Heaven, the Five Military Headquarters.
The former military mansion was specially used to punish the generals who violated the rules and give them minor punishments. It was the deepest prison. There were all kinds of restrictions, and the small cells were restricted by space. They were at least 108,000 miles apart. No matter how loud you shouted, cried, and made a scene, you couldn't hear any noise from your neighbors next door, let alone have any communication or contact with other prisoners.
In the blood-red prison, a dozen or so feet tall, metal-cast, burly puppets wearing heavy armor and large shields were patrolling on the bloody clouds. These puppets only obeyed the orders of the warden of this forbidden prison and the former military mansion's great celestial monarch. Apart from these two people, no one else could give them any orders.
People may be partial to each other and commit corruption, but puppets will never do that.
The ultimate order from the core of these puppets is that once there is an invasion by foreign enemies, once the enemy is too powerful to resist, all the prisoners in the prison will be killed directly!
Yao Yan sat cross-legged in the small prison. This prison was extremely vast. The space restriction had expanded this prison to more than trillions of miles, but the prison he was given was only big enough to accommodate him. He sat cross-legged on the ground and could touch the walls of the prison with his fingers if he stretched out his hand casually.
This narrow prison was surprisingly high. Looking up, this long and narrow prison was at least ten miles high. A weak magnetic field filled the prison, and drops of icy cold water kept dripping from the roof. Under the drag of this small magnetic field, the small amount of water tore through the air, making a "hissing" sound, like a falling poisonous snake, hitting Yao Yan's neck fiercely.
Every time the cold water drops fell, Yao Yan shivered and got goose bumps all over his body.
The restrictions in the prison imprisoned Yao Yan's magic power and banned all his magical powers and spells. Every drop of this Tianyin Mysterious Water was very heavy. If it dripped like this for many years, as the saying goes, "water drops wear away stones", even steel bones would be shattered by this feminine and highly corrosive "water drop torture".
Yao Yan counted silently in his heart, calculating when the next drop of water would arrive.
But the one who designed this set of water drop torture is simply a bastard. The frequency of the Yinxuan water drops that day was completely random and completely chaotic. The last time Yao Yan's water drops fell, it took a quarter of an hour, and the last time the water drops fell, it took a cup of tea. This time, Yao Yan just counted a hundred in his mind, and "pa pa pa" three consecutive drops of cold and piercing water hit his neck.
Yao Yan's body swayed, his head tilted forward, and his forehead almost hit the prison door.
He gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice: "Yao Xin, haha, just wait, just wait, we... will slowly settle this in this life!"
He punched the wall fiercely. All his magic power was blocked, so his punch was weak and powerless, and he couldn't even trigger the forbidden magic on the wall, and he couldn't make any sound. He said in a hoarse voice: "Yao Xin, you wait, your life is not long, not long..."
The eyes between the eyebrows opened vertically, and wisps of fierce light flashed.
The gate leading to the upper level of the prison suddenly opened with the sound of low thunder. Billions of fighting puppets in this prison raised their heads at the same time. Bloody divine light flickered in the twelve symmetrically arranged eye holes on their thick visors. Thin rays of blood light tore through the void and locked onto the gate that was rumbling open.
The warden of the former military prison walked slowly into this heavy prison area alone.
Countless fighting puppets bowed their heads and saluted the warden, then continued to patrol along a constant trajectory. Warden Wu Cheng, who was tall and thin, with a slightly dark complexion and lips with a strange oily blood color, as if he had just eaten a human, swayed and came directly to Yao Yan's prison.
"You?" Yao Yan stood up slowly. The dark prison door in front of him turned into a transparent crystal. Through the prison door, which was unknown how thick it was, he gave Wu Cheng a strange laugh: "Mr. Warden, what do you want to say? Well, could it be that my eldest brother was kind enough to ask you to let me out?"
Wu Cheng placed his right hand on the prison door.
The cell door flickered slightly and disappeared.
Yao Yan was stunned. A little blood light flashed in the depths of his eyes between his eyebrows. Then, he laughed and extended his hand to Wu Cheng in a very intimate manner: "So, you are also me. It's really terrifying to think about it. I didn't even know how terrifying my magical powers and abilities were... So, you are also me!"
Wu Cheng opened his eyes between his eyebrows, and a hint of blood flashed faintly in the depths of his eyes.
He whispered, "Of course, you are me, and I am you. We were originally one, but were forced to separate due to some external factors. One day, you, me, and many of us will finally be reunited."
Yao Yan grinned and said, "Who's in charge?"
