The sword pierced the demon's heart and killed it on the ground.

"Subdue demons and monsters, and may the heavenly officials bless you!"

On both sides of Shenwu Street, there were roars like waves, one higher than the other. In front of the vermilion gate of the palace, in the round arena, the two Taoists who played the gods and demons bowed to the surroundings, bowed and retreated to both sides. After watching this warm-up fight, the people were in high spirits. Not only were the streets crowded, but even the roofs were filled with brave people, clapping, shouting, cheering, dancing, and reveling.

Such a grand occasion really emptied the streets. In the history of Xianle Country, if there is any Lantern Festival parade that can be called unprecedented, then it must be today!

On the high platform, rows of princes and nobles in brocade clothes and beautiful faces, all with decent smiles on their faces, overlooking the scene below. Inside the palace, a long queue of hundreds of people was waiting there. The bell rang loudly, and the state teacher stroked his non-existent long beard and said, "Warriors who lead the way!"

"exist!"

"Jade girl!"

"exist!"

"Musician!"

"exist!"

"cavalry!"

"exist!"

"demon!"

"exist."

"A warrior who delights the gods!"

No one answered. The Imperial Master frowned, realizing something was wrong, and turned to ask, "Warrior Yueshen? Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

Still no one answered. The "demon" who had just answered paused, took off the green-faced, fang-covered mask, revealing a fair and handsome face.

The boy was about sixteen or seventeen years old. His skin and lips were very light and clean, but his eyes were like a pair of obsidian, bright and flickering. His hair was soft, with a few very thin strands scattered on his forehead and cheeks. He looked quiet and well-behaved, which formed a sharp contrast with the hideous demon mask in his hand.

He whispered, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has left."

The imperial teacher almost fainted.

At least he remembered that he couldn't faint in the face of an important matter, so he held on and said with a broken heart, "This?! How did he leave?! When did His Highness leave? The guard of honor was about to leave the palace gate, and Huatai was pulled out. I only saw monsters and no gods. Everyone was spitting at me. I couldn't even swim with my old bones! Mu Qing, why didn't you stop him?!"

Mu Qing bowed his head and said, "Before leaving, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked me to tell him not to worry and that everything should proceed as usual. He will be here soon."

The Imperial Master was extremely anxious and asked, "How can I not be worried? What do you mean by coming soon? When is soon? What if I miss it?"

Outside the palace gate, the people who had been waiting for several hours since early morning could no longer wait and shouted to urge them to leave. A Taoist priest came hurriedly and said, "Master Imperial Master, the Queen has sent someone to ask you why the guard of honor has not set out yet? The auspicious time is almost here. If they don't set out now, it will be too late."

After hearing this, the Imperial Master wished that rebels would suddenly break into the city and ruin the Lantern Festival.

Such trouble happened at this critical moment!

If it was someone else who caused the trouble, he would have been furious and would have killed someone with a sword. But this person was his most proud and precious disciple, and also the most noble and precious son of another family. He could not be beaten, scolded, or even killed. Rather than killing him, he might as well commit suicide!

At this moment, a man passed through the dark palace gate and ran into the palace, saying loudly: "Master Imperial Master, why haven't you given the order to leave yet? The time is almost up, and everyone is waiting outside impatiently!"

The man was also a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old, with an upright posture, very tall, wheat-colored skin, and a black longbow and a snow-white feather quiver on his back. His lips were tightly pursed, his brows were tightly knitted, and although he was young, his eyes were firm. When the state teacher saw the boy, he grabbed him and said, "Feng Xin! Where is your crown prince!"

Feng Xin was startled, then he seemed to understand something, his eyes were filled with anger, and he glared at Mu Qing. Mu Qing had already put on his demon mask again without saying a word, and his spirit was nowhere to be seen. Feng Xin said in a deep voice: "I don't have time to explain to you now! Let's go immediately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not let you down!"

There was no other way. If Huatai was pulled out without Yueshen Warrior, he would die. If he didn't go out in time and ruined the time, he would also die. The national teacher waved his hand in despair and said, "Play the music, set off!"

At the order, the sound of flutes and orchestras rang out, and at the front of the long line, a hundred royal warriors shouted in unison, took their first steps, and led the mighty guard of honor to set off.

The warriors were in the front, symbolizing the need to overcome obstacles in the world. Following closely behind were virgin girls, all selected from thousands, with quiet and beautiful appearance, holding baskets in their hands, scattering flowers like fairies, which fell into mud and turned into fragrant dust, but the fragrance remained the same. The musicians sat on the golden chariot made of gold. As soon as they left the palace gate, they attracted bursts of exclamations, and everyone scrambled to grab the flowers. However, no matter how gorgeous, extravagant, and grand these were, they were just the foreshadowing of the main event. The Huatai, the last Huatai, was about to appear.

The Huatai, pulled by sixteen white horses with golden bridles, passed through the deep palace gate and slowly appeared in front of tens of thousands of people. On the stage, a demon in black, wearing a hideous mask, held a nine-foot saber across his body and solemnly took up his stance.

