating all other peoples, was an unprecedented feat that would make one deserving of the title of Saint.

“Hierophant, since you have already subdued that thing, you also should have gained some control over that object from that lost civilization underground, yes?” the High Priest suddenly asked.

“Lost civilization?”

Mutasim III and the others looked back and forth between Khatabah and the High Priest in confusion.

What sort of secret was Hamuhad hiding?

A lost civilization? And there was also that terrifying creature that could spit fire. What in the world was it?

Everyone had believed that the Hierophant was in seclusion to practice his martial arts, but it now seemed that this was not the case at all. He had spent several decades away from the political power center of the empire for an apparently greater goal.

“Heheh, I’ve already succeeded.”

Khatabah chuckled. His left hand that had been hidden in his sleeve this entire time slowly emerged.

At this time, a hazy light began to shine from his sleeve.

In Khatabah’s left hand was a strange ball made of metal and flesh. The azure light was radiating from this ball.

The strangest thing was that this ball of metal and flesh seemed to be alive. It contracted in Khatabah’s palm like a heart, exuding mystery and allure with each beat. If one looked carefully, one would notice strange and ancient characters flowing across the surface, completely different from the characters of ancient Arabic.

“Your Majesty, be at ease. You have my promise. This time, I will help you pacify the eastern world!”

Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Khatabah put the strange ball away and turned his eyes to Mutasim III.

“In addition, starting from now, I will have full authority over the entire army. They will begin retraining according to my orders. In order to subjugate the eastern world, I require an even greater army, one that can truly fight!”

“As you desire!”

Mutasim III bowed, his head dropping down low in respect.

“Right, Hierophant, there are many foreign Confucians in the empire. Should we drive them out and kill them?” Mutasim III suddenly asked.

“There’s no need. Letting them stay... is even better!”

Khatabah waved his hand, a profound smile on his lips.

......

Putting aside the events in the Arabian Empire, in the capital of the Great Tang...

Everyone in the capital and the realm was waiting for that appointed day, the attention focused entirely on the militarist-Confucian conflict. Everyone knew about the previous clashes between the King of Foreign Lands and the Secretariat Advisor, and everyone was waiting for the decisive battle between the two in the next few days.

Everyone was surprised to see the conflict end like this, but on second thought, they found that it made sense.

In this empire, the Sage Emperor wielded absolute authority. Whenever he made his decision, all members of society would piously obey.

Moreover, just as the Imperial Court’s announcement had explained, this method would limit the damage to only Wang Chong and Li Junxian, minimizing the harm to the empire.

The days went by, and countless people were brimming with anticipation.

At this time, in the plum forest in the northwestern region of the Imperial Palace...

“You’ve made up your mind?”

Two simple incense burners filled the spacious and bright confines of the classroom with a fragrant and hallowed aroma. Master Zhu stood tall in his robes, and in front of him sat the white-robed and kneeling Li Junxian, his hair unbound.

These two had already met many times, but the mood was grave like never before.

“This disciple has made up his mind. So that future generations may enjoy eternal peace, Junxian must win the match in four days no matter what. Master, please fulfill my wish,” Li Junxian solemnly said, his back straight.

The Confucian school and Confucian Sect were two sides of the same coin, originating from the same source. While Li Junxian and Master Zhu were separated by many years, they were peers and often addressed each other as fellow brothers. But now, Li Junxian was treating their relationship as disciple and master, and the tone with which he spoke had also changed.

“Junior Brother, while there is still time, I ask that you reconsider. Many formidable characters have appeared in the history of our Confucian school, and quite a few of them were great teachers who were hailed as ‘Master’ by the people. But none of them dared to touch that item belonging to the First Sage.

“Many brilliant leaders have also appeared in the history of your Confucian Sect. All of them wanted to wear this crown, but not a single one succeeded.

“Even as the times have changed, not a single person has been able to stand on the same level as the First Sage. Even if I help you put on the crown, in your current situation, your lifespan will be greatly reduced. Do you still persist?” Master Zhu grimly said.