Wu Cheng also smiled: "Each one depends on his own means?"
The two laughed together, blood flashed in their eyes, their faces turned fierce, and they punched each other hard in the chest. However, Yao Yan's magic power was still in a forbidden state, and his punch did not hurt Wu Cheng's hair, while Wu Cheng's punch made Yao Yan's sternum concave, blood spurted from his seven orifices, and he hit his head against the wall behind him, sticking to the wall like a piece of mud, and it took a long time to recover.
Wu Cheng said calmly: "Come out, something big has happened outside."
Inside the prison, the layers of terrifying forbidden spells slowly faded away, and the magic power in Yao Yan's body became more and more active. An ancient ring on his finger flashed, and a pile of imperial coins flew out, and "clang clang clang" directly exploded. The rolling spiritual rhyme of Taoism poured into his body, and his broken ribs and shattered internal organs were restored in an instant.
After swallowing up the Dao Rhyme Spirit transformed from the Emperor's Coin, Yao Yan stood up and said in a cold voice: "What's the big deal? My father is dead?"
Wu Cheng looked at Yao Yan in shock: "Huh? Is there a flaw in the forbidden method of this prison? You can actually receive news from the outside world? Or, are the other 'myself's' you are connected to sending you a message through spiritual induction?"
Yao Yan's eyes widened: "Huh?"
Wu Cheng nodded slowly: "You are right, your father, Great Lord Yao Yan, is really dead. His Majesty has issued an edict to let your elder brother Yao Yan take over the position of Great Lord. He has already mobilized the troops of the Front Army and is heading to Tiemen Pass to avenge the Great Lord."
Yao Yan's face suddenly turned dark.
Yao Xin is in power?
He hissed, "Why? Just because he's a legitimate son?"
Wu Cheng said calmly, "Of course, just because he is a legitimate son... Your Majesty is most particular about etiquette and rules. Yao Xin is the eldest son, unless he does something extremely treasonous and violates the rules of heaven, he will definitely inherit the position of the Great Heavenly Sovereign."
Yao Yan narrowed his eyes: "Treason? Violating the heavenly rules? No, it's not allowed!"
Wu Cheng smiled and pointed at Yao Yan: "You don't need to think too much or do too much. There is an opportunity here. It depends on your means. I, 'we' here, don't have a suitable channel to reach His Majesty directly. It depends on you... Well, do you know the Eight Scenery Treasure Lantern and the Chi Yuan Demon Relic?"
Yao Yan narrowed his eyes. He and Wu Cheng had already arrived at the gate leading to the upper prison area.
Wu Cheng has used his authority to release Yao Yan from all the restrictions and constraints imposed by the prison.
Yao Yan took a deep breath, and all his connections with the outside world, including his connection with the burly man in the Sky Patrol Guard who was responsible for training new recruits, as well as several other "myself", had been completely restored and were no longer affected in any way.
Yao Yan tapped his temple lightly with his right index finger and nodded: "The Eight Scenery Treasures Lamp is the greatest treasure of the void. It illuminates the void and penetrates the whole universe. All spatial prohibitions and all spatial magical powers are like nothing under the light of the Eight Scenery Treasures Lamp. This lamp... huh? It's actually your majesty's personal toy?"
"The Chi Yuan Mo Relics were left behind by the Buddha Mother Kshatriya in the Holy Land of Nalanda before she was killed. She used the Buddha's blood to attract the invisible demon to resist stubbornly. After she was killed, the demon Buddha relic was left behind? It is neither good nor evil, it is vague and illusory, it secretly controls the primordial spirit and the soul. It is a natural restraint for all acquired bloodline creations?"
"Similarly, it is also a secret treasure used by His Majesty..."
Wu Cheng said calmly: "You have 'yourself' in the Tianshu Secret Pavilion?"
"That's good... Over the years, I have vaguely sensed that among the Patrolling Forbidden Divine Guards..."
Yao Yan interrupted him: "Yes, among the Patrolling Forbidden Divine Guards, there is 'myself'... Moreover, there are a lot of them, and some of them are in high positions..."
He looked at Wu Cheng provocatively: "Besides, as for me..."
He stretched out his right index finger and pointed fiercely at his heart: "Take me, Yao Yan, as the master!"
Wu Cheng nodded and smiled calmly: "That's great, this is an opportunity... My identity is not suitable for me to do this. After all, how can a warden who stays in the former military prison all year round, a lonely weirdo who doesn't have much contact with the outside world, a cruel and merciless punishment master, and a ruthless executioner have much communication with the outside world?"
"So, although I would like to take the credit, I cannot maximize the benefits by coming forward."