The state master's heart was tense, hoping for a miracle. However, the miracle did not happen. The crowd was in an uproar. On the high building, the princes and nobles frowned slightly, looked at each other, and asked, "What's going on? Why is the Yueshen warrior not on the stage?"

"Isn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince here?"

"Where's Brother Lian?"

In the middle of the tall building, there sat a handsome man and a noble lady with a soft white complexion and gentle eyes. They were the king and queen of Xianle Country. Not seeing the person who should appear, the queen looked at the king beside her with a worried look. The king held her hand and soothed her with his eyes, indicating that they should wait and see what happens and not worry. But the crowds on both sides of the street below did not have anyone to soothe them. They shouted even more fiercely, and the shouting seemed to overturn the roof. The national teacher only regretted that he did not have the courage to commit suicide on the spot. However, Mu Qing on the Huatai was very calm. Even without his opponent, he was still meticulous and completed his task on his own. With a "clang" sound, he pounded the long sword on the ground and held it upright in front of him.

Amidst a moment of solemnity, the young man in black completed his opening as a "demon" with great momentum.

Judging from his face and figure, Mu Qing looked thin and delicate, like a gentle scholar. However, he wielded such an extremely heavy nine-foot-long sword so lightly in his hand that it seemed to have no weight at all. Dozens of Taoists who played the role of demon-conquerors jumped onto the stage one by one, and were knocked down and driven off the stage one by one. To be fair, the sword shadows were heavy, and his fight was very exciting and beautiful, so some people cheered for him. However, more people did not come to see the scene of "demons and demons harming people", and they shouted, "Where is the Yueshen warrior?!"

"Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"We want to see His Highness as the Great and Martial Emperor! Demons, retreat!"

On the tall building, a voice shouted angrily, "Where is my cousin? What the hell is going on?! Who wants to watch this stuff? Damn it, where is my cousin the prince?!"

Without even looking, the one shouting the loudest must be Little Mirror King Qi Rong. As expected, many people looked up and saw a young man in a light blue brocade robe and a collar rushing to the edge of the platform, angrily waving his fist at the people below. The young man was only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a fair face and dark eyebrows, and was quite bright and eye-catching, but his face was murderous, as if he was about to jump over the railing and hit someone. But the building was too high, and if he jumped down, he would either die or break his legs, so he grabbed a white jade teacup and threw it down.

The teacup flew rapidly towards the back of the demon's head, and was about to knock him unconscious and bleed profusely. However, the demon slightly dodged and swung his long sword diagonally, picking up the teacup on the tip of his sword.

The trembling teacup stood firmly on the tip of the knife, triggering a wave of applause. Mu Qing raised the long knife again, and the teacup flew down and was caught by a Taoist priest under the stage. He continued to calmly play his role as a demon, dancing with the knife and beheading people. Qi Rong was furious and was about to smash it again, but the queen asked someone to come up and pull him down with great difficulty. However, the expressions of the royal family members became more and more solemn, and some of them could not sit still.

It is not a fun thing that the Yueshen warrior suddenly disappears before the Lantern Festival!

At this moment, a storm of cheers broke out from the crowd, which was louder than any previous cheers. A snow-white figure fell from the sky and landed in front of the black-clothed demon!

The man landed on the ground, his white clothes spread out like a huge flower on the stage, and a golden mask covered his face. He held the sword in one hand and flicked the sharp edge of the sword with the other hand, making a pleasant sound. This action was very calm, as if he didn't take the black-clothed demon in front of him seriously. The demon slowly pointed the blade at him, and the white-clothed warrior slowly stood up.

Qi Rong's eyes lit up, his face turned red, and he jumped up and shouted, "Crown Prince cousin! Crown Prince cousin is here!!!"

Upstairs and downstairs, everyone was dumbfounded.

This appearance is truly like a visit from heaven, so bold!

The tower was at least a dozen feet high. The prince, who was worth a lot of money, actually jumped down from the tower. Just a moment ago, countless people thought that it was a real god descending from heaven. Now that they realized what was happening, their blood boiled, their scalps tingled, and they clapped their hands vigorously. Qi Rong even shouted and led the way in clapping vigorously, shouting until he was hoarse and clapping until his hands turned red. The king and the queen smiled at each other and followed suit. The rest of the royal family also relaxed their brows, breathed a sigh of relief, and followed suit in clapping and praising. On both sides of Shenwu Street, there was a surge of people. Hundreds of men were so excited that they wanted to break through the warriors blocking the road and rush forward to hug and cheer.

On the Huatai, two figures, one black and one white, confronted each other. The gods and demons each shook their weapons and finally faced each other in battle.

Seeing that he had finally caught up, the state master put down his heart and climbed onto the high platform. After nodding to his colleagues around him, he found a seat and sat down to watch. The king smiled and said, "State Master, how did you come up with such a shocking appearance? It's really wonderful."