"You will be different. If you do well!" Wu Cheng looked at Yao Yan with a stern gaze: "Perhaps, you will have a chance to compete with Yao Yan? At the very least, it will allow 'ourselves' to take control of a few more powerful and good positions!"
Yao Yan looked at Wu Cheng: "All the information, quickly!"
Wu Cheng grabbed Yao Yan's shoulders and turned him into a stream of light. They rushed from the deep prison to his daily office upstairs. "Let's not talk about other things for now. Let's cancel your criminal record first. Make a unified confession. I was inspecting the prison and found that someone violated the rules and imprisoned you in the prison. I am very observant and found something wrong in the case file. I will release you according to the law."
"Kill that Sima Zhao!" Yao Yan threw his sleeves in dismay, "Haha, I'm taking revenge from morning till night, what do you think?"
"He spared me and put you in prison, which is... a capital crime." Wu Cheng said as a matter of course: "You and I are one. Disrespecting you is disrespecting me... He is naturally guilty of a capital crime. Especially since what he did was not in compliance with the law."
Yao Yan walked out of the prison gate with his head held high.
He stood at the door, with his arms open, basking in the scorching sun, feeling the inspiration and rhythm of the Tao pouring down from the starry sky, and breathing deeply with great pleasure.
He waited here for a while, and saw Sima Zhao, who had forcibly detained him in the Military Secret Hall before, with a dejected look on his face, being brought over by several prison wardens sent from Wucheng like a dead pig.
Behind Sima Zhao, there was a group of his close colleagues and trusted subordinates. However, the prison wardens also brought a large number of people, including a team of huge fighting puppets, which forcibly separated those people from several miles away, making it impossible for them to get close.
Yao Yan looked at Sima Zhao with a smile. When the other party was carried past him, he smiled lightly and said, "Sima Zhao, it's been a while since I last saw you. Are you okay? Well, I'm going to kill your whole family. Do you believe it?"
Sima Zhao's eyes suddenly widened, especially the one between his eyebrows, which almost jumped out of his eye sockets. Surrounded by the dark divine light, he turned his head and wanted to say something to Yao Yan. But a layer of starlight restriction covered his mouth, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound.
He struggled hard. Several prison officials... who could hang around in the prison of the Five Military Offices of Heavenly Court? Which one of them was merciful? Sima Zhao had just struggled for a moment when three sharp spikes flashing with black light pierced his spine fiercely. His body suddenly stiffened, like a fish with damaged nerves, stunned and unable to move at all.
"I'll kill your whole family... Are you happy? Are you touched?" Yao Yan smiled extremely brightly: "You followed the wrong master, you followed the wrong person... You are a bunch of ignorant bastards... Hehe, I am just the eldest son... You don't even..."
Yao Yan lowered his voice, his expression suddenly changed: "You don't know how great 'we' are!"
Yao Yan walked out of the prison with his hands behind his back and his head held high. He walked back to the public room where he worked as the Sima of the Former Army Mansion. He shut the door heavily and opened all the restrictions to isolate the sound from inside and outside. Countless people watched Yao Yan enter the public room... This important office of the Former Army Mansion was strictly restricted, and there were countless heavenly soldiers and generals patrolling. With Yao Yan's cultivation, it was impossible for him to leave quietly without telling anyone.
But Yao Yan just left like that.
The headquarters of the Sky Patrolling Divine Guards and the Blood-Robed Division.
The sky and the earth were dark, the palaces were dark. The members of the Blood-Robed Division of the Sky-Patrol Forbidden Divine Guards, dressed in blood-stained robes, with either half-armor on the upper body or a few heart-protecting mirrors inlaid on vital parts such as the chest and back, were like industrious ants, silently moving back and forth between the palaces and pavilions.
Occasionally, the doors of some halls and pavilions opened, and a suffocating smell of blood or even the stench of rotting corpses wafted out.
From time to time, there were inhumane screams floating out from various halls!
With the capabilities of the Blood Robe Division, their power, and the vast resources they can mobilize, if they wish, these 'officials' who are being punished, or even the 'suspects' who are being tortured, would not be able to make a single sound.
But this has always been the style of the Blood-Clothes Division - they just like to let the howls, cries and pleas of these unfortunate guys spread in all directions, and they even set up clever spells to make their cries spread from the Blood-Clothes Division's base to the Black-Clothes Division and Iron-Clothes Division's bases next door.
This is the effect we want.
Although it was actually a very boring move, the top brass of the Blood Robe Division were happy to use the blood and tears of these unfortunate souls to quietly add even a tiny bit of this to their own halo of terror.
Perhaps, it’s the overly depressing atmosphere in Heaven that has caused these high-ranking officials of the Blood Robe Division to become...perverted.
The chief of the Blood-Clothes Division is often away from home.
He had cultivated some kind of profound magical power, and his cultivation had reached an unfathomable level. There were even rumors that the Blood Robe Division's master's true cultivation could even rival the Great Commander.
No one knew where he was, and no one knew what he was doing. But every now and then, the Blood Robe Division's men would escort some convicted officials back to the Blood Robe Division. And it was said that the crimes of these officials were exposed by the Blood Robe Division's chief himself!
On weekdays, the daily operation is controlled by the two major bailiffs in the front and back and the two major assistants on the left and right.
When Yao Yan locked himself up in the public housing of the former military mansion, Sima Xiaotian, the rear guard of the Xueyi Division who was in charge of case files, logistics, personnel establishment, merit evaluation, salary payment and other internal affairs, was in the office signing room. Sima Xiaotian, a tall and handsome man with a square face that showed righteousness and an inexplicable sense of righteousness, suddenly opened his eyes and snorted coldly.
He waved his hand, and in the signing room, behind a dozen official cases, all the chief clerks, chief secretaries and other subordinate officials who were busy sorting out various official documents and handling various affairs looked up, stood up silently, quietly closed the door of the signing room, and at the same time opened various restrictions in the signing room.
Ma Xiaotian flipped his palm, and a fist-sized, pitch-black gem rose into the air. A wisp of black mist slowly emerged, quickly covering the entire signing room. Then he put his left little finger into his mouth, bit off a knuckle with a "crack", and sprayed the piece of flesh and blood on the ground with a "puff".
The flesh and blood at the severed finger squirmed, and as Ma Xiaotian's finger rapidly regenerated, the piece of flesh and blood that fell to the ground also began to expand and squirm rapidly. In just a few breaths, Yao Yan used the small piece of flesh and blood that Ma Xiaotian sprayed out to condense his true body out of thin air.
A flash of starlight swept across from beginning to end, and Yao Yan's breath completely stabilized.
He raised his head, looked at Ma Xiaotian, and said with a smile: "You and I are one, so I won't be polite. Well, if I report a crime here, what procedures are required? Also, the evidence must be solid."
Ma Xiaotian stood up, his eyes opened, and a cold and fierce light shone in all directions. He said in a clear voice: "To eliminate evil for the Heavenly Court and punish evil for the Taichu Heaven, why do we need any evidence? Just tell me, and all the evidence will be there... If there is no evidence, there will be some."
Yao Yan gestured and spoke some words.
Ma Xiaotian's brows suddenly frowned, and he muttered in a low voice: "This evidence is easy to make."
With a divine light in his eyes, Ma Xiaotian quickly reported a series of names to the subordinate officials who stood solemnly with their hands down. If there were people who were familiar with the organization of the Heavenly Court, they would know that these people were all direct descendants of officials in key positions in the Tianshu Secret Pavilion and several related palaces, pavilions, mansions, and government offices.
"Go ahead, kill some of these kids as quickly as possible and capture some." Ma Xiaotian said calmly, "We must get the necessary confessions from those we kill. For the ones we capture, we'll mix in some of those who really know nothing, and for the rest, we'll just search their souls and make them behave."
Immediately, two chief clerks bowed to Ma Xiaotian and Yao Yan, and with a shake of their bodies, they turned into wisps of starlight and escaped.
Ma Xiaotian discussed with Yao Yan in a low voice for a few more sentences, and finally let out a heavy breath: "Forget it, reporting to a higher level is a taboo... What do you think?"
Yao Yan's eyes were grim, and he gestured: "Could it be that you have forgotten? The Blood Robe Division has the right to act at its own discretion."
One by one, the orders were issued from Ma Xiaotian's back room, and many of the confidants and officials close to the Blood Robe Division that Ma Xiaotian had gathered over the years all followed the orders. Of course, the Blood Robe Division members who were running around didn't know what they were doing and what they were doing for.
The two chief clerks who were in charge of the truly confidential matters had already led their men to the real target.
Just as Lu Yi and others were fighting with the King of Qi in the depths of chaos; just as the newly appointed Yao Xin was leading a large group of soldiers and horses to frantically destroy the territories of the Three Kings and One Zun, Ma Xiaotian took the lead, followed closely by Yao Xin. The two of them bypassed the Blood-Robed Chief, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sky Patrol Forbidden Divine Guards, and even the layered and strictly guarded system of memorials in Heaven, and a letter of memorial was delivered directly to the desk of Taichu Emperor.