The Imperial Master wiped his sweat off his forehead and said with a smile, "It is indeed very brilliant. But I am afraid to say that this is not my idea, but that of the Crown Prince."

The Queen patted her chest and said, "This child is really reckless. He jumped down from such a high place without making a sound. I was so scared that I almost stood up."

The Imperial Master couldn't help but be a little proud, and said: "The Queen can rest assured. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is an extraordinary martial artist. Not to mention a tower that is only a dozen feet high, even if it is several times higher, he can easily climb up and down with his eyes closed."

The queen showed a happy expression and said in a gentle voice: "The imperial teacher has taught me well."

The Imperial Master laughed out loud, "No, no. Your Highness the Crown Prince is a favored child of heaven, gifted with extraordinary talents, and a descendant of a royal family. It is a great honor for me and others to be able to teach Your Highness. I have a feeling that with Your Highness the Crown Prince in charge, today will surely be the most exciting God-pleasing Heavenly Sacrifice in history."

He said "天" four times in a row, very smoothly. The king smiled slightly, turned his head and said, "I hope so."

In this Lantern Festival, the Yueshen Warrior and the Yaomo Warrior are the two most important roles. Both must be young men with excellent martial arts. Especially the Yueshen Warrior, the clothing and hat are strictly shaped and gorgeous. After the equipment is complete, the whole outfit from head to toe often weighs 40 to 50 kilograms. Under such a heavy burden, the warriors have to walk around the city several times in front of the public and complete a martial arts performance for at least two hours without any mistakes during the period. Doesn't it mean that they must have outstanding martial arts?

Fortunately, these two young men were both very good. The flashing of swords and the shadows of sabers were very beautiful and measured. I'm afraid they had practiced it countless times. The king asked, "Who is playing the role of the demon fighting the prince?"

The Imperial Master coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, that is a Taoist priest from the Imperial Temple named Mu Qing."

The Queen said softly, "I see this child fights pretty well, only a little weaker than the Emperor, probably about the same as Feng Xin, right?"

After hearing this, the Imperial Master looked disapproving. Qi Rong, who had been lying on the Queen's lap eating grapes, quickly spat out the grape skins and said, "Pooh! No, no! Not just a little bit weak, but far behind. Not everyone can compare to my cousin the Crown Prince!"

Hearing this, the Queen smiled and patted his head a few times. The nobles laughed so hard that they fell backwards. They said jokingly, "Rong'er is really pestering his cousin to death. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't praise him for a day."

In the sea of ​​people below, shouts broke through the sky: "Hit him! Hit him! Beat him to death!"

"Kill the demon!"

The sound became more and more violent. Qi Rong was also among them, holding his hands to his mouth, making a trumpet shape, and laughed: "Brother Crown Prince, come on! You can knock him down with one hand, teach this kid a lesson!"

Suddenly, the demon on the stage slashed with a knife, and the warrior blocked it with a sword, but he just said "Huh?"

Normally, in the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade, the fighting was only for the sake of pleasing the gods and for performance, and one could use only 70% of one's strength at most, and stop when one was satisfied. However, after he took the blow, the sword in his hand almost flew out. Obviously, the opponent had used 100% of his strength in that blow.

Xie Lian raised his head slightly and asked loudly, “Mu Qing?”

The boy who was acting as the demon on the other side said nothing, and attacked with another knife. Xie Lian had no time to think about it, and received several "clang clang", "clang clang", thinking to himself: "This is much more interesting than the fake fight just now." This lifted his spirits and aroused his interest.

Then, the cheers were overwhelming, and sparks from weapons flew everywhere. The more intense the fight on the stage, the louder the cheers from the audience. Suddenly, there was a whistling sound of swords, and a dazzling white light. Everyone exclaimed "Ah!" and held their breath. It turned out that the demon's nine-foot-long sword was actually picked up by the thin long sword of the Yueshen warrior, and flew out of his hand and nailed into the stone pillar on the side of the high platform. Some curious people tried to pull out the sword, but it didn't move at all even with all their strength. They couldn't help but be shocked: "What kind of sword is this? How strong is it!"

On the Huatai, the Yueshen warrior shook his long sword and flicked the blade lightly. With a clear "ding" sound, a light laugh came from behind the golden mask.

Xie Lian said calmly and happily, “You fought well. But you still lost.”

The demon lost his weapon and half-knelt on the ground, silent but clenched his fists. Xie Lian made a sword flower, and was about to thrust out this last strike of the sword to "kill" the demon amid cheers from all directions, but at this moment, screams broke out from above!

Xie Lian was startled and put away his sword. He looked up and only had time to see a blurry figure falling rapidly from the city wall.

In an instant, he had no time to think about anything. In a flash, he stepped on the ground, jumped up, and floated up lightly.

He flew up, his sleeves spread out like butterfly wings, and landed gracefully, as light as a white feather. He held the person tightly in his arms, and stepped firmly on the ground. Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked down.

In his arms, a young child with his face wrapped in bandages and his body covered in dirt was curled up in his arms, staring at him blankly.