The Great Emperor Taichu was visiting Taiyoutian. The three great emperors gathered together, and no one knew what they were whispering about.
In the Taichu Chengyuan Hall, there was only an incarnation of the Taichu Emperor, sitting upright on the imperial throne, looking expressionlessly at the clouds and mists in the hall. Twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty palm-sized silver-feathered flying cranes were circling and dancing in the clouds as lightly as ghosts, accompanied by the wonderful music played by a pair of fairy women in the corner of the hall.
The Great Emperor Taichu's cultivation reached an incredible level, and his clones also developed their own spirituality and hobbies.
This incarnation of the emperor, who has been stationed in Taichu Chengyuan Palace all year round, does not like wine, women, or weapons, but only likes to watch various spiritual birds singing and dancing.
A memorial gleaming with a faint blood light was quietly handed in by a close celestial official. The emperor's clone on the throne waved his hand gently: "Huh? Why don't you follow the rules? Shouldn't the old monarch review this memorial first before handing it in?"
The official stopped immediately and prostrated himself on the ground in fear and trepidation. "Your Majesty, this is a memorial submitted by Sima Xiaotian, the rear guard of the Blood Robe Division... The Blood Robe Division has the power to act at its discretion, and he exercised this power this time."
The emperor's clone smiled calmly, "Oh? Ma Xiaotian? I seem to have some impression of him... Oh, now I remember, he has been a rare talent over the years. In places like the Blood Robe Division, he is the one who has been promoted the fastest among the newcomers."
"But it's not a trivial matter, right?"
"If it was just a minor matter of some Heavenly Official committing dereliction of duty or some Heavenly King breaking the precepts, he would rashly use this privilege to bypass the Blood Robe Division Master and the Grand Commander, bypass the proper reporting process, and submit the memorial to me... If it's not a major event that shakes the world, he'd better be careful!"
"However, I just dealt with a rebellious person who dared to use the name of 'Qitian'... It's not bad to have some fun. Although the singing and dancing of the spirit birds are beautiful, I have seen them so many times over the years that they are just like this."
"Perhaps, we should follow my advice... Next time, instead of watching the singing and dancing of the spiritual birds, we should try to cook them with various cooking methods and see how the meat tastes."
The wings of more than ten thousand flying cranes that were singing and dancing suddenly froze. With a few "bangs", at least half of the flying cranes crashed into each other randomly, causing their formation to be in chaos. They were frightened and flapped their wings wildly, and the whole hall was filled with messy flying feathers.
The emperor's clone smiled more and more happily. He pointed at the flying cranes, shook his head, and with a wave of his hand, the memorial shining with a faint blood light was in his hand.
A finger touched the thin jade book, and strands of information flowed out.
The emperor's clone's smile suddenly froze, and then he stood up abruptly and shouted sternly: "I will return immediately, I have no right to deal with this matter!"
With a loud 'bang', the emperor's clone exploded into a huge ball of starlight. A wisp of his soul floated and merged into the ball of colorful starlight, and directly merged into an ordinary black jade ruyi on the armrest of the base.
Taiyutian, the face of Taichu Emperor, who was at the time verbally disparaging the two emperors Taiyu and Taimi, suddenly froze. He slowly stood up. The entire Taiyutian suddenly shook slightly, the void suddenly shattered, and the entire operation of Taiyutian became a mess.
"It's simply lawless!"
In Taiyu Heaven, countless flowers withered and the wonderful fragrance in the air suddenly disappeared. The disgusting stench of rotting corpses hidden under the fragrance suddenly became thicker, and the countless beautiful maids and fairies in Taiyu Heaven had their eyes spinning. They fell directly to the ground, and sticky blood flowed from their seven orifices. The blood was black in color, and it was obvious that they had been poisoned.
Emperor Taiyu looked at Emperor Taichu in confusion, who suddenly became furious, as if his buttocks were stabbed by a red-hot iron. He stood up, clapped his hands repeatedly, and large pieces of colorful petals flew out from his palms. The dark and smelly Taiyu Heaven suddenly became bright and beautiful, the horrible stench quickly disappeared, and wisps of rich fragrance returned to the world.
Emperor Taimu looked at the enraged Emperor Taichu thoughtfully: "Something happened in Heaven? Hmm? Do you want us to help?"
Emperor Taichu frowned, shook his head, stomped his feet, and turned into a stream of light, rushing into the sky and disappearing without a trace in an instant.